IN SOLIDARITY

To the Street Medicine Community

In solidarity with people around the world, the Street Medicine Institute voices its anger at and intolerance of the continued injustices and specific targeting of black Americans.  We abhor the structural racism and implicit biases that perpetuate inequities in health care, criminal justice, education, and economic self-sufficiency.  The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among black Americans and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are recent examples of racism and structural violence against people of color in the United States.  The Street Medicine Institute also grieves and bears witness to the violence, marginalization, and oppression of excluded people throughout the world, some of whom are your rough-sleeping patients.  We want you, especially you who are our black and brown colleagues, to know that we stand beside you with our arms linked in your arms against both the overt acts of violence and the insidious silence that surrounds them.

The Street Medicine Institute commits to the following actions in our fight for equity and justice:

1. We are listening. Please email us at [email protected] to share ways in which the Street Medicine Institute can improve equity within our organization.
2. We will convene an advocacy group and seek input from our diverse international membership to develop strategies to meaningfully address structural violence in each of our communities. Please email Liz Frye at [email protected] if you would like to participate or lead this effort.
3. We commit to educating ourselves and the street medicine community about the racial disparity among the black unsheltered homeless population and equipping organizations and individuals on ways to erase that disparity.

Lastly, we want to remind you of who we are as a community of people who practice street medicine and why each of you bring us hope.  Our collective work in street medicine is defined more by the values and beliefs that guide our daily lives than by the medical care we deliver.  Among the core of these values are inclusivity, solidarity, justice and love.  We practice inclusion medicine; all people - no matter their race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, or any other attribute - are worthy of our care.  We listen and allow our rough-sleeping friends to define our priorities, rather than forcing them to conform to our agenda.  We stand in solidarity with the people we serve, immersing ourselves in their reality.  The harsher their reality becomes, the more we strive to share their burden, letting them know we will walk with them no matter what.  We bear witness to injustices inflicted on them almost daily, challenging their right to exist, reminding them that no place is their own, not even a park bench.  Most importantly, we understand that of all the things we share, a tender love is needed most.

 
In solidarity and with love,

The Street Medicine Institute Board

Brett Feldman, Liz Frye, Amanda Cook, Dave Deci, Pat Perri, Steve Perry, Jim Withers, Henrik Thiesen, Korrinne Yurick, and Irene McFadden

Great News!  Registration for International Street Medicine Symposium 16 is now open!

The Street Medicine Institute is excited to announce the 16th annual International Street Medicine Symposium (ISMS 16), to be held October 15 - 17, 2020.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are offering our first ever virtual symposium, and it is free for our members!

Learning Activities

The International Street Medicine Symposium (ISMS) is the world’s premier educational event dedicated to the health care of rough-sleeping (unsheltered) homeless populations.  As always, the ISMS will offer an impressive slate of homeless health care experts from around the globe presenting clinical topics, innovations, research outcomes, and best practices relevant to street medicine through the popular format mix of large-group lectures, interactive small-group oral presentations and workshops, and poster presentations. Clinicians and non-clinicians are invited to participate; we encourage and celebrate the diversity of professional roles and disciplines represented among participants.  We intend to offer continuing medical education credits for eligible clinicians.

Reconnect and Re-energize

As consistently reported by past participants, one of the most valuable experiences of the ISMS is the opportunity to interact with street medicine colleagues from around the world.  This year, as a part of our virtual package, program activities will incorporate time to reconnect with old friends, make new contacts, and share stories of the triumphs and challenges of this important work.  Specifically, the mobile app permits up to 30 people to connect via video chat in one room. Participants will be inspired and re-energized as they renew a common commitment to improving the lives of their brothers and sisters living on the streets.

Please click here for more details about the preliminary program, keynote speaker and our virtual platform.

To Register

Registration is now open and is free and exclusive to our members this year!  If you are already a member, please click HERE to register.  If you are not a member and would like to attend the symposium, click HERE to become a member first.  If you have any difficulty with the registration process, please contact Chris Rafalski at [email protected]. 

NOTE:  Program Members may link three team members to their program account for the single Program Member donation of $749.  This may be a more economical solution for teams planning to register more than one person for the event.  Contact Chris Rafalski at [email protected] with questions.

Message from the Chair

Within the past year, our lives and work have changed dramatically and we have found ourselves needing to adapt new ways to connect with each other and provide meaningful street-based care amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.  The ISMS 16 organizing committee believes that this year, more than ever, we need each other and this symposium.  Even though we are unable to meet physically, I hope you will feel connected and uplifted with the strength and support of our international street medicine community.

With your participation and expertise, we anticipate another outstanding International Street Medicine Symposium!  I hope to see you virtually in October so we can continue to learn from one another and renew our collective commitment to improving the lives of our brothers and sisters living on the streets throughout the world.

Liz Frye, MD, MPH

Chair, 16th annual International Street Medicine Symposium