Individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability often rely on emergency departments and 911 responses for urgent or primary care needs, contributing to system strain and fragmented care. We partnered with the Aurora Regional Navigation Center to co‑locate a FQHC‑based walk‑in clinic that provides same‑day primary care, behavioral health, and care coordination directly within the shelter environment. This work is relevant to public health professionals because it addresses health equity, access to care, and community‑based crisis response for one of the most vulnerable populations. The main questions guiding this work were: 1) Can embedding a walk‑in clinic within a Navigation Center reduce avoidable ED or 911 use? and 2) How can cross‑sector partnerships strengthen linkage to ongoing primary and behavioral health services?
Clients accessing the Navigation Center’s walk‑in clinic are triaged by nursing and medical staff and then seen by a clinician when appropriate. Data from the first reporting period were extracted from the clinic’s electronic health record to count the total number of clients seen and the number seen by a clinician. The goal was to estimate how many encounters represented opportunities to address urgent or primary care needs in a lower‑acuity setting and thus likely negated an emergency department visit or 911 call. De‑identified aggregate counts were analyzed descriptively to characterize volume and service patterns.
During the reporting period, the Navigation Center–based clinic engaged 1,121 clients, of whom 599 were seen by a clinician. Early findings suggest this model reduces the need for higher‑acuity crisis responses while connecting clients to community‑based care.
Embedding a walk‑in clinic within the Aurora Regional Navigation Center is a practical, equity‑centered strategy to divert individuals from emergency departments and 911 responses into primary and behavioral health services.
