Operation Safer Ground
Cardea Health Founders, Dr. Alexis Chettiar and Catherine Hayes, served as the co-medical directors for Operation Safer Ground, an emergency shelter-in-place program for people experiencing homelessness at high risk for COVID-19. Operation Safer Ground provided safe shelter and services for over 4000 unhoused individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the Alameda County Safer Ground program, Cardea Health co-founders implemented nurse-led clinical programs that allowed Safer Ground residents to remain connected with crucial medical care or re-connect to healthcare and benefits. These clinical programs protected Safer Ground initiatives from COVID-19 through surveillance, testing and vaccination, and also prepared residents to independently manage their health care upon transition to permanent housing.