Greater Portland Health’s Bayside location at 63 Preble Street in Portland hosts our Health Care for the Homeless Program, which provides primary care and dental services to all clients regardless of their ability to pay. We follow a harm reduction model and provide nonjudgmental, trauma-informed care.
Our Health Care for the Homeless health center is located in the Bayside Neighborhood of downtown Portland. It is directly across the street from Preble Street's Elena Way's Wellness Shelter. It is also 0.7 miles from Florence House, a shelter for women.
Greater Portland Health staff often meet patients during moments of instability: arriving in a new country, navigating shelter systems, accessing detox or substance use treatment, or spending nights sleeping on the streets. Greater Portland Health provides primary care, behavioral health services, oral healthcare, vision services, chronic disease management, healthcare support services, and more. Our healthcare for the homeless designated locations include our 63 Preble Street health center, a site within the City’s Homeless Services Center at 654 Riverside Street, and our 934 Congress Street site, where we provide recuperative care services in partnership with Preble Street and MaineHealth. The team provides wraparound care needed to navigate services and manage their health through outreach, education, informal counseling, and social support. Team members also act as liaisons between Greater Portland Health, health and social service providers, and the populations they serve. They work to improve access and strengthen the quality and effectiveness of care, supporting positive health outcomes.
Outreach and Community Health Workers (CHWS)
Outreach staff, led by the Director of Social Work, are actively engaged across Portland and work closely with individuals experiencing homelessness and those in recovery. In coordination with leadership and providers, outreach staff build connections between Greater Portland Health (GPH) and the people they serve, sharing feedback to help reduce barriers to medical and behavioral health care.
A community health worker (CHW) based at our Bayside location spends much of her time connecting individuals with available health services and helping close gaps in care for those experiencing homelessness. The CHW regularly visits local meal sites, resource centers, and outdoor locations, and conducts outreach twice a week at the City of Portland Oxford Street Shelter to explain available services and support individuals in accessing care at the health center. CHWs and Social Workers help reduce barriers by accompanying patients to specialty appointments, assisting with housing searches, supporting pharmacy visits, and helping connect individuals to benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), MaineCare, and housing vouchers. Peer support specialists provide additional assistance for individuals working toward recovery, meeting patients where they are and offering ongoing support.
Dental
Our dental team at Bayside offers preventative and restorative dental services to all patients regardless of their ability to pay.
HealthCare for the homeless program
Medication Assisted Treatment Program (MAT)
In response to Maine’s opioid crisis among individuals experiencing homelessness, we launched an innovative daily dosing program in 2017.
The program provides daily intensive outpatient support to high-risk patients who may not have access to other outpatient or residential treatment options.
MARP’s daily observed dosing model has demonstrated strong outcomes. The program builds on existing substance use disorder treatment services and adds monitored daily dosing with medication, along with mental health counseling. Our Preble Street partners provide daily case management, help expedite access to benefits and services, and support efforts to secure housing and employment.
Meet the Team
Kevin Sullivan, MD
Education: Doctor of Medicine from Emory University in Atlanta
Renee Fay-LeBlanc, MD, FACP
Education: Doctor in Medicine from University of Vermont College of Medicine
Courtney Pladsen, FNP
Education: Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Georgetown University, Master of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University, Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston College
Jennifer Rogers, NP-C, AAHIVS
Education: Master of Science in Nursing from University of Southern Maine, Bachelor of Arts in Communications from University of Iowa