10 GROUNDCOVER NEWS STUDENT SOLUTIONS Street medicine: bridging the gap of accessibility ELIZABETH REIDY U-M student contributor I recently spent a Saturday morning serving potatoes and scrambled eggs at a house of hospitality in Ann Arbor. As I left the house, I noticed a group of volunteers standing on the back porch, clad in their Michigan merch, casually sipping on coffee from their thermoses. As I emerged from the crowded kitchen, carrying the scent of grease and charred potatoes with me, I wondered what these volunteers were doing relaxing on the back porch. I would’ve remained naively judgemental of them had they not been approached by a breakfast-goer at the house. I watched as they leaned over the man, intently examining his arm. It wasn’t until one of them pulled out a little red kit with a white cross on it that I realized what they were there for: it was the Wolverine Street Medicine group providing medical care. In hindsight, I felt very foolish for not realizing that sooner. This was my first time ever seeing medical services being provided at a gathering center. I was surprised to see that this was being provided, and even more surprised to find that there is a term for this type of medical care. “Street medicine” is the practice of providing medical care to unhoused populations. The street medicine movement was first established in 1992 by a Pittsburgh physician, Dr. Jim Withers, who later founded the Street Medicine Institute, a national nonprofit organization and membership community that promotes accessible healthcare for the homeless. According to the SMI, there are an estimated 50 independent street medicine programs operating across the United States today, and Wolverine is one of them. These organizations are funded in a variety of ways; some programs are run by students and volunteers, some are independent nonprofit organizations and some are facilitated by hospitals. Street medicine has been revolutionary in promoting accessible healthcare for low-income communities. Through organizations like SMI, healthcare is tailored to address the unique needs of those on the streets. Street medicine is even advancing towards becoming its own health care discipline. Despite its undeniable value, the existence of the street medicine movement in the United States is somewhat ironic. The United States is one of the richest nations in the world, and yet — according to a September 2023 report from the Census Bureau — 26 million people remain uninsured. In such an affluent country, how is it that 7.9% of the nation’s population are denied healthcare? MAY 3, 2024 Wolverine Street Medicine volunteers retrieve medical supplies from their van in downtown Detroit. Photo courtesy of Michigan Medicine. Street medicine is an invaluable service for many, but its existence indicates a glaring flaw in the current U.S. healthcare system. Rather than select hospitals, nonprofits, or even student organizations providing this service, accessible healthcare should be regulated across all healthcare providers. Accessible healthcare shouldn’t be a practice provided out of the kindness of one's heart. Healthcare is a right, but it is treated as a privilege in the United States. While it is daunting to consider the deeply-rooted, systemic issue of inaccessibility pertaining to healthcare in the United States, it is comforting to know that there are initiatives that prioritize marginalized communities. In Ann Arbor and across the world, street medicine is taking steps to provide assertive, coordinated and collaborative care management to those who need it most. Student organizations and initiatives striving to alleviate homelessness WEI ZHOU U-M student contributor One of the greatest challenges that homeless and low-income people face is the accessibility of free or lowcost goods and services within a community. This is especially true in Washtenaw County, home to the University of Michigan which prides itself as being one of the wealthiest school systems in the world. The University offers free and low-cost services (such as healthcare and food pantries) to those who are a part of the school system; to others, these services are locked behind the University of Michigan paywall. Recently, however, student organizations and other student-led initiatives have begun to take notice and strive for change, paving a path for addressing the needs of the homeless people in Washtenaw County. Michigan Health Aid is a student-run organization that focuses on providing health checkups and other related services for the homeless. They typically operate biweekly on the second floor of the Delonis Center on West Huron Street, where certified and trained volunteers take and interpret health metrics (such as blood pressure, blood sugar level) and provide insights on how to manage these health symptoms. Paul Silaghi, the president of MHA, describes MHA as “striving to provide basic health information to temperature andpeople who may not have the opportunity to know it otherwise.” He also describes MHA’s goals for expansion, which was guided by their surveying effort after collecting over 50+ responses on what resources the responders would need. They recently started pushing for an increased rate of checkups as well as funding from the University to provide over the counter medicines. After asking Paul if he thinks he - made a difference, he responded: “I hope so. We heard great things from the resource partners coordinator from the Delonis Center, who we have been working with very closely to implement this. We’ve had great testimonials from people who both had great things to say and also have offered some feedback on maybe where they would want certain tests they would want, or certain services that they want in addition to what we have, and we’ve been doing our best to implement those, especially if we see patterns in what people want that they may not have access to right see STUDENTS next page
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