Hidden Gems: Meet Jaynell (KK) Assmann of Care Beyond the Boulevard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaynell (KK) Assmann.

Hi Jaynell (KK), thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
CBB originated when the founder was volunteering every Monday night at Micah Ministries in the Northeast area of Kansas City, MO. During this time volunteering serving food to the homeless and underserved, she realized there was a vast lack of healthcare to the “guests” frequenting Micah Ministries for food and clothing. The founder had been a registered nurse for nearly 20 years at that time, was in school to become a Family Nurse Practitioner, and realized the need for medical care for those seeking assistance at Micah Ministries. CBB originally collaborated with another non-profit healthcare facility in the metro, with them serving as the fiduciary agent. This allowed CBB to develop a base, a routine, and utilize the electronic health record (EHR). For six months CBB held a clinic in conjunction with Micah Ministries to build up a relationship and grow more familiar with the patients.
On September 1, 2016, the small team of volunteers loaded up in a pick-up truck with medical supplies, socks, blankets, and a handful of volunteers. As a grassroots organization, CBB focused on growth and strived to morph based on the needs of the people being served. After nearly a year of making street rounds two nights per week, it was evident that with the services in the community, the CBB teams would better serve the patients with a large mobile medical unit. A 39-foot school bus was donated by a local dealership with funds to renovate secured through a private donor. One of the volunteers spent about 9 months working weekends to transform the school bus into a mobile medical clinic with examination rooms, storage for medications, and supplies needed to care for those experiencing homelessness.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been smooth, but the bumps have been manageable. Struggles have been funding (OF COURSE) and finding ongoing support from the community to recognize the value of the work being done by our team.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Care Beyond the Boulevard?
Care Beyond the Boulevard, Inc. (CBB) is a 501©3 that formed in 2016 to provide medical services to the homeless, underserved and uninsured populations in the greater Kansas City metro area. The goal of CBB is to provide compassionate healthcare to all. CBB has been successful in this unique care delivery system by providing consistent care directly to those living on the streets and in clinics stationed in areas with high numbers of those experiencing poverty and lack of health insurance.
This includes going directly to the streets as well as holding stationary clinics in places where those who are experiencing homelessness go for other services.
We are the only street medicine team in the greater KC metro, we work to bridge gaps in access to care and we work to provide compassionate healthcare to every human.
We also have the only true medical respite facility in the region. We have a facility where those who are experiencing homelessness can recover after surgery, injury or illness, and while there, we provide medical and social services. In the last two years, 69 patients have been dismissed from our medical respite, and of those, 34 did NOT go back to the streets. We worked with them while in respite to gain more permanent housing.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My husband is my biggest cheerleader, supporter, schleper!! He has been the backbone of me being able to make this work.
Sharol is my right hand, she has been a part of Care Beyond the Boulevard since day one, first as a volunteer, and now as the program director. All of the volunteers know Sharol and she knows them!

Pricing:

• All services are free and no insurance is billed

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carebeyondtheboulevard.org
• Instagram: carebeyondtheboulevard
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carebeyondtheboulevard
• Other: TikTok-CBB