CityStreetRN brings trusted health education, blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring, and connections to healthcare resources directly to vulnerable and underserved populations throughout Lorain County, including people experiencing homelessness, uninsured and underinsured residents, and members of the Hispanic community.
At CityStreetRN, we believe everyone deserves understandable health information and respectful support. Our volunteer nurses and support team meet people in shelters, community centers, libraries, neighborhood events, and other community spaces throughout Lorain County.
Each encounter creates an opportunity to listen, provide practical education, check blood pressure or blood glucose when appropriate, and connect community members with healthcare resources that fit their needs.
Our volunteer nurses provide blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring in community based settings. Participants receive their results, clear education about what those results may mean, and guidance about when and where to seek follow up care.
These services are educational and do not replace evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed healthcare provider.
We provide practical, respectful education about hypertension, diabetes, medications, nutrition, hydration, symptom awareness, and healthy lifestyle choices. Our goal is to help people understand their health and feel more prepared to make informed decisions.
We help community members identify and connect with primary care, free or low-cost clinics, behavioral health services, substance-use treatment and recovery support, insurance or benefits assistance, transportation resources, and other appropriate healthcare services.
CityStreetRN provides culturally responsive health education and support in English and Spanish. Through Pregúntale a la Enfermera (Ask the Nurse), community members can ask health questions in a welcoming environment and receive information they can understand and use.
Health is shaped by much more than the care a person receives within the walls of a healthcare facility. To understand the broader influences on a person's health, it is important to consider the social determinants of health. These are the conditions in which people are born, live, learn, work, worship, and age. They include access to healthcare, economic stability, education, transportation, housing, neighborhood conditions, language access, and social support. When these conditions create barriers, people may delay care, struggle to understand health information, or have difficulty managing an ongoing health condition.
The effects of these barriers can be seen throughout Lorain County. To better understand and respond to residents' needs, Lorain County Public Health conducts a Community Health Assessment that examines local health outcomes, contributing factors, available resources, and priorities for improvement. The 2026–2028 Lorain County Community Health Assessment, released in 2025, identifies chronic disease as a major concern, particularly among people with lower incomes and Hispanic or Latino residents. It also recognizes medical costs, limited insurance coverage, and transportation difficulties as barriers that may cause residents to delay care.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s QuickFacts for Lorain, Hispanic or Latino residents currently make up 28.3% of the city's population. The 2020 U.S. Census counted 19,068 Hispanic or Latino residents, representing 29.2% of the city's population, compared with 25.2% in the 2010 Census. This increase reinforces the importance of bilingual outreach and health information that reflects the language, culture, and needs of the community.
The need for community-based nursing is also evident among people experiencing homelessness or housing instability. The 2026–2028 Lorain County Community Health Assessment reports that 46.2% of county renters were rent-burdened in 2023, meaning they spent 30% or more of their income on rent. It also identifies affordable housing as a major concern and acknowledges that temporary shelters provide short-term relief without resolving long‑term housing instability.
Without stable housing, reliable transportation, adequate insurance, or consistent access to healthcare, managing conditions such as hypertension and diabetes can be especially challenging. CityStreetRN helps address these barriers by bringing volunteer nurses into shelters and other trusted community settings to provide blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring, understandable health education, bilingual support, and connections to appropriate healthcare resources.
Through every encounter, CityStreetRN has an opportunity to listen, build trust, increase understanding, and help a vulnerable or underserved community member take a realistic next step toward better health.
Whether you are a volunteer nurse, student, community organization, faith-based partner, business, or donor, there is a place for you in our mission.