WSU Expands Street Medicine With $2.5 Million Grant

A federal grant will extend hands-on street medicine training for medical residents to Spokane and Everett over five years.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Financial Aid

WSU Expands Street Medicine With $2.5 Million Grant

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Should the federal government fund more health care for people experiencing homelessness?

The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded Washington State University $2.5 million to expand its street medicine rotations. The grant will fund the expansion for five years in Spokane and Everett.

Why it matters

Barriers such as money and transportation keep many people experiencing homelessness from reaching traditional healthcare, and street medicine brings services directly to where they live. Expanding training could increase the number of providers who support this population in Washington.

The $2.5 million grant will fund the expansion for five years, and between six and 12 medical residents will gain hands-on street medicine experience each year. The source does not specify the total number of people the program is expected to serve.

The players

Washington State University

A public research university in Pullman, Washington, which received the federal grant and operates the street medicine rotations.

Health Resources and Services Administration

A federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that awarded the $2.5 million grant.

CHAS

A Spokane-area health organization that partners with Washington State University on the street medicine program.

The details

Street medicine providers treat wounds on site and arrange emergency department transfers when needed, working with the Spokane program partners CHAS and the Cascadia Street Medicine Alliance. Medical residents train in the community alongside expert preceptors rather than solely in hospitals.

In 2020, Washington State University partnered with CHAS during the COVID-19 pandemic to start street medicine in Spokane.
The HRSA grant to Washington State University was reported on November 5, 2026.
The grant will fund the street medicine expansion over the next five years.

Program Origins

Street medicine in Spokane began in 2020 when Washington State University partnered with CHAS during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect vulnerable people isolating at home. The new federal grant builds on that pandemic-era model by embedding it in medical training in Spokane and Everett.

People experiencing homelessness in Spokane and Everett may see medical providers arrive where they live rather than requiring transportation to a clinic. Residents of those cities may also see a growing number of trained providers offering street-based care over the grant period.

The takeaway

Street medicine shows how removing transportation and cost barriers can bring healthcare to people who would otherwise go without it. Readers interested in access to care can watch whether the training model expands beyond the five-year grant period.