SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A non-profit that takes medical care on the move is just over a year old.
On Sundays and Mondays, you can find members of Midwest Street Medicine making the rounds in the downtown Sioux Falls area.
The mostly volunteer group offers medical care to people experiencing homelessness.
“We have some medical doctors, we also have physician assistants who volunteer with us, nurse practitioners, paramedics, nurses, and the secret sauce to our organization is the peer support specialists. Those are folks who have lived experience with serious mental illness or addiction, have gone through it, are on the other side, and want to reach back and help other people in that situation,” Midwest Street Medicine Medical Director Dr. Shannon Emry said.
Helping patients on the streets means the group needs a variety of supplies.
“We keep everything from extra socks for folks, to bandaging equipment,” Emry said.
Now, the non-profit is using space at the Union Gospel Mission to store its donated supplies.
“We really like to keep ourselves out on the streets because we want to focus on people who are unsheltered, but we realized we needed to get the supplies out of our garage and our apartments and have a central location,” Emry said.
“Union Gospel Mission, we’re about partners and community. Giving them a place to stay and a place to do things, it’s helpful for our community. We want to help those who can’t help themselves, and so we’re down here helping them. Why not add to the team? The more people, the better, ” Union Gospel Mission CEO Eric Weber said.
Midwest Street Medicine has had over 1,000 patient interactions since it launched.
“There is a lot of trauma in people who find themselves homeless, so there’s often overlapping mental health stuff we address and addiction needs as well, but sometimes it’s just scrapes and bruises from being outside and we’re just doing a lot of first aid. Sometimes it’s just listening and providing that human connection that they really aren’t getting from the general community so much,” Emry said.
If you’d like to donate to Midwest Street Medicine, click here.
