Our programs include a health care center with four clinical areas and other integrated services in support of the holistic wellness of each patient to which The Daily Planet is committed. Our board licensed professionals and our experienced clinical staff provide a dose of ‘health and hope’ through the daily delivery of acute and chronic care. To fully integrate our holistic and innovative clinical approach to wellness and stability, all health services are fully supported by case management; patient education; housing referral; supportive employment; financial literacy; and arts and sports for health and social change. The Daily Planet’s unique ability to provide community-based access to a spectrum of basic human services enables our clients to more efficiently and effectively improve their health and spirit. Specific services include:

The Daily Planet Health Care Center

Primary Health Clinic provides a continuum of health care services for preventative care and chronic disease management for men, women and children. All services are provided regardless of a patient’s insurance status or ability to pay. For information on how to access this service
 click here.

Behavioral Health Clinic provides mental health counseling (group, one-on-one and family), substance abuse counseling, medication management and evaluation, psychiatric evaluations and assessments; and a 90-day, in-patient drug treatment program. For information on how to access this service  click here.

Dental Clinic provides full service dental clinic offering routine and preventative services. These services include: cleanings, fillings, extractions, crowns, dentures and root canals. For information on how to access this service  click here.

Eye Care Clinic provides full line of eye care services including eye examinations to evaluate cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and other eye diseases and disorders; glasses and corrective lenses are also offered. For information on how to access this service  click here.

Case Management Services assist individuals with multiple, complex barriers to resolving homelessness. CM offers resources to create a stable lifestyle while utilizing a comprehensive, integrated approach for an individual’s holistic wellness. As a way of sustaining homeless individuals on their way to stability, basic life services are offered which include access to showers, laundry facilities, clothing closets, escrow banking, and mail services. For information on how to access this service
 click here.

Medical Respite is a 21-bed, free-standing facility designed to provide convalescent care upon hospital discharge for up to 30 days for adults who do not have appropriate living arrangements to support recuperation. It provides 24-hour staff supervision with the ultimate goal of establishing a medical home and attaining stable housing. By referral only.

Safe Haven is a 21-bed, free-standing facility that offers transitional housing with comprehensive and integrated health and support services for individuals suffering from severe mental illness coupled with chronic homelessness. It provides 24-hour staff supervision and guidance with the ultimate goal of transitioning clients into permanent housing and independent living. By referral only.

Innovative Programs in Arts and Sports for Health and Social Change

Arts for All
In collaboration with 1708 Gallery and funding through the Gray Fund an artist-in-residence held workshops in Spring and Fall 2009 with Safe Haven residents. The sessions were designed to provide a therapeutic, creative means of expression about self and meaningful relationships. A public opening and exhibition of the work is being planned for 2010.

Street Soccer Team
Using soccer provides a framework for people in poverty and living on the streets to use sports as a motivation to improve their lives. Working in partnership with Street Soccer USA, The Daily Planet organized its first soccer team in 2008. For two years, teams trained locally and traveled to Washington DC for the Street Soccer World Cup tryouts. This approach utilizes the unifying and empowering sport of soccer as a tool for personal transformation and social change by re-developing the social inclusion and community that they have lost.

Empowerment through Performing Arts
In 2007 and again in 2009, a Daily Planet mental health clinician worked in collaboration with VCU Theatre Department and The Conciliation Project and a talented group of his homeless clients to write, produce and perform a psychodrama based upon the experiences of the participants in a play. The performances reflected a collection of the life stories and life journeys of the people who live on the streets and in the shelters of our collective communities. These productions served as transformational experiences for the participants; and as awareness of the complexities of homelessness for the audiences.