Street Side: The Street Medicine Institute Podcast

In May of 2026, the Phoenix City Council passed an ordinance limiting medical treatment and food distribution in city parks. Dr. Jack Palmer, Medical Director of Circle the City, explains the ordinance and efforts to work around it. He also shares about the challenges of providing street medicine in blistering hot Phoenix, and encourages all street teams to prepare for the implementation of HR1.

Circle the City website HERE

For Feedback or comments, email Michael Brennan at

[email protected]

How do we train and mentor the next generation of street medicine providers? Dr. Richard Bryce from Detroit leads efforts to educate undergraduates, medical students, residents, and fellows in the ways of street med. Mentoring for humility, compassion, and curiosity, Richard insightfully lays out a hopeful future for street med and the rough sleepers we serve.

Dr. Bryce Bio HERE

CHASS Center HERE

For comments or questions, email host Michael Brennan:

[email protected]

Disabilities disproportionately effect rough sleepers. Mental illness, cognitive impairments, traumatic brain injuries, and amputations are commonplace. While not every street med team can have an embedded Occupation Therapist, Max & Julia provide useful guidance on how to think about and address disability issues among the unhoused.

Additional Resources:Hurwitz, M., & Lam, J. (2024). Unmet needs: Bringing physical rehabilitation to people experiencing homelessness. Pm & R, 17(4), 445.  https://doi.org/10.1002/pmrj.13311

Lam, J., Hurwitz, M., Ngankam, D., & Leland, N. (2024). Interdisciplinary rehabilitation for the transition out of homelessness with a traumatic brain injury. BMJ Case Reports, 17(12), e262462. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2024-262462

Marshall, C., Gewurtz, R., Barbic, S., Roy, L., Cooke, A., & Lysaght, R. (2023). Bridging the transition to housing: A social justice framework to guide the practice of occupational therapists and other professionals who support individuals with experiences of homelessness. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/17280

Tyminski, Q. (2021, October). Occupational therapy for the homeless [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/quinn_tyminski_occupational_therapy_for_the_homeless

With fresh eyes and an open heart, UC San Diego pre-med student Sophie Smith spent the summer volunteering with the street med team in Rochester, NY. With her youthful enthusiasm she fully engaged with the work on the streets, and shares her reflections on the transformative nature of street medicine along the academic journey to becoming a physician.

The His Branches Community Health Center website is HERE

Jim Withers has been a catalyst of the Street Medicine Movement for more than 30 years. He offers his insights into the past, present and future of the movement, with penetrating clarity about the philosophy of care, and the centrality of humility, gratitude and joy in this work. He inspires and reminds us all that this work is an integral piece of the symphonic global movement towards social justice.

The Street Medicine Institute website HERE

Pittsburgh Mercy's Operation Safety Net website HERE

The Danger of the Single Story Ted Talk HERE

Los Angeles has more than 70,000 unhoused individuals. With her husband Brett Feldman, Corinne is a founder of the USC Street Medicine Program in Los Angeles (2018). She is a clinician and educator with a wealth of experiential knowledge. In this episode, Corinne shares her perspectives on workforce development, and guides us through a street level approach to both trafficking and intimate partner violence.

USC Street Med Website: HERE

Dr. Nguyen shares the Loyola program's wrap-around care model that incorporates street outreach, emergency services, in-patient care, and medical respite. She also details the history taking acronym of HOUSED BEDS for rough sleepers, and tells some remarkable patient stories.

Loyola Street Medicine Program, HERE

HOUSED BEDS history taking, HERE

Emergency Room physician Dr. Qi Charles Zhang started the New Orleans Street Medicine Program and is now the Clinical Director of The Street Medicine Institute. Poyani was able to speak with him about his past experiences and his current work supporting and coordinating new programs around the world.

Street Medicine Institute website HERE

https://www.streetmedicine.org/

With thought-provoking and challenging conviction, Mike Boucher leads listeners on a journey towards collective care and liberation from oppressive systems. As a minister, therapist and activist, Mike thinks and feels deeply about societal harm, and the multi-faceted approaches to personal and communal healing.

Mike's Book Recommendations:

Liberated to the Bone, Susan Raffo

Emergent Strategy, Adrienne Maree Brown

What It Takes To Heal, Prentis Hemphill

Decolonizing Therapy, Jennifer Mullan

Kshe is the embodiment of living wisdom born out of the suffering of lived experience. We honor her courage and vulnerability in sharing her very personal journey. From the chaos of the streets to full-time advocacy, her story is remarkable. Kshe is the Founder and Director of LULA (Love You Like Always) in Peoria, Illinois

LULA website is HERE

Facebook link is HERE

For feedback, comments or suggestions, you can email the host, Michael Brennan, at:[email protected]