Encounters on the street: Possibilities of health in a street health care center

Abstract

The present study discusses street health care and maps out the work of a health team to reflect about: encounters on the street, reducing harm, respecting people in their modes of being/existing/building a life, and the inscription of suitable healthcare models. Videos recordings, team annotations and the experiences of the authors were used for data analysis. The following expressive dimensions were constructed from our contact with the street population: the experience of living on the streets, the experience of working with health on the streets, the experience of on-the-job learning of a multiprofessional/interdisciplinary team, and the sociocultural intersection that originated from our “encounter” with this population. Providing health care on the streets is not a merely technical action, but represents a political presence involving the spheres of human rights, equity and justice, as well as political and cultural interventions. It is a way to respect ways of life, promote health, and defend multiplicity in citizenship.