Samuel Halajian, a physician assistant who treats the unhoused population in Saratoga Springs, says it’s important to build trust by listening.
Will Waldron/Times Union
Halajian is seen outside the Saratoga Community Health Center office where he works.
Will Waldron/Times Union
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Once a week, Samuel Halajian parks his car on the outskirts of the city, grabs his medical bag and hikes into the woods.
There, he seeks out those who try to stay hidden — the unhoused people living in tents, shielded by trees, just trying to survive. Halajian is welcome among them because they know he is there to help by offering free medical care, no strings attached.
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“I meet them where they are at,” said Halajian, a physician assistant who works out of the Saratoga Community Health Center. “When they see I’m trying to help, trust follows.”
This street outreach is a perfect fit for the 41-year-old. As a paramedic and U.S. Army Reserve medic, he is comfortable treating injuries in the field. He said it suits him too because he likes to feel unrestrained, free from the 15-minute patient visits at the office. He can sit and talk with patients and gauge their needs beyond medicine.
“I will ask them where they are getting their water from, how are they doing their laundry,” Halajian said. “I leave the space open without jumping right in. I want to get to know them and find common ground.”
Once trust is established, Halajian gets to work. He said he sees a lot of tick-borne illnesses, heat stroke, skin and soft tissue infections, parasitic illnesses and health problems related to exposure.
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Out in the field, he can also test for COVID-19 and check glucose levels, provide injections to ease inflammation, suture a wound and place orders for medical tests like imaging and blood work. And he can monitor and help manage chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes.
“In my medical aid bag, I bring common prescriptions, so they don’t have to go to the pharmacy and pay for medications,” Halajian said.
Halajian shows off the medical kit with bandages, medications and more that he carries with him on the days he plans to care for Saratoga Springs’ unhoused population.
Courtesy of Saratoga Hospital
Halajian also noted that more than half of the unhoused patients he encounters have co-occurring mental health or substance use disorders. He explained that many of those issues are combined with HIV, hepatitis B and C, asthma, heart disease, dental problems and tuberculosis.
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“I’ve seen some people who are in very bad shape,” he said. “I have to convince them to go to the emergency department and most of the time they will go. So many have had bad experiences with health care. I’m trying to introduce them to a little more understanding, where there is no judgment.”
The outreach effort to the unhoused population, however, is costly. It got started during the pandemic when the federal government passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which included $4 billion to address the virus among individuals and families who are homeless or receiving homeless assistance, as well as to mitigate pandemic-related impacts on that population.
That funding prompted a multiagency effort in Saratoga County. Led by CAPTAIN Community Human Services in Clifton Park, the program also included Saratoga Hospital and its Community Health Center along with Shelters of Saratoga, RISE Housing and Support Services, and Healing Springs.
Considering Halajian’s experience, he was asked to lead the hospital’s effort to find and treat unhoused people. He said he sees the effort as “one of the silver linings from the pandemic.” But at the start, he admitted, “I had no idea what it would look like. I dove in and went from there.”
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In the early days, he went to shelters and looked for those resting on the sidewalk. The outreach soon expanded to visits to the encampments.
Halajian visits residents of homeless encampments, like this one in Saratoga Springs, to provide medical care for those who live there.
Lori Van Buren/Times Union
When the money ran out at the end of 2023, the multiagency effort folded. Halajian, however, made it his mission to keep going, to continue to treat dozens of unhoused patients once a week. He has also convinced about 20 unhoused people to regularly visit and be treated at the Community Health Center where he practices. He said he is able to continue with the philanthropic support from the Saratoga Hospital Foundation, which just had its gala to raise funds for the street outreach.
“The foundation is doing incredibly important work,” Halajian said. “They are keeping the doors open.”
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Sybil Newell, the executive director of RISE Housing and Support Services, which runs the 24/7, year-round city shelter for unhoused people, said she is “incredibly grateful” to Halajian.
“Everyone deserves access to healthcare, regardless of their circumstances,” Newell said. “For our unhoused neighbors, that access is often out of reach, making compassionate outreach like Sam’s not just valuable, but essential. By bringing care directly to people, he builds trust, addresses health concerns before they become crises, and treats every person like they matter, because they do. He’s an extraordinary asset to our community, and his dedication is making a real difference in the lives of some of our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Halajian, who has worked at the Community Health Center since 2021, grew up in Westchester County. He worked as a paramedic in Yonkers and the Bronx before joining the Army Reserve in 2010. He has been deployed as a chief medical officer with the 854th Engineer Battalion. He has also worked in addiction medicine, guiding patients through detox and rehab. All of the experiences have served him well in the field.
“It can be challenging to engage with folks who had bad situations with health care in the past,” he said. “It takes a lot of effort and time to earn their trust and respect. A big thing is consistency, showing up once or twice a week without a specific agenda.”
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Ultimately, he said, the medical care reduces emergency department and urgent care visits and EMS calls. It also stabilizes people’s medical issues that can be barriers to housing and jobs.
“It’s not for everybody,” Halajian said of the job. But he loves it.
“I just want to help people. That’s all I care about.”
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