Street Medicine Detroit

10/06/2021

We love the enthusiasm of our volunteers and leaders! It's such an honor to help provide healthcare to our patients. Thank you to everyone who makes this possible!

08/09/2021

“These things have been killin’ my feet. Thankfully someone came by and gave me some new ones right off their own feet!”

06/02/2021

A busy day at our shelter-based run! We cared for patients’ feet, took blood pressures, and checked blood sugars. Thank you to everyone who came out and volunteered with us!

04/18/2021

Street Medicine Detroit is a non-profit, student run organization devoted to helping those on the street by providing healthcare, food, and essential items. We’ve made an Amazon wishlist of items needed to restock our supplies so we can continue to help members of our community. If you are able, we would greatly appreciate any contributions. Everything will go directly to our neighbors on the streets. Thank you so much for your support!


https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/12VOYCLOFFHG2?ref_=wl_share

04/12/2021

Working with and , we administered 90 COVID vaccines over the last week. So happy we’re able to provide these much needed vaccines to our neighbors! We couldn’t have done this without the who supplied the vaccines.

03/22/2021

A huge thank you to our Alumni Advisory Council for donating over 2,000 Ford surgical masks! We’re looking forward to handing them out on our upcoming street and shelter runs.

02/14/2021

Foot care is such an important part of what we do! It's something we don't think twice about- change socks when they get wet, take shoes off to let our feet breathe. But what happens when you're constantly on your feet and don't have a dry pair of socks or a warm place to take your shoes off? Not only is foot care important to out patients' wellbeing, but it also allows us to have time to talk face to face with the patients, listen to their stories, and form better connections. Pictured is a patient getting calluses filed down.

02/04/2021

So excited and thankful to officially resume our street runs! Starting in January, we began outreach runs with M4 students and ended the month with a successful street run. Looking forward to continuing helping our neighbors in the months to come!

12/01/2020

This Giving Tuesday, we are thinking even more about our neighbors on the streets. If you are able, we would be grateful if you consider making a donation to Street Medicine Detroit! All proceeds will go directly towards supplies and equipment for patient care. We thank you for your support! :)
http://streetmedicinedetroit.org/donate

11/11/2020

This amazing graphic depicting the cycle of violence in shelters was designed by our research coordinators, Trishya Srinivasan and Ana Lanier as part of their study, “Violence as a Deterrent for Shelter Usage Among Unsheltered Persons Experiencing Homelessness in Detroit.” Ana and Trishya presented their poster at the International Street Medicine Symposium this year. Keep reading to learn more!

BACKGROUND: Patients frequently report instances of violence and theft in emergency shelters. In a city like Detroit which reaches below freezing temps in the winter, shelter avoidance can negatively affect our patients' health.

AIM: Our project aims to qualitatively and quantitatively assess violence and fear of violence as deterrents to emergency shelter usage.

INITIAL RESULTS: Initial findings suggest that fear of violence and experiences with violence (e.g. theft of clothing and hygiene supplies, fear of physical violence) lead to a cyclic relationship between patients and shelters that is injurious to patient sleep quality and mental health and lead to feelings of helplessness. Patients' initial suggestions for enhanced safety within shelters range from employing mental health specialists to installing metal detectors.

IMPACT: Our findings will inform designing safer shelters and medical respite centers in Detroit in partnership with the Neighborhood Service Organization.

10/06/2020

Dean Carpenter was a nurse practitioner at the Neighborhood Service Organization’s Tumani Center in Detroit and the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. He was also an essential part of the founding team of Street Medicine Detroit, and served as our lead clinical preceptor from 2012-2019. Dean recognized the tremendous need of those experiencing homelessness and taught us that even simple interventions could have an impact on improving quality of life. With his quiet warmth, quick humor, and genuine interactions, he exemplified Street Medicine’s mission of compassionate, high quality care to a population that is often overlooked by society. Dean was not only the primary clinician to many of Detroit’s most vulnerable, but he was also a mentor to hundreds of medical and nursing students. While we cannot replace his unique connection with our friends on the streets, we hope to continue to carry forward his sense of care, compassion, and service to the Detroit community. This podcast was filmed in 2018, as part of our video-podcast series, Perspectives. This footage was recently recovered, and offers a glimpse into how Street Medicine Detroit started, who Dean Carpenter was, and his posture of great humility and generosity that inspired all of us to do better. We are honored to be able to share it with you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuelKeILuYs&feature=youtu.be

Dean Carpenter was a nurse practitioner at the Neighborhood Service Organization’s Tumani Center in Detroit and the University of Michigan Medical Center in ...

09/16/2020

The city of Detroit is hosting FREE COVID-19 Testing at the NOAH Project (23 E. Adams by Comerica Park) for our neighbors on the streets of Detroit. Please help us spread the word in the community to those who are experiencing homelessness regarding testing!

06/06/2020

Street Medicine Detroit would like to recognize and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement against the racial injustices that have affected the Black community for far too long. We are outraged by the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and countless others at the hands of systemic prejudice and racism in our country. As future physicians training in Detroit, it is our duty to educate and advocate for all members of our community, especially those whose voices go unheard. As members of Street Medicine Detroit, we know far too well how pervasive discrimination can lead to racial disparities such as those we see in our homeless population. Despite the fact that African Americans make up only 13% of the total U.S. population, African Americans represent 40% of the entire population experiencing homelessness. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” We will continue to advocate for our brothers and sisters on the street. We strive to practice medicine that is inclusive and compassionate; and especially now, when the suffering weighs heavy, we are here to share that burden. SMD stands with the Black lives Matter Movement and says to the protestors “We hear you and you matter.”

As the world continues to contemplate, educate, and advocate, we would like to share some resources. Thank you to WSU Black Medical Association for curating some of these resources as well.

How to support:

1. George Floyd Memorial Fund
https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
2. Minnesota Freedom Fund
https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/
3. I Run With Maud -Justice for Amaud Arbery Fundraiser
https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud
4. Justice for Breonna Taylor Petition and Fundraiser
https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor
5. Detroit Bail Fund
https://www.detroitjustice.org/bail-disruptor
6.Donation site to help release protesters from Wayne County Jails
https://www.michigannlg.org/
7. National Resources List
https://linktr.ee/NationalResourcesList

05/08/2020

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Street Medicine Detroit created a series of Field Hand-Washing Stations and placed them near soup kitchens and in homeless encampments throughout the city. The hand-washing stations allow those who are currently living on the streets to easily clean and sanitize their hands if they don’t have access to a sink or bathroom during this crisis. While many of us may take this simple act of hygiene for granted; a number of encampment residents have expressed gratitude and excitement to have the ability to wash their hands in their camps, while businesses and public facilities are closed during the pandemic.

One photo portrays a resident of an encampment in Detroit using the station. This gentleman also said "These hand-washing stations that you all are giving out are very helpful,
you know? The hand-wipes they work okay and all that but all they do is just smear the dirt and grime and all that, and you still have it on your hands. These are actually like you can wash yourself in your own sink. It might be a little cold, but what the hell - do what you got to do! We need a lot of them, not just one or two. We need a lot of them.”

In addition to setting up six Field Hand-Washing Stations in Detroit, SMD in conjunction with partner organization, Detroit Street Care (DSC), also created an online Field Hand-Washing Station How-To Guide, which gives directions on how to procure items, supplies needed per station, and instructions on how to fill and refill the stations.

05/06/2020

“They put a stop to evictions, but if you’re homeless? Boom! You’re gone,” said a Detroit resident recently displaced from his encampment. During the COVID-19 pandemic the City of Detroit has drastically increased clearing of homeless encampments, in direct opposition to guidance from the CDC. This discriminatory practice places our neighbors experiencing homelessness at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, and as such, it is a matter of public health. Street Medicine Detroit and Detroit Street Care call on YOU to stand with us in solidarity with our neighbors experiencing homelessness to demand that our City allow ALL residents to stay safe at home, whatever their home may look like. To learn more and sign our petition, follow the link below:

Support Those Experiencing Homelessness in Detroit during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

03/17/2020

Detroit has made a quarantine center available for its homeless, those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. There are medical professionals on staff and the address is 3737 Humboldt Street.

Street Medicine Detroit will continue to reach out and check on our patients during this difficult time to the best of our capabilities. As a community, we hope all members can check in with those around them who may need extra support.

The facility, provided by The Salvation Army, has 37 rooms and will have medical staff, one Detroit official said.

02/19/2020

We want to highlight one of our amazing partners Covenant Community Care! We are so thankful for the partnership we have with Covenant and their dedication to our patients day in and day out.

It’s 6 a.m. on a Tuesday when Stanley Stinson throws open the door to Covenant Community Care’s offices in Southwest Detroit. Yellow light pours over the cement stoop nearly hidden in darkness. It’s 20 degrees outside. The wind, a serrated knife. Time to get out there, he says, a bit restless....

02/10/2020

We would love to share this publication from JAMA about the importance of street medicine, and the impact it can have in the community!