Northwest Health Services hosts cookout to connect homeless community with resources
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- Northwest Health Services hosted a cookout for the homeless community in St. Joseph Tuesday, giving people a chance to enjoy a meal while learning about the resources available at the clinic.
Matt Younger, CEO of Northwest Health Services, said the clinic has been open for only a couple of months, and staff wanted to introduce the community to the services it offers.
“We wanted to let patients see what we had available for them, and so we are having this cookout and have everyone eat, and anyone who is curious about what’s happening can come and look around,” Younger said.
Younger said the goal is to ensure people know which resources are available and how to access them when needed.
The clinic accepts a variety of insurance plans, including coverage commonly used by individuals experiencing homelessness or living on limited incomes.
“It was already a space where a lot of people without homes congregated, especially when the weather is bad. People can get their basic healthcare services here. It is a medical clinic,” Younger said.
In addition to medical care, the facility offers services that are set apart from many traditional clinics. Patients can access laundry facilities and use one of two showers available on-site.
Northwest Health Services operates in 15 counties, serving both rural communities and larger population centers like St. Joseph. Younger said each location is tailored to the needs of the people it serves.
“This one meets the needs of people who don’t live in houses, and it's a little bit different than the others, but at the end it's just a medical clinic,” he said.
Tina Cook, a community healthcare worker, said staff help clients with much more than healthcare.
They also assist with obtaining birth certificates and identification cards, finding housing resources and completing important paperwork.
“Northwest has a lot of services like dental, health, and this clinic, which is basically the unhoused clinic, and they come in, and we give them showers and put the laundry in for them,” she said.
Cook said many clients are grateful for the services because, before the clinic opened, they often had few options for basic hygiene and would sometimes throw away dirty clothes and purchase replacements from thrift stores.
The clinic also provides transportation assistance for people who need rides to doctors’ appointments, grocery stores and other essential destinations.
“They are very much appreciating this. They had nowhere to go get a shower before, unless it was a gas station and get washed up in a sink,” she said.
Cook hopes the clinic can provide people with a sense of stability and help them take the next steps toward securing housing and improving their overall well-being.
