List of street medic organizations

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Most trained street medics are independent. They work at actions with a non-medical affinity group, or only form buddy pairs or groups at an action.

However, some groups of medics have formed permanent groups. These groups often bottom-line actions, train new medics, support smaller local demonstrations, educate activists about traumatic stress, and promote free community-based healthcare between actions. Each street medic group is entirely independent. However, groups who identify themselves as "street medic" or "action medic" groups are expected to abide by similar codes of ethics.

This list of street medic organizations is organized by location and alphabetically. The list includes groups founded and run by street medics within the last 50 years, which have survived for more than 1 month / 1 action. Many are still active as of Nov 2006.


Contents

[edit] United States

[edit] NORTHWEST - WA, OR, ID

[edit] Black Cross Collective - Portland, OR

Black Cross Collective (NOT "Anarchist Black Cross," a political prisoner support and defense group) formed after the protests against the WTO Meeting of 1999 to provide health care specific to the needs of political radicals. Composed of nurse practioners, nurses, EMT’s, clinical herbalists, and unlicensed street medics, the group offered first aid trainings (in Los Angeles, Vancouver B.C., Seattle, Olympia, Portland, and Eugene), medical support at local and national demos, temporary clinics, and clinical trials. [1][2] (Official website.)

The group was very active from its founding in 1999 to 2005. Since 2005 it has been inactive, but not disbanded. [3]

[edit] Medicine for Activists Seeking Health and Healing (MASHH) - Portland, OR

[edit] Western Women's Clinic - Olympia, WA


[edit] WEST - CA, NV, UT

[edit] Bay Area Radical Health Collective (BARHC) - San Francisco, CA

BARHC was founded in 2001, and continues to be active as of 2006. (Official website.)

[edit] Cascadia Health Educators (CHE) - Redwood City, CA


[edit] ROCKY MOUNTAINS/PLAINS - MT, WY, CO, NB, SD, ND, KS

[edit] American Indian Movement (AIM) StreetMedics - SD

[edit] Colorado StreetMedics - Denver, CO

Colorado StreetMedics was founded in the aftermath of Wounded Knee.(by Doc ) This group taught the "health and safety around deployed tear gas/chem weapons" training prior to the Battle of Seattle..[4] One or two members have provided action support at most US anti-globalization / global justice actions since Seattle. (Website maintained by active member.)

They provide street medic trainers, first aid and clinical Traditional Chinese Medicine action support.

This group was founded in the mid-1970s, and continues to be active as of 2006.

[edit] Montana Medics Collective - Montana

Montana Medics Collective regularly supports the Buffalo Field Campaign. They have also co-sponsored Wilderness First Responder trainings in 2003 and 2005, and provided medical support at the 2004 Republican National Convention.[5]

[edit] MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES - MN, WI, IL, MO, IN, OH, IA, MI

[edit] Chicago Action Medics (CAM) - Chicago, IL

"Press Release: Chicago Activists Report Police Violence at FTAA Protests"[6] "Chicago healthcare collectives."[7]

[edit] Heartland Action Medical Resistance - Bloomington, IN

Although they started in Indiana they have affiliated groups throughout the midwest Heartland region. They help set up trainings and provide coverage for actions.

[edit] NORTHEAST - PA, NH, VT, CT, DE, NJ, NY, RI, MA, ME, MD, DC

[edit] Boston Area Liberation Medic (BALM) Squad - Boston, MA

(Official website.)

The BALM Squad was founded in 2001, and continues to be active as of 2007.

[edit] Broome Street StreetMedic Collective - Chinatown, NYC

One of its founders, Doc, later co-founded the Colorado StreetMedics (CSM).

This group was founded in 1967.[8] Although it disbanded by 1980, two of its founding members (Doc and Annie) are still active StreetMedics.

[edit] District Action Medical Network (DAMN) - Washington, DC

(Official website.) DAMN was founded in 2003, and continues to be active as of 2006.

[edit] Mayday DC Anti-Hypothermia - Washington, DC


[edit] Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) New York City

Created in the early '60s to provide medical coverage for the civil rights workers in the south. MCHR became much more and created:

the Mental Health Project which was responsible for changing the way patients were treated in MH facilities -among other actions one of our docs was responsible for bringing a local reporter named Geraldo Rivera into the back wards of Willobrook causing a major shakeup Prisoners Project which was responsible for framing the concept of basic medical rights for prisoners another project created the original Patients Bill of Rights others were involved in Industrial standards and the list goes on. MCHR changed the face of medicine in the US and was responsible for many of the medical rights folks now take for granted. The Medical Presence Project (later to become the StreetMedics) started out as Dr.s RNs and Med students who up until 1968 (Chicago DNC ) wore white lab coats to demos. By '68 there were a bunch of us who were not comfortable with the elitist nature of the MPP and when i was elected as the NYC MCHR MPP director we (Annie,Doc, Laurie, Joe, Jan Stephanie, Jos, and others) changed; the name, who we recruited, the trainings (adding role plays for the first time and turning it into a two day ) got rid of the lab coats, and created MOfibA.


[edit] Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) NYC; Medical Presence SubCommittee

Unlike street medic groups since the founding of Broome Street in 1967, this group was almost entirely licensed medical professionals (MDs, RNs, medical students). The group was very visible at actions because they wore white lab coats and stethescopes. They frequently argued with Broome Street over the latter's use of helmets in very violent demonstrations.

This group was formed in 1965.[12] It is disbanded, but at least two of its medics (Annie and Doc) are active StreetMedic as of 2006.

[edit] Medical Activists of New York (MANY) - NYC

(Official website.)

[edit] Northeast Action Medical Association (NEAMA) - Northeast US

(Official website.)

has not existed for several years

[edit] On the Ground - Syracuse, NY

(Official website.)

No longer exists.

[edit] Star of Resistance Medics (STORM*NYC) - NYC

(Official website.)

STORM*NYC was founded in 2004, and continues to be active as of 2006.

[edit] Three Rivers Action Medics (TRAM) - Pittsburgh, PA

TRAM was founded in 2003, after a street medic training in Pittsburgh. The group provided first aid coverage for local actions, including labor, anti-war, counter-recruitment, and anti-police violence. They sent a team to Miami for the protests against the 2003 FTAA meeting, and provided local aftercare to protesters returning to Pittsburgh. They sent clinical and first-aid teams to Washington, DC for the 2004 March For Women's Lives. They also taught first aid to protesters and homeless people. TRAM is associated with the Pittsburgh-based Thomas Merton Center.[9] (Official website.)

This group provided first aid, urban and wilderness first response, sanitation and disease prevention, health and safety training and first aid training.

TRAM was active from 2003 to 2005. They are currently inactive, and have disbanded.

[edit] Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) medics - NY

Was originally started in 1970 with help from Annie and Doc from the Broome Street Collective. They have been inactive for a while but were heavily involved back in the '60s -80s

[edit] SOUTHEAST/APPALACHIA - AR, LA, KY, TN, MS, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, WV

[edit] Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine - NC

[edit] Common Ground Health Clinic (CGHC) - New Orleans, LA

While not a street medic group, CGHC was founded by street medics from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, California, Montana, Montreal, and across the US. This free integrative primary health care clinic is still sustained and regularly staffed by street medics. A local street medic sits on the clinic's board of directors.[10] (Official website.)

A group of medics loosely associated with the clinic also provides first-aid support at protests in New Orleans.

Common Ground Health Clinic was founded in 2005, and is very active as of 2006.

[edit] Common Ground Relief Medic Cave - New Orleans, LA

Street Medics provide the majority of primary clinical and first-aid support for the tens of thousands of people who have volunteered with Common Ground Relief. Volunteers are provided with safety gear and education, but still experience respiratory infections, wound infections, emotional distress, and other health problems. Just as like protesters, disaster volunteers put themselves in danger to protect the safety of others. (Official website for Common Ground Relief.)

Several groups of street medics have been active in Common Ground Relief during 2005 and 2006.

[edit] Katuah Medics - Southern Appalachia

Katuah Medics provides the medical presence at Mountain Justice Summer events and other anti-Mountain Top Removal events.[11] They also provide medical support to anti-fascist organizing in the Southeast, including the fight against the Ku Klux Klan and clinic defense of Jackson Women's Health Organization, the only remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi. They sponsored a Wilderness First Responder training in 2006. (Official website.)

They provide backwoods first aid, wilderness first response, herbal medicine, sanitation and sickness prevention.

This group is active as of 2006.

[edit] Latino Health Outreach Project (LHOP) - New Orleans, LA

This group was founded in 2005, and is very active as of 2006.

[edit] Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) New York City

Created in the early '60s to provide medical coverage for the civil rights workers in the south. MCHR became much more and created:

  • the Mental Health Project which was responsible for changing the way patients were treated in MH facilities -among other actions one of our docs was responsible for bringing a local reporter named Geraldo Rivera into the back wards of Willobrook causing a major shakeup
  • Prisoners Project which was responsible for framing the concept of basic medical rights for prisoners
  • another project created the original Patients Bill of Rights
  • others were involved in Industrial standards
  • and the list goes on.

MCHR changed the face of medicine in the US and was responsible for many of the medical rights folks now take for granted. The Medical Presence Project (later to become the StreetMedics) started out as Dr.s RNs and Med students who up until 1968 (Chicago DNC ) wore white lab coats to demos. By '68 there were a bunch of us who were not comfortable with the elitist nature of the MPP and when i was elected as the NYC MCHR MPP director we (Annie,Doc, Laurie, Joe, Jan Stephanie, Jos, and others) changed; the name, who we recruited, the trainings (adding role plays for the first time and turning it into a two day ) got rid of the lab coats, and created MOfibA.

[edit] Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) NYC; Medical Presence SubCommittee

Unlike street medic groups since the founding of Broome Street in 1967, this group was almost entirely licensed medical professionals (MDs, RNs, medical students). The group was very visible at actions because they wore white lab coats and stethescopes. They frequently argued with Broome Street over the latter's use of helmets in very violent demonstrations.

This group was formed in 1965.[12] It is disbanded, but at least two of its medics (Annie and Doc) are active StreetMedic as of 2006.


[edit] Australia

[edit] Activist Medics Network - Melbourne(?)

'NSW StreetMedics' - Sydney Trained with Colorado StreetMedics

[edit] Canada

[edit] Activist Health Collective of Ottawa (AHCO) - Ottowa, Ontario

This collective was active in 2003.

[edit] Urgence Manif - Quebec City, Quebec

(Official website.)

[edit] Germany

[edit] Strassenmedizin - Berlin(?)

(Official website.)

[edit] Greece

[edit] Greek Street Med - Thessaloniki(?)

Active in 2003, 2006. Trained by Amstredam StreetMedics

[edit] The Netherlands

[edit] Amsterdam StreetMedics - Amsterdam

Founded in 2001 after a series of trainings by StreetMedics Trainers Group (Doc and Ari)

Mentioned on Colorado Street Medics member's web page.[13]

[edit] United Kingdom

[edit] UK Action Medics - Manchester, England

(Official website.)

[edit] Glasgow StreetMedics - Glasgow, Scotland

Trained by Colorado StreetMedics. Mentioned on Colorado StreetMedics member's web page.[14]

[edit] Russia

[edit] St. Petersburg medics (?)

Trained by UK Action Medics group in 2006.

[edit] Moscow medics (?)

Trained by UK Action Medics group in 2006.

[edit] Ukraine

[edit] Kiev medics (?)


[edit] References

  1. ^ About Black Cross Health Collective (2003-09-04). Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
  2. ^ Anderberg, Kirsten (2003-08-16). Street Medicine: Volunteers for Pepper Spray?. Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
  3. ^ About Black Cross Health Collective (2003-09-04). Retrieved on October 24, 2006.
  4. ^ Doc R (2003-10-10). "thoughts from an old StreetMedic". Indymedia comments section Seattle Indymedia comments section. (Google Groups). Retrieved on 2006-10-25.
  5. ^ Band-Aids for demonstrators (2004-07-15). Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
  6. ^ Press Release: Chicago Activists Report Police Violence at FTAA Protests (2003-11-25). Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
  7. ^ bayano (2006-02-23). "Chicago healthcare collectives". forums infoshop.org forums. (Google Groups). Retrieved on 2006-10-25.
  8. ^ The StreetMedics. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
  9. ^ Three Rivers Action Medics - Documents. Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
  10. ^ Weinstein, Scott; Mo (2006-01). Common Ground Health Clinic History. Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
  11. ^ Mountain Justice Summer 2006 (2006). Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
  12. ^ Doc R (2003-10-10). "thoughts from an old StreetMedic". Indymedia comments section Seattle Indymedia comments section. (Google Groups). Retrieved on 2006-10-25.
  13. ^ The StreetMedics. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
  14. ^ The StreetMedics. Retrieved on October 25, 2006.
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