Welcome to the virtual home of Doctors Without Walls-Santa Barbara Street Medicine (DWW-SBSM). We welcome you to explore our website and learn about our non-profit volunteer organization.
Street Medicine is the term used to define a collaboration of professionals who deliver health care and related services directly to people living and sleeping on the streets and in austere environments.
The term Street Medicine was coined by pioneer Dr. Jim Withers, one of the leaders in the movement, and one of the inspirations behind the creation of DWW-SBSM
NEWS
February 23, 2010 Outreach into the Shadows...
I move at a hurried pace, dropping in and out of the sodium glow of the street lights, into
the darkness and then out of it. The air is languid, heavy with a damp cold.The straps of
a small medical backpack bear down over my shoulders with the weight of the supplies
inside. In front of me, the hushed words of Dr. Mimi Doohan find their way through the
cold air to my ears. She is talking with social worker Jennifer Ferraez about a young
homeless girl, probably no more than 19 years old, that they have been reaching out to
over the past month. The two seem to be meditating on her situation and discussing how
to improve it. ...continued February 8, 2010 Organic Soup Kitchen will be partnering with Doctor Without Walls - Santa Barbara Street Medicine for the Woman's Free Health Clinic on February 12, 2010. The local non-profit will do what it does best by serving their wholesome, organic food to the unsheltered woman who attend the free clinic. Please learn more about Organic Soup Kitchen by visiting their website. December 18, 2009 New photos have been uploaded to the DWW-SBSM gallery: Each Wednesday, community members volunteer their time at Pershing Park by serving an evening meal to the homeless. The DWW-SBSM medical team deploys in concert with these community members, in order to provide medical care and social services to the large number of homeless individuals attracted to the park on these nights. Photographer Michael Stinson joined the DWW-SBSM street team in Pershing Park late in the fall of this year and took some photos of our street medicine operations. To view Michael's images of our activities, see the DWW-SBSM photo gallery . December 9, 2009 The Santa Barbara Independent recently spoke with Jason Prystowsky, the newest addition to DWW-SBSM's Board of Directors, about his work with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). Jason spent nine months negotiating the worn-torn area of southern Sudan while treating everything from gunshot wounds to tetanus as part of an international team of doctors. The interview with Jason is a prelude to the screening of Living in Emergency at the Arlington Theatre on Monday, Dec. 14, at 8:00PM. For the full article and the interview with Jason, see the Santa Barbara Independent website. More details about the Living in Emergency screening can be found here. February 4, 2009 The 2009 Santa Barbara Film Festival presented One Bridge to the Next, a film by Dr. Jim Withers, founder of Operation Safety Net. The film "One Bridge To The Next" addresses the burgeoning field of street medicine. In 1992, Dr. Jim Withers began doing night rounds on the streets of Pittsburgh, offering medical assistance and support to the homeless. Fifteen years later, the organization he founded, Operation Safety Net, is a pioneering model in a growing movement to provide healthcare to the homeless. Terry Gross of Fresh Air on NPR interviewed Dr. Jim Withers, click here to hear the interview.
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We are proud to partner with these local, national and international philanthropic organizations to develop and deliver hands-on medical outreach and educational programs in Santa Barbara County:
Direct Relief International (DRI) provides medical assistance to improve the quality of life for people affected by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest at home and throughout the world. DRI directly and profoundly strengthens our efforts by providing essential material resources and administrative partnership.
International Street Medicine (ISM) is a forum of humanitarian organizations that bring healthcare to the homeless and poor communities around the world. The forum promotes collaboration and communication and provides a network of support to all street medical outreach organizations.
Operation Safety Net (OSN) is a medical outreach program that provides primary care to homeless people in the Pittsburgh area, through multi-disciplinary street teams. Founded by Dr. Jim Withers in 1992, OSN is recognized as one of nations leading street medicine programs.
Transition House is a non-profit organization serving homeless families in Santa Barbara. For 25 years, the organization has worked to solve homelessness and welfare dependence among families by providing a variety of services that address the root cause of these two obstacles to independent family living - poverty.
Organic Soup Kitchen is an local non-profit committed to serving organic, wholesome food to prevent nutritional deficiencies in financially challenged individuals. It is their belief that no individual, regardless of their financial status, should be forced to compromise the quality of the food that they feed themselves or their families.
SB County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) works to ensure the highest quality emergency medical care to the people of Santa Barbara County through an integrated and coordinated system of services.
UCSB Street Health Outreach is a student organization dedicated to health promotion, wellness, and community outreach which was inspired by, and is affiliated with, DWW-SBSM.
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