In an effort to combat a rise in deaths among the local homeless population, a Chula Vista outreach organization is establishing a team to provide basic medical care to unhoused South Bay residents.
The nonprofit, Community Through Hope, will provide emergency relief services such as wound care, hygiene products, food and other items to residents of encampments in the region.
Something as simple as a cut could present serious medical complications if left untreated, Program Manager Bella Martinez said.
"If you don't have the proper tools to clean that wound it gets infected, it gets worse, it leads to other issues like deep infection, which can put you in the hospital, and if people have access to treat that immediately, then we get to lower rates of trips to the hospital," Martinez said.
Martinez joined Midday Edition on Tuesday to discuss the growing need for street medicine in San Diego.
