Sheryl Fleisch, M.D., a psychiatrist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is delivering care to the homeless in Nashville, Tennessee, wherever it is needed—in parks, parking lots, or the ER when a homeless patient is admitted. Fleisch’s Street Psychiatry Program, now in its fifth year, is unique both locally and nationally.
“To design a program for individuals that live beyond the hospital system and really beyond the safety nets of society, you have to think outside of the box within the box,” Fleisch said.
Fleisch has partnered with Nashville nonprofit Park Center to create the program that transcends hospital walls. Her model is based on preventive care, with the aim of stopping issues before they start, whenever possible.
Fleisch believes that to foster more innovative programs like hers, the medical community must go beyond conventional systems of care.
