ORANGE, Calif. (August 17, 2026) — Based upon the success of its Street Medicine Program in individual cities, the CalOptima Health Board of Directors announced the largest expansion of the program to date, authorizing a regional approach to serving the unhoused through a new partnership that brings together four Orange County cities. The Coastal Cities Continuum, a collaboration among Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Westminster, will join the CalOptima Health Street Medicine Program, with services launching in mid-2027.
Street Medicine plays a key role in CalOptima Health’s comprehensive strategy to address the unhoused in Orange County by bringing urgent and primary care to the streets. The program, which now operates in Garden Grove, Costa Mesa, Anaheim and Santa Ana, uses interdisciplinary teams who canvas communities to reach members living in parks, under freeways and other unsheltered spaces. Services include health care, behavioral health, substance use treatment and case management, along with expanded whole-person care resources, seeking to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits and increase access to permanent housing.
“Homelessness does not stop at city boundaries, and neither should our response,” said Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, Chair of the CalOptima Health Board of Directors and Supervisor of Orange County’s Second District. “Our growing Street Medicine network is a powerful example of what we can accomplish when we work together across jurisdictions and systems. By bringing health care, behavioral health, social services and housing resources directly to people where they are, we are breaking down barriers to care and creating a more coordinated path toward stability for our most vulnerable residents.”
By establishing relationships and building trust over time, Street Medicine teams can help unhoused individuals address immediate health needs while creating pathways toward more stable housing and long-term health. According to Orange County’s 2026 Point in Time Count of the unhoused population, there are about 500 unsheltered individuals living in the four-city area.
“I’m excited that this program is operating in my district, and I look forward to some great results in helping our unhoused population,” said Orange County First District Supervisor Janet Nguyen, a member of the CalOptima Health Board. “Creating a more unified system in the area sets us up for success. By resolving the health challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness, we remove major barriers to their successful reintegration into everyday life.”
The Street Medicine Program’s evolution reflects a broader understanding that health care and housing stability are closely connected. CalOptima Health has complemented its Street Medicine efforts with investments in housing development, leading to efforts to increase the capacity of housing-services providers and the creation of its first-ever Care Traffic Control Center, an innovative coordinated care hub designed to improve health care access and outcomes for Orange County residents experiencing homelessness by seamlessly guiding them through every stage of their health care journey.