21st International Street Medicine Symposium Concludes in Hilo, Hawai‘i
World’s Premier Gathering of Street Medicine Practitioners Drew Hundreds of Global Experts; Focused on Navigating Challenges in Care
HILO, HAWAI‘I – The Street Medicine Institute, in partnership with local co-host HOPE Services Hawai‘i, successfully held the 21st annual International Street Medicine Symposium (ISMS) from September 10 – 12, 2025 at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in Hilo. An optional pre-symposium Street Medicine 101 workshop was held on Tuesday, September 9. This was the first time the ISMS was hosted in Hawaiʻi.
The completely sold-out educational event, which brought together hundreds of global experts from seven countries and 37 US states. The 400 attendees included advocates, medical professionals, community health workers, and people with lived experience of homelessness, all dedicated to providing healthcare and social services to unsheltered people where they live. The symposium featured clinical presentations, innovative research, and best practices in street medicine through lectures, workshops, and poster sessions.
A key feature of the symposium was Host City Day on Wednesday, which highlighted the unique work and culturally informed practices of street medicine practitioners serving Hawai‘i. The event included demonstrations and displays of homeless outreach and street medicine vehicles used in Hawaiʻi, hosted by the staff who operate them.
QUOTES FROM ORGANIZERS AND ATTENDEES:
“At HOPE Services Hawai’i, we’re working to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring, said Brandee Menino, CEO of HOPE Services Hawai‘i. “We’re just so excited that we get to work with Street Medicine Practitioners from around the world…We would not be able to improve our practices without the experts doing this work from around the world.”
“A symposium like this gives us the chance to hear from each other, to learn from each other, and to take those ideas back to our own communities,” said Jeff Olivet, Senior Advisor at the Harvard Initiative on Health & Homelessness.
“Criminalizing homelessness doesn’t solve homelessness,” continued Olivet, who formerly served as Chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. “What solves homelessness is getting people housing, and access to really good supports and healthcare that they need to thrive in community. When all we’re doing is arresting people, fining people, and putting people in jail, it’s expensive, it’s inhumane, and it just simply doesn’t work.”
“I thought this would be a very good space for me to totally understand how it’s done in the streets, and get… global ideas on how they’re all doing it, and bring in my ideas from my experience.” said Maryanne Karanja, founder of Africa Street Therapy Medicine. Karanja traveled from Kenya to the Hilo Institute.
“We’re part of a larger movement of love.” said Dr. Jim Withers, Founder of the Street Medicine Institute. “The real power comes from the inspiration that we’re recapturing the spiritual and the deeper roots of what it means to be in the healing profession.”
MORE INFORMATION:
For more details about the symposium and the work of the Street Medicine Institute, visit streetmedicine.org.
The event was held at the Grand Naniloa Hotel, located at 93 Banyan Drive, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720.
NOTE: The organizers respectfully request that media use person-first language, such as “people experiencing homelessness” or “unsheltered people,” instead of the term “the homeless.” Mahalo for your understanding.
About HOPE Services Hawaiʻi, Inc.
HOPE Services Hawaii, Inc. (HOPE) is a nonprofit affiliate organization of the Roman Catholic Church in the State of Hawaii. It works to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring on Hawaii Island. HOPE operates seven shelters with 168 beds and manages 155 housing units at 29 locations across the island, offering services that include outreach, street medicine, behavioral health services, housing, prevention, diversion, case management, and more. Learn more at hopeserviceshawaii.org.
About the Street Medicine Institute
The Street Medicine Institute (SMI) is the only international organization dedicated to inspiring and equipping communities to provide street medicine services for people living unsheltered. Through seed grants, tailored consultations, curated educational content, and annual international symposia, SMI helps street medicine programs develop and thrive. Learn more at streetmedicine.org.
Media Contacts:
HOPE Services Hawaii Primary Contact:
Kristen Alice, Director of Community Relations
Cell: (808) 938-7239 | kalice@hopeserviceshawaii.org
Street Medicine Institute Contact:
Suzanne Lemaire Lozier, Program Director
Cell: (253) 254-6585 | suzanne@streetmedicine.org
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