More than 650,000 Americans experience homelessness each night in the U.S., a 12% increase from 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Many of those individuals have unmet physical and mental healthcare needs.
Open Door Mission was established in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1954, as a Gospel Rescue Mission committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Each day, Open Door Mission provides access to 917 safe shelter beds and serves 4,747 nutritious meals to vulnerable individuals and families. It also offers homelessness prevention services that empower financially vulnerable people to remain in their homes.
In 1994, Open Door Mission began providing free healthcare clinic visits in collaboration with local nursing schools. As the need for more comprehensive services grew, Open Door Mission expanded its partnerships with healthcare providers and opened the Free Health and Healing Clinic directly on Open Door Mission’s main campus in 1997. There, local doctors, nurses, pharmacists and specialists provide primary healthcare and preventive services.
In 2023, the Free Health and Healing Clinic facilitated 8,665 healthcare visits, acting as a critical lifeline for patients experiencing homelessness. Services include foot-care clinics to treat wounds created by inadequate footwear, pharmacy and diabetes clinics for patients who need help reviewing and managing their medications, heart and lung clinics, and mental health support services.
“The success achieved by Open Door Mission through its collaborative healthcare partnerships enables us to improve the quality of life for our most vulnerable citizens, which, in turn, also creates an economically and socially enriched community for all of Omaha’s residents,” said Dr. Candace Gregory, President and Chief Executive Officer of Open Door Mission.
“The Open Door Mission Free Health and Healing Clinic earned a Gold Rating from the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics’ (NAFC) Quality Standards Program in 2022,” Gregory added. “This top rating underscores the power of partnership in helping to deliver essential services to individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. It’s a model we hope other communities will look to as a compassionate, effective solution.”
The clinic actually saved my life. You are not going to find better care anywhere, honestly, and the staff is just wonderful.”
An Open Door Mission patient
who was treated for a life-threatening infection