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 November 2006.
Founded in 2001, CHE provided Wilderness First Responder, Herbal First Aid, Basic Health & Safety, and CPR courses
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, EMTâs, 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]
Medicine for Activists Seeking Health and Healing (MASHH)
Lost Coast/NoCal,SoOregon Founded in 1997, the MASHH Clinic Collective supports large outdoor gatherings with an off-grid herbal first aid and wellness clinic, including massage therapy and other healing modalities. Recently re-branded as "Medicine for All Seeking Herbal Healing", MASHH supports environmental and social justice campaigns by repackaging donations and sending first aid kits to activist groups. We also provide Wilderness First Responder courses for herbalists, herbal first aid workshops and maintain a "Michael Moore Memorial Medicinal Herb Garden".
The Olympia Street Medic Collective was founded in 2006 after a training headed by Doc Rosen, in response to police violence against Port Militarization Resistance activists. Oly SMC provides protest safety workshops, coverage for actions and concerts, and holds street medic trainings twice a year in Spring and Fall. There are several members that hold Wilderness First Responder or EMT training. OSMC is active as of 2009. (Official website)
Founded during the West Coast port shutdown, PSMC is a group of educators, social workers, and healthcare professionals from various backgrounds, united to provide inclusive healthcare support for direct action regarding social, economic, healthcare, and environmental injustices. We provide first-aid support, de-escalation, holistic/preventative care, and solidarity for such events. (Puget Sound Medic Collective)
WEST - CA/NV/UT
*Bay Area Radical Health Collective (BARHC) - San Francisco, CA
BARHC was founded in 2001, and seems to have ceased being active in 2007. (Official website is no longer live)
The Berkeley Free Clinic was founded in 1969 as a "street medicine" clinic that quickly found a niche and a permanent home in the Berkeley community. It has become an icon in the area, and has served countless thousands in a variety of ways during its 40-year history.
Queers United In Community Care (QUICC) - Oakland, CA
QUICC was formed in May 2020 to help support the protests against police brutality and racism. QUICC's members are volunteer street medics and community supporters with various training and experience in medical, mental health, security, and community action organizing. In addition to providing first aid, transportation, and supplies to protestors, QUICC's goal is to help promote communication and connection between collectives and individuals in the Bay Area to create a robust, loving, anti-racist mutual aid network.
Las Vegas Street Medics (LVSM) - Las Vegas, NV
LVSM was formed in May 2017. LVSM provides first aid and medical care in uprisings, protests, occupations, marches, civil disobedience, and direct actions. They also help with the medical needs of people who live on the streets and people experiencing mental health crisis. Additionally, they hold training for individuals who would like to become street medics, as well as conduct training in deescalation and first aid. Facebook Page
==== Denver Action Medic Network (DAMN) - Denver, CO ====
The Colorado Street Medics was founded in the aftermath of Wounded Knee. 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) They provided street medic trainers, first aid, disaster relief and clinical Traditional Chinese Medicine action support. This group was founded in the mid-1970s, and was quite active as of 2008.
In 2016, the Denver Action Medic Network took shape with a stronger POC leadership. They can be reached through the [FaceBook page] or by email. Story includes: "Caring for our community as we resist together. We participate in the global effort for justice and positive change by providing on-site support of activists and community groups who are doing front-line work. We do this by providing whole-person care, holistic healing, and free medical assistance such as first aid and emotional support. We also serve in situations frequently neglected by traditional institutions - protests, disaster areas, under-served communities."
Seeds of Peace Collective (Montana Medics Collective - merged with Seeds of Peace) - Montana
DAMN formed in May 2020, to support Black Lives Matter protesters in Phoenix. Since then, DAMN street medics have attended every single progressive action in the Valley of the Sun. In addition to treating protesters, DAMN provides basic medical care to our unsheltered neighbors and does twice-weekly distribution of hygiene products, food, water, and Gatorade (the most requested item during summer). All of our medics have formal training as EMTs, paramedics, and nurses and we are working to create a training course for prospective members without medical backgrounds. DAMN recently sent a trauma-experienced medic crew to Portland to assist local medics during the federal occupation.
HFFA is an association of street and action medics dedicated to serving activists, homeless persons, event attendees, and prisoners. They have been active since June 1, 2020. HFFA was formed in response to local protest violence, primarily police use of "less-lethal" weaponry against peaceful protesters.
The Phoenix Urban Health Collective (PUHC) is a team of medical professionals who are committed to providing a radical public health presence for marginalized communities in the greater Phoenix area. PUHC has been very active in the local immigrants rights struggle.
PUHC was first formed in the lead-up to an anti-Arpaio mobilization in January 2010. Since that time, the PUHC has provided medical and logistical support for every major mobilization in the Phoenix metro area. Still active as of 2017. As a training collective, PUHC has led 20 hour training's in many cities nationally, including Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Austin, Pittsburgh, and others.
Phoenix Allies for Community Health (Phoenix Arizona)
Phoenix Allies for Community Health (PACH) runs a socially concious free-clinic in Phoenix Arizona. PACH is a registered non-profit, not a true street medic collective. But it was founded by Street Medics and as of 2014, the entire board of directors were all still active active members of PUHC. Still active as of 2017.
The Albuquerque Black Cross Health Collective is a group of street medics in Albuquerque. The Black Cross has been providing healthcare support to political actions since 2011. As of 2017, the Black Cross is active in Albuquerque and provides additional support across Central New Mexico.
Chukson Area Resistance Medics - Ch.A.R.M.
The Chukson Area Resistance Medics is a group of street medics in Tucson, AZ. Founded in 2017, Ch.A.R.M. is focused on supporting and keeping community resistance healthy in Chukson and the surrounding area.
Chicago Action Medical has been working in Chicago since 2002, providing medical support at direct actions for social change. Our current model of âstreet medicineâ is based on work pioneered by the Medical Committee for Human Rights in the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960âČs. We are part of a nationwide network of street medics with roots in the anti-globalization movement that coalesced in Seattle in 1999.
"Press Release: Chicago Activists Report Police Violence at FTAA Protests"[6] {C}"Chicago healthcare collectives."[7] {C}
Rockford Area Street Medic Collective (RASMC) - Rockford, IL
Rockford Area Street Medic Collective was formed in June, 2020, providing medical support and health and safety trainings to the public in the Rockford Area. Our street medics are qualified through trainings provided by other collectives as we grow our numbers.
Northeast Ohio Street Medic Collective (NEOMC) - Cleveland, OH
NEOMC is a new collective in Cleveland Ohio that primarily does direct action support and harm reduction. They currently offer trainings on police weaponry and tactics as well as skill shares for eye flushes, carries, and protest safety.
North Star Health Collective - Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
Organized in 2008 to support protests at the RNC and to advocate for universal access to quality medical care. Provides training and coverage for actions. Contact: northstarhealth at gmail.
Gateway Region Action Medics (GRAM) - St. Louis, MO
Organized in October 2014 in response to protests originating in Ferguson, MO after the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown Jr. by a police officer. GRAM is currently offering bridge trainings to local health care workers and health & safety trainings.
Organized in response to the BLM Movement in June 2020. OSM is currently providing trainings and a collective for all levels of experience. Contact: OmahaStreetMedics@gmail.com
Street medics in the eastern U.S. formed Mutual Aid Street Medics in 2009. MASM provides 20-hour street medic trainings, 12-hour disaster workshops, herbal first aid, community health worker support, wellness support, and logistical medical support for mobilizations, convergences, and emergencies. They assisted in logistical medical support, street medic trainings, and set up of a first aid and wellness center for the G20 protests in Pittsburgh in 2009. Four members went to Haiti to provide disaster relief. MASM hosted a Street Medic Conference 2010 in NE Ohio in 2010. They can be reached at masm at riseup dot net.
NORTHEAST - PA, NH, VT, CT, DE, NJ, NY, RI, MA, ME, MD, DC
The original BALM Squad was founded in 2001, and was active for much of that decade. Its descendent, BALM Squad: The Next Generation, officially formed in 2020, with the blessing of original BALM members.
Broome Street StreetMedics - 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, one of its former members (Doc) remained an active StreetMedic to his death in 2007, and another (Annie) is still an active StreetMedic.
District Action Medical Network (DAMN) - Washington, DC
(Official website. Down as of 1/12/2018) DAMN was founded in 2003, and continues to be active as of 2006.
Formed in 2016, hosts monthly meetings and regular trainings and skillshares.
Contact us at 585streetmediccollective[AT]gmail.com
Star of Resistance Medics (STORM*NYC) - NYC
(Official website.website down) STORM*NYC was founded in 2004, and continues to be active as of 2006.
Susquehanna Medics Action Collective (SMAC) - Lancaster, PA
SMAC was founded in 2018 to support the actions of Lancaster Against Pipelines. The group provided first aid, direct support and jail support for LAP, as well as camp support at Camp White Pine. SMAC aims to be present for actions throughout the south-central PA region and beyond.
Contact us at: susqmedicsactioncollective@gmail.com
Three Rivers Action Medics (TRAM) - Pittsburgh, PA
{C}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]
This group provided first aid, urban and wilderness first response, sanitation/disease prevention, health and safety training and first aid training.
TRAM was active from 2003 - 2005. They are currently inactive, and may have disbanded.
"Firefly Action Medical" (FAM) - Philadelphia, PA
Firefly Action Medical is a medic collective based in the Philadelphia region which is located on traditional Lenni-Lenape territory. They are trained street medics, nurses, EMTâs, wilderness first responders, artists, herbalists, trauma counselors and people interested in the health and well being of our communities. Members of this collective have been involved with providing medical support at free health clinics, direct actions, activist camps, street protests, and disaster relief mobilizations. They have been a crew since May of 2014
Contact: fireflyactionmedical@riseup.net or on Instagram @fireflyactionmedical
Website:
[1]
Vermont Street Medics - VT
A loose network with a facebook group. Occasional medic trainings offered by Murphy Robinson. One spin-off group includes Angelica Care Collective, which focuses on community care and herbalism, and can be found on Facebook.
Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) medics - NY
Atlanta Resistance Medics meets regularly for skill practice, report-back, and looking ahead. They serve as medics during actions in Atlanta and beyond. They also share skills and supplies with people who live on the streets. Connect on Facebook or by email at atlantaresistancemedics at gmail dot com.
ARM began as a loose group of individuals functioning as the medical committee of the Occupy Atlanta encampment. They staffed a volunteer medical tent 24/7 and organized volunteers to provide first aid for demonstrations. The group wanted to see these efforts transform into something larger and independent of the Occupy movement. ARM was officially formed on November 20th, 2011, after a 20-hour street medic training provided by members of Mutual Aid Street Medics. It developed into a non-hierarchal, consensus-based organization of trained medics of various backgrounds. We taught medic trainings as well as organized medical response for a variety of events in the southeast. ARM disbanded in 2013, and revived in 2017. Since 2017, the collective has actively held regular trainings, provided medic support at actions, and participated in community health projects in Atlanta.
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 is the clinic coordinator.[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 2011.
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 were active in Common Ground Relief during 2005 and 2006.
Morgantown Area Resistance Medics (MARM)- Morgantown, WV
MARM recently organized to assist in covering to gap in the upper Appalachia region and West Virginia. Our long-term goal is to not only assist in times of protest and demonstration but also work as a community outreach providing services to our house-less neighbors, assist with NARCAN trainings and harm-reduction events, and provide after-care services for activists following emotionally straining events. Training is provided for volunteers in de-escalation strategies and first-aid.
Appalachian Medical Solidarity (formerly Katuah Medics) - Southern Appalachia
Appalachian Medical Solidarityhasprovided the medical presence at Mountain Justice training camps and other anti-Mountain Top Removal events.[11] They have also supported Earth First!, anti-Klan and anti-fascist organizing in the Southeast. They have sponsored many street medic and general first aid trainings over the years as well as a Wilderness First Responder training in 2006. This group is active as of 2017.
Latino Health Outreach Project (LHOP) - New Orleans, LA
This group was founded in 2005, and is very active as of 2007.
Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR)
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.
Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) 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 one of its medics is an active StreetMedic as of 2007. Another (Doc) remained an active StreetMedic to his death in 2007.
Seven Cities Medic Collective - Hampton Roads, Virginia
Formed in August 2017, we are a group of activists with varying levels of training dedicated to providing medical care at direct action events and protests around Hampton Roads.
Contact: www.facebook.com/sevencitiesmedics
Fascist/White Supremacist Groups (included only for intelligence purposes)
High Valkyrie Action Medics (HVAM)
This is one of several openly white supremacist "Street medic" organizations. They have received backlash in the past for not having on filter on who they give the teaching of medical trainings and also aiding members of the Right who are deemed ââundesirableââ (aka fascist, white nationalist, etc organizations) Based in Pittsburg, they provided medical assistance to injured right wingers during the Berkeley riots and also the Philadelphia protests.
Awesome Medicine Possums Street Medics - based in Sylva, NC
The Awesome Medicine Possums Street Medic Collective was created to support community health projects throughout WNC including migrant farmworker camps (we support Vecinos), to respond to calls for action (protests, rallies, occupations), to respond to natural disasters and war zones, etc. Actions we have participated in include going to Standing Rock to serve in the winter of 2016, the Native Nations March on DC in 2017, and in support of Black Lives Matter protests, etc. This is an active group providing training and ready to respond when called. Known as the "Awesome Medicine Possums". We are part of the WNC Street Medics Collective, which is newly forming as a loose cooperative of separate autonomous Street Medic Collectives in the WNC region who support each other's efforts when we can. For the Awesome Medicine Possums, please contact "Leo" or "Star" at: apstreetmedics@gmail.com
Australia
High Valkyrie Action Medic Australian Branch (HVAM)
Only multiorganizational right-Wing Street medics operating in Australia. Even though it is a global organization they provide medical training and services to a multitood of rallies.
Melbourne Street Medic Collective (MelbSMC)
Started during Occupy Melbourne as the 24/7 onsite First aid team. It has since become an affinity group in its own right and actively attends as many actions in Victoria as possible. The group are all qualified First Aiders and have also trained as Mental Health First Aid Officers (although not all group members are required to act in actions as MHFA officers)
The group has recently under gone a name change to fall in line with other collectives around the world. Previously known as Melbournes First Aid and Care Team (MelbFACT) the group has updated their logo and name to Melbournes Street Medic Collective. However the street medics are still often affectionately referred to as FACToids by members of the community.
Occupy Vancouver Medics (still active as of November 2012)
Activist Health Collective of Ottawa (AHCO) - Ottawa, Ontario
After experiencing the FTAA meetings in Quebec City, a few activists from Ottawa went to Toronto for a 24 hour training being offered by BALM. They returned and formed AHCO. After covering a few small protests the growing collective requested the BALM squad to come to Ottawa for another training, having lined up 30 trainees coming in from across North America. This was part of the lead up to the G20 meeting in Ottawa. After treating 33 people at the G20 protest for police dog bites, a broken tibia from a plastic bullet, a few concunsions, uncounted pepper spray and tear gas injuries and many cuts and bruises, AHCO spoke with media about what really happened, leading to a series of town hall meetings, the Ottawa police force being reprimanded and the creation of a police/protestor liason group (Major Events Liason Team).
The next major action for ACHO was the Take the Capital protest June 26/27 2002. The meeting location had been changed from Ottawa to Kananaskis but a large protest was still held, number around 50,000. The protest culminated in the openning of the Seven Year Squat. AHCO members and other medics provided medical aid and took turns being bariccaded in at night. After 7 days the squat was brutally raided with 22 people barricaded inside. The building was demolished because it was so soaked in tear gas. 17 of the charged signed government documents that they were wrong and let go. 5 stood trial for indictable offences. The judge threw out the case. Common Law case precedent, anyone?
They deliver training to whoever feels interested in becoming a member of the Medic community or simply wishing to improve their knowledge of first-aid acts to deliver while protesting.
Formed in 1997 during preparation against a nuclear waste transport from the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant to the Gorleben storage facility (Wendland area). Supports antinuclear and other environmental actions, antifascist actions and also festivals and camps of the political left scene.
Always runs mobile paramedic rescue teams, sometimes during bigger and longer actions also a medic station and a crisis intervention if necessary. The team offers a wide variety of street medic training. It was part of the implementation team for advanced rope rescue training in the german climbing activist scene.
Members are certified as a paramedic, EMT or at least ambulancier. Many of them work on ambulance units or in hospitals. They are widely known for the use of fluorescent-yellow-with-red ambulance "uniforms" in the past, now fluorescent-red "uniforms" and heavy medical equipment in backpacks weighing up to 30 kgs.
South African Street Medic Collective - Johannesburg
Modeled on the street medic groups which have been active in the US since the late 1960s, the South African Street Medic Collective was started in response to the #FeesMustFall protests and continues to support any protest action in the name of socio-economic rights.
