The DISTRICT ACTION MEDICAL NETWORK (affectionately known as DAMN) is a regional collective of skilled volunteers who provide first aid support at progressive rallies, marches and civil disobedience scenarios. We are the D.C. affiliate of a national network of doctors, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and other trained caregivers who help ensure the health and safety of the demonstrators. Once we agree to lend aid at a demonstration, we are bound by our own ethical standards and those of the broader medical community to provide care to anyone who needs it, regardless of ideology or conduct.
Usually, we aim to staff one or two first aid clinics at the site of a demonstration and provide teams of street medics who follow a march, move through crowds on foot, and render first aid where it is needed often sooner than regular Emergency Medical Services crews can reach a patient in a crowded or disorderly situation. We also offer and encourage basic health and safety training for groups participating in demonstrations, and special workshops for activists who will serve as affinity group medics laypersons who monitor the health and safety of their comrades and know when to call for medical attention.
website: http://damn.mahost.org
