Maria Long

DOCTORS WITHOUT WALLS - SANTA BARBARA STREET MEDICINE (DWW-SBSM) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing free, volunteer medical care for the most vulnerable of Santa Barbara County through an innovative brand of healthcare delivery called “street medicine"​. The organization was created to meet local need for medical volunteerism in response to both acute disasters such as fires and earthquakes and chronic disasters such as poverty and homelessness. DWW-SBSM provides different clinics in Santa Barbara County to best serve the diverse medical needs of the area: Pershing Park Clinic, Alameda Park Clinic, Lompoc Clinic, and the Women’s Free Homeless Clinic hosted at the Transition House. In order to ensure consistent care and build trust with those we are serving, the clinics are offered year-round, rain or shine. In addition to the clinics in the park, small outreach teams of medical volunteers walk the streets of Santa Barbara providing medical care directly to where it is needed. DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RELIEF DWW-SBSM works closely with the Santa Barbara County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) to aid in the education, training, and deployment of volunteers and resources in the event of a large-scale local emergency. DWW-SBSM also provides an Isla Vista Halloween Recovery Zone and First Aid Station, which offers triage and first aid care to the Isla Vista population during one of the nation’s largest student street parties. EDUCATION DWW-SBSM is dedicated to motivating and developing the next generation of humanitarian medical professionals and community leaders. Students are interspersed throughout the organization, both in volunteer and leadership positions. Participating in a range of programs, students have opportunities to take part in the annual Underserved Medicine seminar at UCSB, volunteer in clinical programs, hold leadership roles through internships and take part in the UCSB-affiliated group, Street Health Outreach (SHO).