Bransten was concerned. She approached and warned people not to share their details. \u201cI felt like it was not legitimate,\u201d she said. \u201cIn this particular case, what\u2019s really dangerous is they\u2019re getting people\u2019s information.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a Social Security or Medi-Cal number, \u201cyou can continue billing Medi-Cal for that person, whether they\u2019re being seen or not,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Mission Local is not sure of Nurse Albert\u2019s identity or his credentials, if he has any; he declined to share his name. But multiple outreach workers warned that the behavior witnessed by Mission Local was reminiscent of scammers, who take advantage of people seeking services, sometimes right outside the door of city-contracted nonprofits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople will walk into our program and say all kinds of crazy things,\u201d said Bransten, whose Mission nonprofit offers beds during the day. \u201cThey come after the most vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paying out $15, pocketing $75 to $125<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s unclear why Nurse Albert was collecting Medi-Cal numbers, outreach workers like Bransten said that, in similar cases, personal information has been used for identity theft.\u00a0Or, Bransten added, an unscrupulous nurse can pay people on the street to take their blood pressure, call them clients, and then turn around and charge Medi-Cal for healthcare services, pocketing the extra money.<\/p>\n
Those Medi-Cal reimbursements amount to much more than $15, doctors said. A general wellness check could yield between $75 and $125.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outreach workers said scams like these are concentrated in areas of San Francisco with more homeless people. Individuals sign people up for mysterious free phones or illegally pay for signatures<\/a> for ballot petitions, they said. During the pandemic, tents popped up where people were paid to take COVID tests<\/a> that could be billed to Medi-Cal, California\u2019s state health insurance, for more than the patrons were given.\u00a0<\/p>\n A couple people on the street said Nurse Albert was genuinely trying to provide a positive public service, but his identity and licensing information remain unclear.<\/p>\n Dressed in dark blue scrubs and a leather jacket, Nurse Albert stood at the intersection of Eddy and Taylor streets on another day in early March. On nearby sidewalks, people were slumped over next to drug pipes and foil. On his block, however, people congregated around the nurse, who told Mission Local he took their vitals.<\/p>\n When the group dispersed, a few stragglers were disappointed to learn that \u201cNurse Al\u201d would no longer be handing out cash. He said he\u2019d return again the following morning.<\/p>\n The nurse did not give his full name to Mission Local, but said he worked for a clinic called \u201cCME\u201d before riding away on an electronic bicycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n The only healthcare program with those initials appears to be \u201cContinuing Medical Education,\u201d a UCSF division that offers educational opportunities for medical professionals. It is not a clinic.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for UCSF said the behavior described did not match their nurses\u2019 conduct: Healthcare workers always carry credentials, and they \u201cdo not ask for private information, including social security numbers or Medi-Cal identification, on the street.\u201d<\/p>\n After Mission Local\u2019s inquiries, university staff said they notified the San Francisco Police Department of a nurse potentially exchanging cash for treatment.<\/p>\n A man who said he provides security for Nurse Albert told Mission Local that Albert took down Medi-Cal information through an online \u201cCME\u201d portal, and received his money through reimbursements. The nurse only collected Social Security numbers if someone did not have their Medi-Cal card, the guard said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The goal is to encourage sobriety and \u201ctrue harm reduction,\u201d the guard added. Patrons were told not to use drugs while in line and to keep the sidewalk clean. The nurse, he said, was a licensed, dedicated health professional who \u201crisks a lot because he carries a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n An alphabet soup, and lack of trust<\/p>\n San Francisco residents do indeed want cleaner sidewalks and services for drug users. Both public safety and public health advocates support an on-the-ground approach to ridding San Francisco\u2019s streets of homelessness and addiction, whether through police foot patrols<\/a>, street teams<\/a>, or some union of the two.<\/p>\n![\"at](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4244-853x640.jpg\")
A line forms for free Covid-19 testing on Jan. 7, 2022 from Community Wellness America, Inc. at 18th and Dolores streets. Photo by Anlan Cheney.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/t2nurse2-813x640.jpg\")
UCSF roving nurses offer wound care on the streets of the Mission. Photo on May 14, 2025 by Abigail Van Neely.<\/p>\n