Pinellas County program offering health care to homeless getting much-needed upgrades
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Upgrades are on the way for the Health Care for the Homeless program in Pinellas County. The program manager said those upgrades are welcomed, as they treat more and more people.
According to county officials, the program saw an 8.3 increase in its unduplicated medical patients in 2022 compared to 2021. The program treated 1,967 patients for preventative care and medical services.
It also saw a 17 percent increase in its unduplicated dental patients in 2022, county officials said. It treated 814 dental patients. Dental services provided include preventative care, cleanings, extractions, and denture services. More than 120 patients utilized substance use services, and 500 utilized mental health services.
"Philosophically, health care is needed for us human beings to function, and if you’re not healthy," said Saad Louaked, the program’s manager. "You’re not able to do anything, so if we can do it for a little while to have them reintegrate into society, then why not?"

The county program, that’s staffed by the Department of Health (DOH) and supported by the federal government, includes Bayside Health Clinic in Clearwater, the Mobile Medical Unit that travels to shelters and soup kitchens across the county each week, and the Street Medicine team, where they walk through neighborhoods to find patients who can’t make it to a location.
"You’re not only helping an individual with their health care, but it’s also helping the community in terms of if you have a bunch of homeless people that’re sick out in the community," said Clayton Wittstruck, a DOH human service program analyst. "It’s not very good for the city as a whole. It’s like Christmas every day. You’re giving individuals what they need every single day."
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The Mobile Medical Unit, which provides full-service primary care, is currently getting serviced, Wittstruck said, but the program is getting a new one by the end of the year.
"It’s showing its age … the everyday used parts of it, the RV parts of it are not built for heavy-duty daily use, and it’s wearing out from top to bottom," he said.
He said in two weeks, a new van will also hit the road with the Street Medicine Program.
Louaked said the new vehicles are welcomed, just like the planned expansion of Bayside Health Clinic thanks to federal grants.
"What does that mean to us as Bayside Clinic? It’s basically doubling our size and being able to have more staff on site and the ability to see more folks in here and provide more services, so it’ll be good for the community," Louaked said.
In addition to medical care, the clinic also offers dental, substance abuse, and mental health services to patients with incomes at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level. A sliding fee scale for services is applied for incomes between 101 percent to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
The county posted where the Mobile Medical Unit will be each month on its website. Bayside Health Clinic is located at 14808 49th Street North in Clearwater. Patients can walk in or book an appointment.
The expansion should be finished by next year.