coogs care

University of Houston prescribes homeless relief with new free clinic

UH nursing students will care for the homeless in a new clinic. Photo via uh.edu

Houston is no stranger to the plague of homelessness and now, a major university has a prescription for some relief.

The University of Houston College of Nursing will open its new Nursing Health Clinic in Midtown on September 13, the school announced. Notably, this new nurse-managed facility will target the health needs of homeless people.

Clients will be seen in the Abraham Center of St. Paul's United Methodist Church (5401 Fannin St.).

Dr. David Buck, associate dean of community health at the UH College of Medicine, will work as a collaborating physician, while nursing faculty and students will initially staff the clinic, a press release notes.

Treatments include aid for minor injuries and illnesses such as colds and flu, as well as other services including immunizations and screenings. Telehealth will be available for more serious referrals.

Hours of operation are 8:30 am to 1:30 pm; the school hopes to have the clinic opened two days a week in the spring.

Funding for the operation comes courtesy of the Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute, the Texas Methodist Foundation, and private donations, per a release.

Aside from an optimal training experience for practitioners in the making, the clinic promises aid to those who have none.

"The best way to provide the homeless with health care is to take it to them," said Shainy Varghese, associate professor of nursing, nurse practitioner, and clinic director, in a statement. "The clinic will draw patients from the Emergency Aid Coalition, an interfaith organization committed to helping those in need, which is housed at St. Paul's church."

------

This article originally ran on CultureMap.

Trending News

Building Houston

 
 

This week's roundup of Houston innovators includes Gaurab Chakrabarti of Solugen, Sandy Guitar of HX Venture Fund, and Cameron Owen of rBIO. Photos courtesy

Editor's note: In this week's roundup of Houston innovators to know, I'm introducing you to three local innovators across industries — from synthetic biology to venture capital — recently making headlines in Houston innovation.

Gaurab Chakrabarti, the CEO and co-founder of Solugen

Gaurab Chakrabarti shared his entrepreneurial journey on the SXSW stage this year. Photo courtesy of the Greater Houston Partnership

Houston doesn't have too many unicorns — startups valued at $1 billion or more — in its innovation ecosystem, but Solugen, a sustainable chemicals company, is among the elite group. Gaurab Chakrabarti, the CEO and co-founder of the company, joined Houston House by the Greater Houston Partnership, to share his story on the SXSW stage.

“You do make your own luck, but you have to be putting in the work to do it," Chakrabarti says, adding that it's not an easy thing to accomplish. “There are things you can be doing to increase your luck surface area."

He shared several lessons he learned on his founder journey in the discussion. Read more.

Sandy Guitar, managing director of HX Venture Fund

Sandy Guitar shares some lessons learned from the fallout of Silicon Valley Bank. Photo via HXVF

Following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, there's one thing Sandy Guitar can say has changed for Houston innovators: Bank diversification is going to be a must.

“We didn't think we needed one last week, but this week we know we need a resilience plan," she says, explaining that bank diversification is going to be added to "the operational due diligence playbook." Read more.

Cameron Owen, co-founder and CEO of rBIO

San Diego-based rBIO moved to Houston to take advantage of the growing ecosystem of biomanufacturing and synthetic biology. Photo courtesy of rBIO

Founded in San Diego, rBIO recently relocated to Houston and has big plans for settling in the city, says Cameron Owen, the company's co-founder and CEO.

“Companies from California like us and the coastal areas were converging here in Houston and creating this new type of bioeconomy,” he tells InnovationMap.

He shares that Houston wasn't originally on his radar, until it was. A visit turned into a relocation, and it's just the beginning for the biotech startup that's focused on using synthetic biology for pharmaceuticals. Read more.

Trending News