Dr. Jim Withers and Pittsburgh Mercy's Operation Safety Net Celebrate 30 Years of Protecting the Health, Safety, and Well-Being of Allegheny County's Most Vulnerable Residents

For 30 years, Jim Withers, M.D. and Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net have served thousands of individuals experiencing homelessness in the Allegheny County community through critical services that help empower them and help to improve their quality of life.

Founded in 1992 by Dr. Withers, and first funded by a $10,000 Care for the Poor Fund grant from Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, Operation Safety Net started as an initiative where Dr. Withers and a dedicated team of medical and social service volunteers made “house calls” to persons who lived on the streets, in alleys, and under the bridges in Pittsburgh year-round, regardless of weather conditions.




Fast-forward 30 years, Dr. Withers continues to serve as medical director, and that same mission of service has remained the heartbeat of Operation Safety Net. Over the past three decades, it has evolved and grown into a robust, award-winning medical and social service outreach program at the forefront of protecting the community’s most vulnerable residents. This continuum of care includes shelter services, primary care, rapid rehousing programs, employment and case management services, legal assistance, and linkages to other essential services that Pittsburgh Mercy offers, including mental health and substance use treatment.




Over the past few years, this work has faced a host of unprecedented challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accessing key prevention strategies like frequent hand washing with soap and water, physical distancing, testing, and quarantining, when needed, is nearly impossible when you are living on the streets.




In response to this need, Pittsburgh Mercy President and CEO Tony Beltran, Chief Medical Officer Jack Todd Wahrenberger, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. Withers, and clinical volunteers and staff administered COVID-19 vaccinations and completed COVID-19 surveillance testing throughout the pandemic to ensure the safety of persons served. The Street Outreach team arranged for portable commodes and sanitation stations, delivered Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to homeless encampments, and administered COVID-19 vaccines, and provided education on COVID prevention and mitigation strategies. A total of have been administered to individuals experiencing homelessness by Operation Safety Net.




Throughout the year, many community and faith-based organizations and groups and individuals donate high-demand items – boots, tents, sleeping bags, clothing, and hygiene kits – to Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net to distribute to persons who are experiencing homelessness. Pittsburgh Mercy's Development Office engages with individual donors, civic and faith-based groups, and the business and foundation communities to secure both in-kind donations, grants, and the additional funding needed to operate these critical programs.




“Operation Safety Net has a long-time base of support in the greater Pittsburgh community,” stated Tony Beltran, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Mercy. “We’re grateful for their support and invites others to partner with us in making a positive, lasting impact of the lives of people who are experiencing homelessness.”




To celebrate Dr. Withers’ 30 years of providing compassionate care to the Pittsburgh community and support the essential work of Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net, please visit www.pittsburghmercy.org.




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