Health Law Society Presents: Dr. James Withers, Founder of Operation Safety Net
By Susan Pickup
On October 27, Duquesne University School of Law had the honor of hosting Dr. James Withers who presented to the university community about his organization, Operation Safety Net. Operation Safety Net is a Street Medicine Program that provides healthcare to the homeless population of Pittsburgh. The program is affiliated with the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System and Trinity Health, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. Through Dr. Wither’s faith and passion for service, Operation Safety Net has evolved into a vital resource for the homeless population in the Pittsburgh community.
Beginning in 1992, dressed as a homeless man with only a backpack of medical supplies and the guidance of a former homeless person, Dr. Withers traveled under the bridges and through the streets of Pittsburgh to provide medical care to the homeless. As a teacher, Dr. Withers wished to create a residency program for his students to allow them to connect with real life situations of the poor and underserved, thus developing a deeper understanding for the patients they serve. What Dr. Withers has termed “street medicine”, is a new trend in healthcare that has started thousands of organizations, working in areas all over the world. Some of these organizations began through the inspiration of Dr. Withers and his calling to serve the homeless in their communities. He refers to his medical practice as “reality based healthcare,” a specialty that seeks to focus on the individual rather than the disease or personal situation.
In his presentation, Dr. Withers discussed how research has demonstrated that the homeless population is a major cost to the healthcare system, especially in emergency room costs. By providing the proper preventative medical care to the homeless population, substantial savings could be realized for the healthcare industry. More importantly, Dr. Withers believes that street medicine is a medical specialty unto itself, returning the focus of medicine back to people.
Since 1992, Operations Safety Net has transformed into a state-of-the-art organization that includes its own offices and facilities, housing program, electronic medical record system, and a 24/7 telephone hotline for people who need medical services. Two medical students, who are currently at Operation Safety Net, described the experience as eye opening and rewarding. Dr. Withers hopes that “street medicine” becomes an ordinary aspect of the American health care system. In his presentation, he hoped that “street medicine” would be as common as the police and firefighters, and that healthcare would be allocated equally to all regardless of one’s personal situation or economic status. Dr. Wither’s demonstrated his full commitment and passion for his work as a physician caring for these vulnerable classes. As a pioneer of this new brand of healthcare, Dr. Withers and Operation Safety Net continue to make an enormous impact on the homeless community. One of Dr. Wither’s colleagues, stated “the easy part is going out, the hard part is coming home and knowing that people are still out there who need help.” Dr. Withers’ work is truly inspiring.
Dr. Withers is currently nominated to be CNN’s 2015 Hero of the Year. You can vote for Dr. Withers until November 15th at http://www.cnn.com/specials/cnn-heroes/.
