About Me

Experienced medical professional and teacher.

I have been a wilderness medicine certified provider since 2012 and an emergency medical technician (EMT) since 2014. Since that time I have worked throughout the bay area and as a wilderness-EMT with the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit (BAMRU). I am now a medical student at Stanford University graduating in 2023. I am planning on going into Family Medicine when I graduate.

I have been teaching wilderness medicine since 2014 and CPR as an AHA-certified instructor since 2018. Teaching is a passion of mine and I love to do it. My classes are dynamic and energetic and I pride myself on matching the level of the content to the level of the learner.

I started practicing street medicine independently in 2022 because I felt my medical skill had reached the level necessary for this work and because the pandemic has ballooned the number of unhoused people. Furthermore, I am very aware of the devastating effects of super-strong fentanyl and tainted methamphatamine in our community, particularly affecting those most abandoned by society.

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Mike Dacre headshot

Volunteer Work

Donate Now To Help Reduce Opioid Overdoses and Increase Medical Access

How Do I Donate?

The primary needs on the street vary dramatically. I use donations primarily to cover fentanyl test strips and naloxone distribution.

You can donate in multiple ways: either by directly donating funds or by purchasing items from my amazon wish list that I can directly donate.

To see the different ways to donate, visit the donation page, or you can donate via PayPal right here:

How Do I Repay?

What Is The Need?

The problem of homelessness in the bay area and throughout the country is highly complex and multi-factorial and the resulting struggles of those without housing are also complex and difficult to solve.

Homeless man, black and white

The background of the recent surge in homelessness can be simplified into three prongs: 1. the surge in the cost of living/economic insecurity of the recessions; 2. the failure of mental health systems following the de-institutionalization of mental health in the 70s; 3. the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic and the flooding of the US with cheap highly addictive fentanyl and even cheaper impure methamphetamine that creates a psychotic mental health syndrome similar to schizophrenia/bipolar disorder.

The result is that a lot of people self-medicate in response to anything from prior trauma to pain to depression to powerlessness in the face of economic struggle. This self-medication can result in dramatic worsening of mental and physical health, decreased ability to survive economic hardships, and then a rapid spiral into homelessness.

The pandemic made this worse everywhere, and there has been at least a 10% increase in homelessness nationwide and in several counties in the bay area the number of homeless people has close to doubled.

There are groups throughout the area helping, but the coverage of existing street medicine resources outside of Santa Clara is sparse and people are often required to travel to find care—a tall order for one struggle with their mental health and often chronic wounds. So many just stay where they are until their medical problems become so severe that they end up being taken by ambulance to a safety-net hospital where our tax-payer money is used to temporize their out-of-control medical issues.

While this is better than nothing, it is an expensive band-aid over the problem that does little to help in the long-run.

What Do You Do?

My goal in my volunteering is to help reduce harm from drug use, improve awareness of available resources, help folks get to medical and support resources, and provide some in-place medical care of wounds and other issues.

Right now, my availablity to volunteer waxes and wanes depending on how much time I have to spend studying. When I have available time, I go to homeless communities and check up the most vulnerable members.

I provide them with any donations I have available (your help is greatly appreciated), particularly clothing, and I provide fentanyl test strips (which allows them to test their drugs for fentanyl contamination—a very common and very lethal contaminant), naloxone (a drug that reverses opioid overdoses), and education to those who need/want it.

Importantly, I also talk with community members about the resources available to them and help guide them towards how to access those resources. For those with chronic wounds or medical problems amenable to EMT-level care, I provide that care on the street for free.

While this has not yet come up, I am also able to use my knowledge to identify those who need immediate transport to the hospital and arrange that via the emergency medical system.

Homeless encampment under the 87 in San Jose, CA

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people per class?

For CPR I teach 2-6 students at a time, for first aid and wilderness medicine I can handle up to 15 at a time.

Most of my courses combine online and in-person learning. I have an online student portal where I host videos, learning content, and quizes. I have found that people are better prepared to learn in-person when they have done some pre-studying. It also makes in-person instruction more fun for everyone as there is less lecturing.

However, medical skills generally require in-person practice, so the majority of instruction for most of my courses is in-person.

I am willing to customize this to your needs as needed, please let me know if you have any special requirements.

Unfortunately, this breaks the flow of the class, so online content is mandatory and I will be unable to teach in-person if it has not been completed on time.
For wilderness classes you need water and comfortable clothes you don't mind getting dirty. Otherwise just come rested and ready to learn!
Yes! I teach everyone and am happy to customize my instruction to your level. My knowledge of wilderness medicine is quite comprehensive and I can teach to any level.
Please see each section for details on cost. Custom classes may vary slightly from the default depending on your requirements.
It may. I run this business as a non-profit, although it is not officially one. If I have excess funds available after covering teaching expenses I will put them towards buying clothes, first aid supplies, and fentanyl test strips for donation.