Virginia Garcia’s 2025 Health Care Symposium will explore the transformative role of mobile health programs in advancing health equity and fostering trust within underserved communities. By bringing care directly to people where they live and work, mobile clinics and street medicine initiatives are breaking down barriers such as geographic isolation and limited access to traditional health care.

We are honored to welcome keynote speaker Dr. Jim Withers, Founder of the Street Medicine Institute and a pioneer in the field of street medicine. Drawing from his extensive experience, Dr. Withers will address the critical role of mobile health initiatives in expanding access to care for underserved and vulnerable populations. His keynote will examine how delivering health services directly within communities—where people live, work, and gather—provides timely, responsive care, reduces reliance on emergency interventions, and alleviates pressure on traditional health care systems. Additionally, he will explore how mobile health fosters trust between providers and patients, strengthens patient-provider relationships, and enhances health engagement, all of which are essential to advancing health equity.

This free 90-minute webinar will delve into key topics, including innovative approaches to care delivery, building stronger patient-provider relationships, and expanding the reach of mobile health programs. Attendees will gain valuable perspectives on overcoming challenges and creating strategies to ensure high-quality health care is accessible to all.

We invite you to be a part of this vital conversation on the future of health care that is accessible, inclusive, and community-centered.

Meet Our Keynote Speaker

Dr. Jim Withers
Founder
Street Medicine Institute

In 1992, Dr. Jim Withers dressed as a homeless person and joined a formerly homeless man to visit the street dwellers of Pittsburgh, making "house calls" at night. This initiative led to his program, Operation Safety Net (OSN) that brings medical care and social services directly to the unsheltered homeless. It also serves as a pioneering “classroom” for students of various disciplines to learn the principles of reality-based care. In 2005, Dr. Withers established the annual International Street Medicine Symposium (with current partners in North America, South and Central America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia) to foster collaboration in the care of those sleeping on the streets. In 2009, Dr. Withers created the new non-profit Street Medicine Institute to promote the global practice of street medicine. In 2019, Dr. Withers created the first Street Medicine Fellowship at the UPMC Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Withers is in practice with the Pittsburgh Mercy health system, on the Internal Medicine teaching faculty of UPMC Mercy Hospital and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.