Street Medicine Fellowship

Program Director: Richard Bryce, D.O.

What is the Street Medicine Fellowship?

Street Medicine is the direct provision of healthcare and social support to those experiencing street homelessness. These are individuals who live under bridges, in tents and in other outdoor settings. They have been referred to as the unsheltered homeless or rough sleepers. This population has uniquely high mortality and morbidity due to the complex interplay between their own characteristics and those of our current healthcare system.

By going directly to the people, street medicine strives to weave professionals into the fabric of the street community and create a new platform of solidarity through which healthcare challenges can be systematically addressed. The field of street medicines has to date been a grassroots movement. But over the past few decades, recognized street medicine programs are becoming much more prevalent in the United States and overseas. Street medicine both pioneers a direct approach to caring for those on the streets and provides a conceptual model for the inclusion of excluded groups.

Overview:

With the support of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Henry Ford Hospital Department of Family Medicine is proud to offer a 1-year fellowship in Street Medicine (3rd in the United States) to those who desire extensive training and experience in street and social medicine. As a fellow in this program, you will be an integral part of a multi-disciplinary team carrying out this vision of our institution while also cultivating the skills needed to become an expert in street medicine.

Educational Components:

The Street Medicine fellowship year will follow a longitudinal style curriculum that will incorporate a broad range of objectives that are crucial to understanding the complexity of Street Medicine, including: Mental health and substance use disorders, chronic disease management, infectious disease, structural violence, advocacy, housing systems, and street ultrasound. The fellowship will be a balance of Street Medicine medical outreach, academic opportunities and clinical experience. The Street Medicine rotation will consist of time being doing street outreach with the support of Henry Ford Medical Group faculty and doing clinical time in their field of training (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine). A particular emphasis of the fellowship is the interface of care between the unsheltered population and the hospital systems of Detroit. These areas include the Emergency Medicine Department, the inpatient street medicine consult service, outpatient referral and care (the Fellow will have a continuity clinic at the CHASS Center), the NSO and Pope Francis Medical Respite Care Centers (for homeless patients who require medical recovery) as well as a focus on patient navigation throughout the larger health system of the city.

Program Benefits:

• Competitive salary, benefits and great clinical experience.
• Attend the annual International Street Medicine Symposium (ISMS) and the Street Medicine of Michigan Symposium, with opportunities for other national conferences
• Research opportunities
• Access to handheld US devices for use on outreach
• Malpractice coverage

Applicants will be considered who have graduated from Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine residencies. Applicants must provide the following:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. A personal statement outlining the motivation for becoming a Stret Medicine Fellow
3. Three letters of recommendation (one from residency program director)

Application materials should be sent to: Richard Bryce, DO at rbryce1@hfhs.org.