Community Health Education
Portland Street Medicine's Community Health Education Program provides basic wound care information and supplies to people living on the streets in the Portland area. We learned that 60% of our patient care involved some form of wound care, so we worked with our skilled clinicians and patients to develop a program specifically for these health care concerns. Emerging from this, we created an accessible health education zine, First Aid for Wounds and Other Skin Conditions, that provides information to help people make decisions about infections, wounds, rashes, and other skin conditions common to people who are unhoused and may be experiencing conditions of exposure to the environment, lack of sanitation access, and lack of adequate access to medical care.
The information in this guide is general and not meant to replace evaluation and care from a trained medical provider. If for any reason you are concerned about an infection, injury or any other condition, trust your gut and seek help!
Two versions of First Aid for Wounds and Other Skin Conditions are available from the links below, one in a magazine format and one formatted for viewing on a mobile device. To receive physical copies of the First Aid for Wounds and Other Skin Conditions contact PSM's Community Health Education Program: che@portlandstreetmedicine.org
Portland Street Medicine also presents free workshops to interested communities about skin and soft tissue infections, treating wounds, foot-care, and more. These courses are interactive and use pictures, diagrams, and graphics to explain things in an easy to understand format. Each course is taught by Portland Street Medicine’s volunteers and staff at your location.
Our one-hour introductory workshop covers:
Abscesses and bacterial infections
Dangerous conditions and red flags
Foot care
Assessment information
Cleaning strategies
Healing tips
We also bring free wound care supplies to every workshop.
To set-up a First Aid for Wounds workshop or for more info, contact: