What Most People Get Wrong About Homelessness (From a Doctor on the Streets)
Most healthcare waits for people to walk in the door. Midwest Street Medicine walks out to find them.
In this episode, host Melissa Goodwin spends a morning in the field with Dr. Melissa Dittberner, PhD, executive director and co founder of Midwest Street Medicine, and Dr. Bob Santella, MD, a retired physician who volunteers two days a week. The team brings medical care, mental health support, and addiction recovery directly to people experiencing homelessness in Sioux Falls, with locations also in Rapid City, Aberdeen, and Pierre.
Mo, who is a person in long term recovery herself, walks through what street medicine actually looks like on a daily basis. She breaks down what harm reduction is and why a bar is technically a harm reduction center. She explains why so much of the work is wound care, alcohol withdrawal management, and mental health triage. She talks about why she calls Midwest Street Medicine a conduit to care rather than a primary care clinic, and how the team has helped save an estimated two million dollars in unnecessary emergency room visits in Sioux Falls in the last year.
Then she takes on the myths most people repeat without thinking. Does giving money to homeless people enable them. Is homelessness a choice. Should homeless people just get a job. Can you just go to the E.R. if you get sick. Her answers are blunt, clinical, and grounded in years of street level experience.
This is for anyone who has ever walked past someone on a corner and not known what to do, anyone who works in health or social services, anyone in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen, or Pierre who wants to understand the safety net being built in their own backyard, and anyone who wants to help and does not know how to start.
ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Melissa Dittberner, PhD, also known as Dr. Mo, is the executive director and co founder of Midwest Street Medicine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings medical care, mental health support, and addiction services directly to people experiencing homelessness. She co founded the organization in July 2023 with Shannon Emry, MD. Mo is a professor of addiction counseling and prevention at the University of South Dakota, a researcher on addiction, recovery, vagus nerve neurostimulation, and tattoos as healing, and a person in long term recovery herself. Midwest Street Medicine operates in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen, and is expanding to Pierre.
Website: midweststreetmedicine.org Phone: 605-250-1000 Email: info@midweststreetmedicine.org Locations: Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen, Pierre
ABOUT DR. BOB SANTELLA Dr. Bob Santella, MD, is a retired physician who volunteers with Midwest Street Medicine and has worked with Habitat for Humanity. He has spent decades teaching and writing on the social determinants of health.
QUESTIONS THIS EPISODE ANSWERS What is street medicine? What does Midwest Street Medicine do in Sioux Falls? How do you help someone who is experiencing homelessness? Does giving money to homeless people enable them? Is homelessness a choice? Why can homeless people not just get a job? What is harm reduction? What is a chemical dependency assessment and how do you get one? Why is suboxone considered the gold standard for opioid use disorder? How do social determinants of health affect health outcomes? How do you help someone struggling with alcohol addiction? What does the vagus nerve have to do with addiction recovery? What does a street medicine team look like and who is on it? How do I volunteer with Midwest Street Medicine? How do I donate to Midwest Street Medicine? What items are most needed for people living outside? How do I help someone who is homeless in Sioux Falls? Where does Midwest Street Medicine operate in South Dakota?
CONNECT WITH DIALED IN HEALTH Find a trusted wellness provider: vitalitygrowthlabs.com/the-directory Melissa's favorite products and sponsors: linktr.ee/lonetreetallow Host: Melissa Goodwin Produced by Vitality Growth Labs: vitalitygrowthlabs.com
