Physicians Deliver Street Medicine to the Homeless

For those involved, the time can be very rewarding. “It's very inspiring work,” Dr. Doohan said. “It reminds us of why we got into medicine in the first place.”

Once volunteers get involved in street medicine, they are usually hooked, said Dr. David M. Deci, a family physician at West Virginia University, Morgantown, and faculty adviser for MUSHROOM (Multidisciplinary Unsheltered Homeless Relief Outreach of Morgantown).

“In part, it really validates us as physicians,” Dr. Deci said. “You do what you can. You're not constrained by time.”

MUSHROOM, a student-run initiative, began in 2005. The medical students had heard about Dr. Wither's Operation Safety Net and wanted to do their part locally. After a few months of training and consultation with Dr. Withers, they started making rounds in Morgantown.

The students linked up with formerly homeless individuals in the community as well as the local mental health agency to help establish their credibility on the streets.

From the start, the program was designed purely by students, Dr. Deci said. It continues to be run and managed by students, who handle everything from inventory and volunteers to policy development. They make street rounds every other week.

“You're not there to change people, but to validate them as human beings worthy of quality care,” Dr. Deci said.

The role of all the volunteers in the program is to provide care, but also respect, he said.

Dr. Deci counseled patience for those physicians who want to reach out to unsheltered homeless individuals. These new patients may be skeptical of your involvement at first, but if you show up consistently they will eventually come around, he said.

Starting small is also important. Although Dr. Deci and his students would like to be making street rounds every night, they have settled on going out once every 2 weeks so they can provide a consistent presence.

The challenges of providing care on the street are numerous, from record keeping to obtaining malpractice coverage. But Dr. Withers said he has found that many of his volunteers like to do it simply because it's rewarding. The work is a great service for the homeless people living on the street, he said, but it's an even greater service for the physicians, nurses, and others who volunteer their time.

For more information about street medicine programs or the International Street Medicine Symposium, visit www.streetmedicine.org

Dr. Jim Withers (left) brings medicine to the streets as part of Operation Safety Net, an outreach program he started in 1992. Mercy Hospital/Operation Safety Net