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Hot Chocolate and Hope: Medical Van Offers Homeless Teenagers a Warm Place

"We deal with routine complaints like ear infections or sinus infections," he says. "We occasionally see some trauma, like someone coming in after they've been hit over the head with a beer bottle."

The van does not provide ongoing medical care. Instead, it is a "gateway to get kids from the streets to a primary care physician," Melchiono says.

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"Many of these kids have long histories of abuse, so they are not trusting," he says. "We need to meet them where they're at."

Someone to Talk To

Because many of the van's clients have suffered abuse, visits often have a mental health component as well.

Melchiono remembers one particularly poignant visit.

"A patient came on and said she just wanted a blood pressure test, but I could tell that there was something more," he says. "It turns out she was exchanging sex for a place to sleep, and just wanted someone to talk to."

Melchiono says he believes that the program's effort to address more than just physical needs is at the root of its success.

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