An OUWB student group and Detroit-based nonprofit recently collaborated on a successful feminine hygiene product drive.
从12月. 一月一日至一月. 5, a total of 6,317 pads, 3,918 tampons, 207 bras, and 238 pairs of underwear were collected. The items were collected and split between the OUWB Student Run Free Clinic (SRFC) and the Detroit Chapter of I Support the Girls (ISG) for distribution.
SRFC is just one of many services available at the Gary Burnstein 社区 Health Clinic in Pontiac. ISG is a national organization that works to end period poverty.
The drive was held in conjunction with the traditional holiday season to help people get into the “giving spirit.”
That can include buying feminine products to donate along with their gifts, 菲利西亚·方说, M2, 副主任, SRFC. 这也提醒了很多女性, 尤其是那些弱势群体, still have trouble accessing menstrual products many take for granted, 她补充说.
“This is a necessity that we don't give a second thought to when you go shopping, 但它确实加起来了,”她说。.
“We've collected so much in the past year, but we're already running out. We know that our patients really need them,” said Kaitlyn Quach, M2, 副主任, SRFC. “也不只是每月一次. They come and collect whatever amount that they want.”
The hygiene drive has had great success, with the number of donated items increasing every year, to the point that the volunteers had to find extra storage, giving clinic patients extra peace of mind.
“It’s important that we have enough to keep going, because patients look forward to getting these supplies when they come to the clinic,夸克说。. “We want to continue providing them and not be a one-time thing.”
The feminine hygiene product was started by Catherine Pokropek, M.D., 助理教授, and 妇产科医师 at Corewell健康 William Beaumont University Hospital and Mission 妇产科医师.
In 2018, after reading an article about how the most requested products in homeless and women’s shelters were menstrual products and women’s undergarments — and learning that they were the least donated — it led Pokropek to act.
She joined in partnership with Emma Randall, M.D., OUWB的22, 妇产科医师, Corewell健康 William Beaumont University Hospital, who helped expand the reach of the drive with medical students.
“I started to ask other 妇产科医师 offices in the area, 特洛伊博蒙特, and then other medical students and residents to join in,普罗克鲁佩克说. “Dr. Randall, also a student at OUWB at the time, jumped on board saying it was a worthy cause. 她拿起缰绳，跟着它走了. She was great about advertising the need for others to continue this each year.”
The drive expanded to the SRFC when Prokropek saw it was a learning opportunity for student volunteers.
“I thought it would be a perfect way to show the residents and students the impact of what they were working so hard in trying to do,普罗克鲁佩克说. “They see directly how their donations make a difference with patients they interact with.”
“学生 learn how to build strong patient relationships because the same patients will come to the same clinic every other month. It's also a great way for student leaders to learn how to run a clinic and be more in charge of the outsides,方说。.
And with the drive helping their patients, it also teaches the volunteers the importance of community and leadership, which are major components of OUWB’s mission.
“Getting involved in our community doesn’t have to be extravagant. It can be simple as this (the drive),方说。.
“We're working to break down barriers in health care and give back to our community. It shows how community-focused the students are and the physicians are so kind. 以及团队合作的力量. It’s evident in our project here,方说。.
“Having a supportive community and working together makes a big difference. The more connections you make, the bigger impact you can make as well,夸克说。.
“I see how dedicated and eager they (the students) were to help me,普罗克鲁佩克说. “I'm very proud not just of that work ethic, but just how they approach everything with 100%. 这非常鼓舞人心.”
To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & 市场营销 网页.
