The Fall is here, and the sunglasses we’ve collected for our wards will have to wait, as we’ve once again started to give away sleeping bags, raincoats and warm socks. Of course, we haven’t stopped treating, bandaging, vaccinating and helping homeless people: all to make their life a bit easier.
Mobile clinic
We went out 24 times to 33 spots, where homeless people can get food and shelter, and we assisted 151 patients 218 times. We dressed 46 wounds, and we had to call an ambulance once.
Charity Hospital is the winner of the international #МЫВМЕСТЕ (#WeAreTogether) award, and that money “fuels” our Mobile clinic.
Accessible communications
Thanks to our joint project with Club Kinoniya, our patients got to use phones for 95 minutes in September – a new record for us!
Medical assistance in shelters
We visited Malta’s shelter 10 times, we examined 26 patients 50 times in total. Dressed 15 wounds. We had to call an ambulance twice.
Glasses
We gave out 18 pairs of glasses, 3 of which were made specifically to fit our wards; we also gave out 3 eyeglass cases. 10 patients visited an optometrist in September.
Tests
14 homeless people with symptoms of cold got an express test for COVID-19 antigens, all results came back negative. We also tested 49 patients for HIV, 88 patients for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, tested 46 people for syphilis, and we tested 50 patients for blood sugar level.
Vaccination
Starting this September, homeless people can get free flu shots at every Mobile clinic stop, no IDs required. This is made possible by our collaboration with state clinics of the city, and we’ve been vaccinating homeless people against flu for two years now. Last month, 44 people got their shots.
Medico-social support
Charity Hospital’s staff and volunteers helped patients get help:
– 1 patient got registered at a detoxification facility
– 1 patient was hospitalised in a tuberculosis sanatorium
– 1 person was put into a hospice
– 2 people got dental help
– 2 patients got help in a trauma center
– 3 people got a chance to consult with specialists in state clinics
– 1 patient got a fluorographic examination
– 4 people got their IDs restored (with assistance from Kinoniya)
– 8 people got their hair cut
– 13 people got remote consultations
Outreach
Sometimes, the only way to help a desperate homeless person, who doesn’t know where to get help, is to bring help to them. That’s what our doctors, volunteers and friends do with our outreach program. We reached out 13 times in September, and we examined 15 patients.
Humanitarian help
We gave out the following goods last month: 3 subway tokens, 45 life packs, 2 sleeping bags, 1 mobile phone and a SIM card to go with it, 1 walking cane, 1 pregnancy test for a homeless lady, and 8 personal hygiene kits for women.
SepaRight waste collection
We were at 7 SepaRight waste collection spots this month, where people donated medicines to us.
Sharing experience
On September 5th, Charity Hospital participated in the “Selfcare Day” festival on Kulibina square. Guests of the festival could take a closer look at our Mobile Clinic – the minibus that our doctors use 6 days a week to help homeless people all over the city. Our volunteers also told visitors of the festival about arterial hypertension and helped measure their blood pressure.
On September 29th, we discussed our experience and urgent problems with our colleagues at the “Unaccounted-for” conference, hosted by the Saint Petersburg Center for Homeless Persons. Unaccounted-for persons are people, who fell off the social grid due to certain life circumstances. How does being homeless affect one’s psyche? Why is changing one’s living conditions not enough to change one’s way of life? Different takes on these and other subjects were given by our colleagues from organizations, that work with homeless people, and we’ll make sure to incorporate their experiences into our work 🙂
Interactions with the government
We asked deputies of the Legislative Assembly, municipal deputies and relevant committees for letters of support for our new project – medico-social center for homeless people. We hope to get a space for this center on October 20th, during the city’s Committy of property relations session.
Also this September:
Charity Hospital appeared on the Tinkoff baking app as a charity organization. This means that people can now donate not only their money, but also their cashback through the app. “Cashback for the good” is Tinkoff’s service, that allows Tinkoff Black users to donate their monthly cashback to a charity of their choice. If a lot of people decide to donate even a few rubles to us, it will stack up! This will help us plan ahead and continue to help homeless people on the streets and in shelters.
During one of our Mobile Clinic trips, we were joined by a volunteering barber Viktor, who gave 8 of our patients haircuts! He said that he could do more, but it started raining, so he had to stop.
Thank you, friends!
