College to Host Speaker on Homelessness Dec. 10

Westminster College will host Dr. Jim Withers as part of National Homeless Awareness Initiatives Thursday, Dec. 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the Witherspoon Maple Room of the McKelvey Campus Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Withers, a Jefferson Community Service Award honoree, is affiliated with Mercy Health System in Pittsburgh. He is the founder of Operation Safety Net, the first full-time comprehensive medical service of its kind for the unsheltered homeless. Medical care is delivered on the streets, along the river banks, and in the abandoned buildings of Pittsburgh with full social service follow-up. The internationally-recognized program is a model for others throughout the world and is the subject of the documentary film One Bridge to the Next.

Withers established the International Street Medicine Collaborative to improve the care of those who live on the streets. The collaborative currently has partners in North, South, and Central America; Europe; and Asia. In 2008, he and others created the Street Medicine Institute to promote the global development of street medicine.

Withers' presentation is hosted jointly by Westminster's Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Habitat for Humanity, and Chapel Office.

Contact Carey Anne Meyer-LaSor, assistant to the chaplain and adviser to the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity, at (724) 946-7365 or e-mail meyerca@westminster.edu for more information. Visit http://www.becausefoundation.org/films/bridge/index.php to view One Bridge to the Next.

Dr. Jim WIthers