Students in the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (OUWB) are bringing health care to the streets of Pontiac — thanks, in part, to a generous grant from the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) Foundation.
DMC Foundation has provided funding for the expansion of Street Medicine Pontiac, a program developed by OUWB. The program, where students and physicians deliver medical care to
homeless residents in Pontiac, operates in partnership with the Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic.
Street Medicine is a collaboration of health and social services that address the unique needs and circumstances of the unsheltered homeless. Today, programs exist in more than 85 cities
and 15 countries across five continents. OUWB’s Street Medicine program is the first of its kind in Oakland County.
Since beginning last year, Street Medicine Pontiac has proven very effective in servicing the needs of a most vulnerable population. The grant from the DMC Foundation will help the program increase services and reach more patients in the coming months. Michael Westfall, vice president of university advancement, is grateful to the DMC Foundation for their leadership in expanding opportunities for OUWB students to serve the community.
“This grant will bring much-needed health care to the homeless population of Pontiac while also training OUWB students to effectively respond to the needs of marginalized populations,” says Westfall. “The lessons learned will serve our students throughout their professional careers.”
For more information about supporting Street Medicine Pontiac, contact Claus Weimann
at [email protected].
November 17, 2020
By Catherine Ticer
