The first surgical rounds of the year were held as early as January 3 at the Malta Shelter because our homeless patients don’t have vacations. We treat, bandage wounds, triage medications, and move toward our big goal of keeping people on the street from being cold, hungry, and in pain.
Mobile Clinic
In January, we went out 17 times to 26 places where homeless people can get food and shelter. We provided medical and social help to 119 patients 161 times. Performed 25 wound dressings and called an ambulance once.
Accessible communication
Thanks to our joint project with Club Kinoniya, in January our patients talked on the phone for 26 minutes.
Medical assistance in shelters
We visited Malta’s shelter 5 times and saw 11 patients 18 times. We performed 13 dressings. Did not need an ambulance.
Glasses
8 pairs of glasses for vision correction and 6 eyeglass cases were given out across all our projects.
We thank our partners: optical shops Vision, Ocheche, and Rainbow, for their help in making and collecting glasses for homeless patients.
Thanks to the “Sight” clinic, a partner of the Charity Hospital, Pavel Mikhailovich, our patient without documents, who lives in the Malta’s shelter, had a cataract removed, and his crystalline lens was replaced with an artificial one. The clinic invested its own resources into this, and the surgery was free of charge for Pavel Mikhaylovich.
Testing
We performed 1 rapid test for COVID-19 antigens in homeless patients with cold symptoms, negative. We tested 45 people for HIV infection, viral hepatitis B and C, and syphilis and performed blood glucose measurements on 43 patients.
Vaccination
Vaccines are available at all Mobile Clinic parking lots free of charge and without any paperwork, thanks to cooperation with district health departments. During the month, we vaccinated 41 people against flu, 7 people against diphtheria and tetanus, 4 people against hepatitis A, and 6 people against hepatitis B.
Medico-social support
Charity Hospital’s staff and volunteers helped patients get help:
– 1 person was admitted to a drug treatment hospital
– 1 person received dental care
– 2 people got a consultation from a specialist in a city outpatient clinic
– 2 people got a consultation from a dermatovenerologist in a medical center
– 7 people had a remote consultation with a medical specialist
– 5 people restored their Russian Federation passports (jointly with Kinonia)
Outreach
During outreach, we come to those who need help – oftentimes, this is the only way to help desperate people. In January, we went out 7 times and saw 11 patients.
Requests to Telegram bot
ISeeHomelessBot is a bot that collects information from residents of St. Petersburg about homeless people on the streets. At the request of indifferent people, the Charity Hospital team goes to the person in distress to assess the problem and provide assistance on the spot. In January, we received 12 requests, 6 of which have been processed.
If you see a homeless person on the streets of St.Petersburg and would like to help them, send a request to the bot: https://t.me/ISeeHomelessBot.
Humanitarian aid
In January, we gave out 3 subway tokens, 1 contactless smart card used in public transport, 62 lifepacks, 7 sleeping bags, 1 cell phone and a SIM card, and 4 sets of intimate hygiene products for women.
SepaRight Waste Collection
In January, we collected medications for our patients at 15 SepaRight waste collection spots. We also collected cell phones for our patients, which now help patients of the Hospital stay in touch with their doctors and receive the treatment they need.
If you would like to help us, you can support us in any convenient way here: https://charityhospital.ru/donate
