The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine has secured a $1.7 million multi-year Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Primary Care Training Expansion (PCTE) grant to expand Street Medicine training and outreach programs across Hawaiʻi.
The multisite, multi-program grant will support street medicine efforts on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, and Kauaʻi. The initiative reflects JABSOM’s broader mission to establish community partnerships and foster multidisciplinary collaborations to address high-priority healthcare needs across the state, while preparing the next generation of family medicine physicians to serve its most vulnerable populations.
Street medicine brings healthcare directly to individuals experiencing homelessness and others who may not regularly access traditional healthcare systems.
“This is an absolute blessing,” said Dr. Robert Carlisle, MD, Project Director for the grant and faculty member in JABSOM’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. “This is good for the state. This is good for the family medicine physicians. This is good for the people of Hawaiʻi.”
The funding begins with $362,140 in year one and totals more than $1.7 million over five years, pending continued funding and program performance.
Dr. Carlisle says the initiative builds on street medicine work already underway within the department while expanding opportunities for resident physicians at additional sites and programs to gain firsthand experience caring for underserved communities. Dr. Carlisle credited numerous individuals and organizations for helping make the grant possible including Dr. Steven Coulter from HRSA; JABSOM Family Medicine Department Chair Dr. Chip Hixon; site leads Dr. Cynthia Ohata (UH Family Medicine-Kauaʻi Residency Director); Ellen Bell and Dr. Megan Martelly (Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center Family Medicine Residency); Dr. Doug Rose (Hawaiʻi Island Family Medicine Residency site lead); and Dr. Thomas Quattlebaum (residency program director at UH Family Medicine-Oʻahu). Appreciation is also extended to JABSOM’s Hawaiʻi HOME Project, Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center, Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corporation, the State DOH Kauaʻi District Health Office, Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi, Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawaiʻi and Hope Services Hawaiʻi.
“As physicians and professionals, we have a duty to society and the community around us,” Dr. Carlisle said while describing the values behind the program.
The expansion intends to launch new street medicine experiences for family medicine resident physicians in Waiʻanae and on Hawaiʻi Island, as well as JABSOM’s new Kauaʻi Family Medicine Residency Program. The first Kauaʻi cohort begins training on July 1, 2026, on Oʻahu, then moves to Kauaʻi for the remaining two years of training. In Waiʻanae, the funding will additionally help strengthen existing homeless outreach efforts.
Program leaders also hope to expand behavioral health and addiction care services within street medicine outreach efforts.
“The really tough lift will be to integrate behavioral medicine and addiction care into our outreach on the street,” Dr. Carlisle said.
The effort required collaboration across multiple residency programs and community partners statewide. “Make no mistake, this was a massive effort to bring together four different programs across the state on three different islands,” Dr. Carlisle said. “There was a lot of coordination and enthusiasm from all of us to recognize the potential benefits of street medicine.”
The project also received early support through seed funding from the Hawaiʻi Academy of Family Physicians, JABSOM’s Office of Medical Education, and the Hawaiʻi Medical Association.
“The small seed grants grew this much larger investment in street medicine,” Carlisle said. “This experience should have a profound impact with influence lasting over the next 30 years of their careers.”
While the grant allows street medicine to expand across the state, it does not cover the most basic supplies needed to provide care. If you would like to support the street medicine effort via the JABSOM Family Medicine and Community Health Enhancement Fund,
please click here. Any amount is welcome as it goes to purchasing bandages, basic footwear, and low-cost medications.
