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"        When Jim Withers, M.D., goes on house calls, he&amp;#039;s walking down alleys, under bridges and alongside rivers, seeing patients in conditions one\u00A0would expect in a developing nation.\u00A0 A practitioner of\u00A0&amp;quot;street medicine&amp;quot; for 23 years, Withers goes\u00A0to homeless people where they live, treating\u00A0medical problems caused by exposure to the elements (frostbite, dehydration, hypothermia) as well as &amp;quot;everyday things&amp;quot; like colds, coughs, diabetes and\u00A0high blood pressure.\u00A0 &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;ve seen people with cancers,&amp;quot; Withers told CNN. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;ve seen liver failure, people who needed dialysis that we actually took to dialysis from the street. It goes on and on and on.&amp;quot;\u00A0 What began with the\u00A0Pittsburgh, PA-based doctor singlehandedly searching the streets for people in need of his care morphed into the program\u00A0Operation Safety Net\u00A0in\u00A01992. To date,\u00A0the group\u00A0has reached more than 10,000 individuals and helped more than 1,200 of them transition\u00A0to more permanent\u00A0housing, CNN reports.\u00A0 The news network recently named\u00A0Withers to its\u00A02015 &amp;quot;Top 10 CNN Hero&amp;quot; list. Whether or not he gets the top honor of\u00A0&amp;quot;Hero of the Year&amp;quot;\u00A0will be determined by viewers.\u00A0(Voting\u00A0lasts through Nov. 15; people\u00A0can each\u00A0vote once a day.) Today, Withers does his &amp;quot;walking rounds&amp;quot; with\u00A0a small group that includes\u00A0a social worker,\u00A0medical\u00A0student and outreach expert.\u00A0The program\u00A0includes\u00A0a\u00A0mobile van, drop-in centers and a primary health clinic in its\u00A0arsenal of care. There, workers\u00A0connect individuals\u00A0with more thorough medical care and\u00A0advocate for\u00A0them to get insurance and housing.\u00A0&amp;quot;Wherever they are, they&amp;#039;re always within our circle of love,&amp;quot; said\u00A0Withers.\u00A0 His nonprofit, the\u00A0Street Medicine Institute, helps\u00A0communities start their own\u00A0programs. He&amp;#039;s seen his students bring the concept to their residencies, encouraging employers to get involved. He&amp;#039;d like to see the movement go global.  &amp;quot;Having street medicine in every community transforms us,&amp;quot; he said.\u00A0&amp;quot;We begin to see that we&amp;#039;re all in this together.&amp;quot; A special television tribute will honor\u00A0Withers and fellow &amp;quot;Hero of the Year&amp;quot; nominees\u00A0on CNN on Sunday, Dec. 6.\u00A0 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a52323/jim-withers-cnn-hero-list-2015/>