KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — A unique healthcare initiative serving Knoxville’s unhoused population is helping reduce emergency calls while earning national recognition for its impact.
According to AMR paramedic Daniel Wesley Brookshear, the number of 911 calls coming from Knoxville’s Mission District has declined since the creation of the Mission District Medical Team two years ago.
The Mission District, located beneath the Interstate 40 overpass behind downtown Knoxville, serves as a central hub for resources and services for many of the city’s unhoused residents. Two years ago, the area accounted for approximately six percent of all AMR 911 calls.
Recognizing a need for consistent medical care in the area, AMR and several community organizations joined forces to create a dedicated team focused on providing healthcare and support directly to people experiencing homelessness.
Partners in the effort include KARM, the Metro Drug Coalition, Relaunch, KAPA, first responders and several other nonprofit organizations.
Brookshear, who has worked as a paramedic for 16 years, said the initiative began with a simple idea and limited resources.
“We originally started out at the back of a pickup truck doing surveys,” Brookshear said. “My personal pickup truck is where we started our wound care, and we’ve evolved greatly since then. But we recognized that there was a community that was not being served.”
Since then, the program has expanded significantly and now includes an established clinic operating within the Mission District.
The primary goal of the program is to provide medical care before health issues become emergencies, reducing the need for costly ambulance transports and emergency room visits.
Brookshear said that over the last two years, only eight patients from the district have required ambulance transport, allowing emergency crews to remain available for critical calls throughout Knoxville.
“This opens up our providers to be available for those 911 heart attacks, strokes, motor vehicle accidents or motor vehicle collisions and have them readily available on the streets 24-7,” Brookshear said.
The program’s success is drawing attention beyond East Tennessee. Brookshear said organizations in other states are studying the model as they explore ways to better serve unhoused populations in their own communities.
In recognition of his leadership, Brookshear will receive the National Star of Life Award from the American Ambulance Association, honoring his work to improve healthcare access and emergency response efficiency in Knoxville.
