‘Small tasks add up’

Volunteers with the student-led Street Medicine Oakland at OUWB recently traded backpacks of medical supplies for brooms, rakes, and garbage bags to help a local community in a whole new way.

In August and September, Street Medicine Oakland held three clean-up events in Pontiac neighborhoods and parks.

Kaitlin Pataroque is a second-year OUWB medical student and part of the Street Medicine Oakland leadership team. She says the clean-up efforts are in addition to the program’s regular outreach aimed at helping individuals who are homeless and need medical care.

During each clean-up, more than 60 student volunteers donated their time and efforts.

“We have to give credit to the first-year class (of 2025) because pretty much all of the volunteers were first-year students,” says Pataroque.

“We thought the first clean-up day would have the largest turnout because they wouldn’t be as busy with studies, but then they just kept coming back and bringing friends, which was really cool.”

By definition, the concept of street medicine is “a collaboration of health and social services that address the unique needs and circumstances of the unsheltered homeless.”

The Street Medicine program at OUWB is the first of its kind in Oakland County and launched in late 2019. OUWB alumnae Lexie Ranski, M.D., and Tori Drzyzga, M.D., worked for several years to make it happen, under the guidance of Jason Wasserman, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies. The Gary Burnstein Community Clinic serves as the home base for the program.

Last September, Street Medicine Oakland received a $57,000 grant from the DMC Foundation, which is affiliated with the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan.

Early this month, the group announced via Facebook it has changed its name to “Street Medicine Oakland” from “Street Medicine Pontiac” to reflect expanded services. 

Since launch, the program has consistently worked to bridge the gap between community members who are homeless and the health care they need. That includes providing basic medical treatment and advice (under the guidance of volunteer physicians) to individuals at the Hope Center and others who are homeless.

Pataroque says the clean-up days are consistent with the overall mission of Street Medicine Oakland.

“During the clean-ups we saw some of the homeless people who we regularly see in their parks and they asked us why we are doing this,’” says Pataroque. “We told them we wanted to help them have a dignified place to live and that we’re proud to serve them and proud to serve the city and want them to feel the same way.”

Participating volunteers say they get as much out of helping as the community.

“These clean up days have been a reminder that every individual has a unique background,” says Skylar Sundquist, a first-year medical student who volunteered all three days.

“It is so important for health care professionals to understand this and meet patients where they are,” adds Sundquist. “Street Medicine at OUWB exemplifies this by going into a community and addressing the communities needs and literally caring for patients wherever they are. I seek to carry this attitude with me throughout my career.”

David Howell, M1, says volunteering for the clean-up days serves as a good reminder to stay focused on people.

“Street Med gives me the opportunity to connect with classmates, mentors, and most importantly, the people of Pontiac…and it's not a passive connection,” says Howell. “Bringing food to individuals experiencing houselessness, or picking up broken glass off of the street both point to a commitment to this community in a way that cannot be accomplished by stepping back.”

M1 Lakshmi Vrittamani says volunteering with Street Medicine Oakland “is such a meaningful way to make community connections and learn what it means to bring health care to extremely disenfranchised populations.”

“Cleaning up trash, although a small task, is a great reminder to our unhoused populations that we care about them and have not forgotten them,” says Vrittamani. “These small tasks add up and really shape how communities view homelessness.”