COLORADO SPRINGS — The city of Colorado Springs’ Community and Public Health Division teams up with medical professionals to provide life-saving outreach services to the city's homeless population during harsh winter months.
Inside Fire Station One downtown, warm clothes and shoes tell only a small part of the story. The items are used to bring comfort to those living on the streets during the coldest months of the year.
"They're obviously subjected to the extreme temperatures, and they could have some medical complications because of that," says Amanda Smith, the Community Medical Supervisor.
Smith says the outreach program is designed to connect the homeless to care.
They are trained civilians serving the vulnerable with a unique set of skills not all firefighters have. Specifically in mental and behavioral healthcare.
"Our goal is always to help people get connected to shelter," Smith said.
But it's out on the ground where the real difference is made. A team of professionals works to ensure basic needs are met, and health remains top of mind as the weather turns for the worse.
"We see a lot of frostbite, a lot of frostbite, and frost nip, right where it starts to turn," says Shannon Fisher.
Fisher is a nurse practitioner who volunteers her time every Monday to provide street medicine, completing wellness checks on the unhoused population.
"I have patients that are out here that are my patients, and it's great working with them because I feel like they wouldn't get healthcare otherwise, you know, they wouldn't reach out," Fisher said.
The outreach teams have become familiar faces around homeless camps throughout the city.
"They don't have a lot of trust with someone in uniform, and to build that is crucial because then we can come out and introduce ourselves, and then they say Hey, I know you," Smith said.
Three days a week, teams distribute essential winter supplies to those in need.
"They will go out with some hand warmers and some gloves and caps, and they will let them know specifically, hey, you know, cold weather is coming," Smith said.
"We just really want to connect with people," she adds.
The year-round service becomes all the more important with the arrival of inclement weather.
"It is life and death at that point," Smith said.
The program represents compassionate care for everyone in the community, regardless of their housing situation.
