People facing homelessness get care through alliance with The Landing in Minnesota

People experiencing homeless in Rochester can now get much-needed outpatient care thanks to a collaboration between Mayo Clinic — specifically, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and the Department of Medicine — and The Landing MN, a day shelter in Rochester for people experiencing homelessness.

With two new clinical exam rooms added to an existing clinic at The Landing MN, residents at the facility can get their blood pressure checked, and get routine physicals, medication refills, insurance verification and COVID-19 testing.

Access to care

The clinical exam rooms and related services to the Landing MN were launched in 2022 when a Community Health Needs Assessment in Rochester revealed that people housed by The Landing lacked access to primary care services. Mayo Clinic provided a $150,000 capital grant to The Landing MN when it moved to a new location in November 2022 and launched a primary care clinic staffed by medical residents.

Addressing a growing need

The primary care clinic addresses the needs of people experiencing homelessness and gives internal medicine residents the opportunity to learn about hardships faced by members of their communities.
Staff from the Department of Medicine also give back to The Landing MN through several volunteer efforts. Activities have included serving a hot meal to guests and organizing a collection to purchase jeans for people facing homelessness.

The partnership between Mayo Clinic and The Landing MN will continue to grow in 2023. The Department of Medicine has approved clinical hours for faculty and residents to see additional patients at The Landing MN, beginning in July. The program also will train medical students.