Companion Care

Companion Care (CC)'s mission is to build sustainable bridges between people experiencing homelessness and healthcare services in Los Angeles. To achieve this end, CC partners with the Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA (MCP) to offer clients accompanied and/or unaccompanied primary care appointments to Wesley Health Center. CC’s client base is composed of individuals who are ready to seek primary care services, but who face structural and interpersonal barriers to care such as medical mistrust, language barriers, and chronic conditions that cannot be addressed in an acute healthcare setting. Through the practice of accompaniment, a practice that prioritizes the client’s voice and lived-experience in their healthcare journey, companions serve as partners for clients re-entering the traditional healthcare setting. When a client chooses an accompanied appointment, they attend with a companion whose role is to facilitate a sense of felt safety, comfort, and agency for the client. Practically, accompaniment entails filling out paperwork, communicating long-term goals, and arranging transportation, in addition to tackling any other barriers between clients and the services that they deserve. CC’s ultimate goal is to make healthcare an equitable resource through solidarity, humility, and partnership.

companioncare@g.ucla.edu

Signatories: Selene Lam, Sasha Xu, and Niki Golchini

Advisor: Pamela R Cysner