Munson Healthcare Wins $2.5 Million Grant to Expand Street Medicine
The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded Munson Healthcare a $2.5 million, five year grant to expand street medicine training in its Family Medicine Residency Program. The funding will increase primary and behavioral healthcare access for people experiencing homelessness across Grand Traverse County and nearby communities, and build local workforce capacity.
Munson Healthcare received a $2.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration on December 1, 2025, to launch a five year Rural Street Medicine Residency Expansion Project. One of only 24 such grants awarded nationwide, the project will broaden street medicine training in Munson’s Family Medicine Residency Program to prepare physicians to deliver primary care and behavioral health services to people experiencing homelessness.
The expansion will add formal curriculum competencies in behavioral health including psychiatric medication stabilization, addiction medicine including initiation of medications for opioid use disorder, and medical legal advocacy. Residents will be required to provide five to eight hours per month of direct outreach through mobile units, shelter clinics and encampment visits. The grant will also support expanded research on rural street medicine practices, and the creation of an advisory board that includes people with lived experience of homelessness.
The project strengthens existing partnerships among Munson, Traverse Health Clinic and Goodwill, and extends collaborative services to Benzonia, Cadillac, Rapid City and Traverse City. Munson leaders outlined plans for a rural to urban exchange, mentorships and a "Grow Your Own" model intended to recruit and retain clinicians from local communities to build long term workforce capacity.
Street medicine work at Munson began in 2020. Since then the partnership has delivered thousands of visits and gained recognition for community impact. The new grant funds aim to formalize training, scale outreach operations and measure outcomes so programs can be adapted to rural realities where transportation, housing instability and provider shortages complicate access to care.
For local residents the expansion means more clinicians trained to meet the combined medical and behavioral needs of people experiencing homelessness, and more coordinated outreach in shelters, encampments and mobile clinics. It also signals investment in developing healthcare workers from within the region, which may help address staffing gaps in primary care and behavioral health. The project will unfold over five years, with program changes expected to affect patient access and clinical training across Grand Traverse County and neighboring towns.
