Fairmont State nursing students host homeless outreach event
May 23—FAIRMONT — Fairmont State University nursing students hosted an event Saturday to give back to the community by helping an underserved population — people who do not have a home to call their own.
Assistant Nursing Professor Malisa Eades said Saturday's event "Caring For Our Neighbors — The Homeless Population," had been planned for around three months to gather backpacks full of necessity and hygiene items. At the event, unhoused people were able to stop by Veterans Square on Adams Street, grab a backpack, water, a food voucher for Uncle V's Kickin' Chicken, sandals and clothes and get a wellness check up by one of the nurses.
"One life lost is one too many, so the only way we can save a life, especially within the homeless population, is by promoting health care education, giving them the opportunity to get back to the autonomy that they had," Eades said.
Nursing students were also able to get feedback from people experiencing homelessness to get an understanding of what they need to get permanent shelter. Eades said, in the past, the event has been held two or three times over the year, and they are looking to start hosting it more in the future.
"When we look at what's plaguing, not just our county, but the world, it would save more lives if we could have this more often," Eades said.
Nursing Student Lori Stephenson said one key aspect they try to communicate is the connection between physical and mental health. For example, having high blood pressure can cause depression.
"So, we try to focus on what could help the community," Stephenson said.
There were around 10 posters with information on such subjects as dental hygiene, lung health and obesity. Some of the posters they selected focus on issues that members of the homeless population said they wanted information on.
Eades teamed up with the Tygart Valley United Way, MVA Health Center and homeless shelters in Fairmont to raise awareness about resources people might not know about.
"A lot of times, the biggest thing is making sure that they know that they have resources out here that are available to them," Eades said.
United Way 211 coordinator Francie Thomas was on hand to explain that 211 is a number anyone can call or text for help with nearly anything. Lately, she said 211 has fielded multiple calls with assistance for utility bills, but other times, people just want someone to talk to.
"It's important to get the word out. There's so many programs that people don't know about," Thomas said.
Eades said that this event would not have been possible without the Milan Puskar Health Right grant the university recently received.
For more information, you can visit Tygart Valley United Way or Fairmont State's Nursing Program website.
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