‘One Less Thing for Them to Worry About’.

Laura Fletcher

Breakfast: Coffee, scrambled eggs with veggies, avocado, English muffin and a bowl of fruit

Hometown: Needham, MA

Extracurriculars: Skiing, working on a knitting project (or 4), and finding fun ways to be physically active and connected to my loved ones 

Laura is an MPH candidate focusing on Global Health Program Design with a certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation. She is an Activist Bucks recipient and shared her experience with the program and the impact that COVID-19 had on her work.

What was your Activist Bucks project? Why did you choose to decide to focus on this specific population? 

I received funding from the Activist Bucks program to buy and distribute 16 winter coats to homeless individuals who have been diagnosed with HIV. The jackets are from a company in Detroit called Empowerment Plan, which makes high quality, highly insulated jackets that have an internal pocket that can be unfolded to turn the jacket into a sleeping bag. Empowerment Plan is a really cool company, they employ people who are housing insecure, and 40% of their time spent at work is spent engaging in educational programming and support services. Not a single person who has moved through their work program has become housing insecure after completing their time there. So while the jackets that they make are incredibly warm and provide Boston residents with shelter against the winter elements when sleeping outside, the program itself is supporting individuals who have experienced housing insecurity. 

 I am a dual degree student at BU and started working as a public health social worker in the Infectious Disease Clinic at Boston Medical Center after finishing my MSW last year. I work with patients who are HIV positive and who, for a myriad of reasons, struggle to engage with consistent medical care. My role is to help bridge the barriers that exist, whether it be homelessness, substance use disorder, mental illness or immigration challenges, and work with the patients and medical providers alike to ensure that the patient receives the care that they need. I have several patients who are homeless and have substance use disorder, and a consistent challenge that they have experienced is not wanting to stay at shelters. Boston is a cold city in the winter, and I found myself leaving work thinking about where my patients would sleep that night, and worrying about their safety. A late-night google search led me to Empowerment Plan, who I immediately reached out to with a very over-enthusiastic email. I knew about the Activist Lab from previous work that I had done as a dual degree student and knew that it could be a great match. 

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact your work?

The hardest part about the COVID-19 pandemic and the population that I work with is that when a need arises, it is rarely something that can wait until we can schedule an in-person meeting. Often, my patients come into the emergency room critically ill or have been able to come to the clinic and meet with me without it being pre-scheduled to get help with paperwork, or housing, or general access to medical care. With the pandemic and our clinic closing to the majority of in-person appointments, that dynamic has completely been discarded. I have to rely on patients knowing that they can reach out to me, whether it’s by calling me or texting me (a cool part about our program is that we have cell phones where patients can contact us). In terms of the distribution of the jackets, we were lucky in that the jackets came in February, which is a tough month weather-wise. I had already had a few patients in mind who I knew slept outside, and when I was able to present these jackets to them, they were psyched. Knowing that my patients who were the most vulnerable had at least this one protection against the elements when the pandemic hit gave me some peace of mind. They wouldn’t be at risk of contracting hypothermia when staying outside all night while past resources that they may have used, such as being able to stay inside the ED waiting room or libraries and other public buildings during extremely cold nights, was no longer a safe option. The other great part about this project was that it was a tangible piece of clothing that I could give to patients, and while I gave out a few of the jackets, there are still several in my office ready to be given out this coming winter when it is likely that the pandemic will still be a concern. It is just one less thing for them, and me, to worry about. 

What have you learned from working with your community partners? 

Empowerment Plan is an incredible company. They marry the idea of high quality, attractive clothing with functionality with social enterprise. They have been great during the whole process, checking in, and recently sending out clinic masks that they have made. During the pandemic, they have completely switched their production from making jackets to making PPE that has been utilized in Detroit Hospitals. I think sometimes the social entrepreneurship model can have a bit of a savior complex, but Empowerment Plan gives their employees agency, a livable wage, and high-quality educational programs that provide the necessary support’s to help individuals remain housed. Their end goal is not to keep their employees working at Empowerment Plan forever. They want their employees to eventually move on to other jobs and thrive beyond their one singular company. I have found their model to be a great format, and I hope that other companies and organizations that label themselves social entrepreneurs can take a page out of their book. 

How has being a part of the Activist Bucks program impacted your experience at BUSPH?

This program helped me to engage with individuals beyond my functional certificate and the greater BUSPH community. Since I started with my MSW, I have felt very tied to the Social Work school, and less so to SPH, simply because of where I spend the most time. I work full-time and am doing the rest of my MPH part-time, which means that I have a lot of demands on my time and have to be particular about where I spend it. Participating in the Activist Bucks program has helped me to bridge the gap between school and my job, which you would think would be easier since I work at BMC. It has allowed me to talk to people that I work with in-clinic about my program, and about the Activist Bucks program, and has allowed me to continue to foster connections between BMC and BUSPH. 

Do you have any advice for other students interested in Activist Bucks?

Apply! Even if you think that your program won’t be funded, it’s worth it to try. I have seen the impact that these jackets have made on my patients and increasing their sense of safety and comfort when sleeping outside. I think that if you have even the seed of an idea, and you think that it might be cool to try to grow it further, do it! Best case scenario, you get funding and the Boston community gets to experience the benefits of your good ideas. I was worried that I would be adding one more thing to my plate, but being able to see a need and then provide a solution for that need is a really cool feeling. 

 

– Emily Barbo