Michigan State Hosts Street Medicine Symposium
The fourth annual event brought professionals, students and community members together to discuss street medicine and harm reduction.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Substance Abuse
Michigan State University hosted the fourth annual Street Medicine in Michigan Symposium on October 24 at the Multicultural Center on its campus. Attendees included professionals, students and members of the community affected by street medicine programs in Michigan.
Why it matters
The symposium highlights how volunteer-led medical outreach and harm reduction approaches are reaching unhoused and substance-using residents in East Lansing and across Michigan. It brings together service providers and students who work directly with these communities.
The symposium marks its fourth year, following the establishment of the Spartan Street Medicine volunteer program in 2017 within the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Attendance figures and specific outcomes from the sessions were not reported.
The players
Spartan Street Medicine
A volunteer organization within the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine that provides street medicine services.
Punks with Lunch
A Lansing-based organization that provides services to the unhoused community and advocates for harm reduction.
Dr. Richard Bryce
A faculty advisor to Detroit Street Care who is affiliated with the street medicine programs discussed at the symposium.
The details
Spartan Street Medicine, a volunteer organization within the College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Punks with Lunch, a Lansing-based group serving the unhoused community, presented at the event. Punks with Lunch advocated for harm reduction, which makes substance use safer without shaming the patient affected, while multiple community service organizations staffed desks to advertise their services.
Timeline
2017: Spartan Street Medicine program established at Michigan State University.
October 24, 2025: Fourth annual Street Medicine in Michigan Symposium held.
Big Picture
The symposium extends the work of the Spartan Street Medicine program, launched in 2017, by convening students and service providers around harm reduction as a public health approach. It shows how a university-based volunteer model has grown into an annual regional forum.
Residents who use substances or lack stable housing may find harm reduction services and supply kits available through local outreach groups. Community members can access these resources without facing judgment about their substance use.
The takeaway
Harm reduction and volunteer outreach programs are expanding access to care for unhoused and substance-using residents. Readers interested in these services can look to local organizations that offer supply kits and nonjudgmental support.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in Substance Abuse to see how harm reduction and outreach programs are working in East Lansing.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Impact 89FM | WDBM-FM.
