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Bleeding While Homeless

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charlene

by Charlene Rainey-Bell, FNP-C

 

Imagine, it’s that “time of the month” and your homeless! For a homeless woman of menstruating age, menses brings a week of struggling, not only to find a way to handle the physical and emotional symptoms, but to also contain the flow of blood, as tampons and pads are expensive and for most homeless women, completely out of reach. Many times, this means relying on fashioning makeshift “pads” of sorts, made from toilet paper or paper towels scrounged from public restrooms and even resorting at times to socks, rags or brown paper bags.

When you are homeless, there is no comfort to be had from a warm shower, no retreat into your private bedroom where you can relax with a heating pad and certainly no visit to your personal physician to get a prescription for pain relieving medication if needed. Then there’s the issue of simple cleanliness to think about, as there is also no relief from the constant threat of disease associated with the repeated use of unsanitary materials, such as yeast infections, urinary tract infections, vulvar dermatitis or worse death, not to mention an unpleasant odor, which can occur when the genital area is not cleaned daily.

Forget for a moment the comfort a warm bath would bring and just focus on how you would feel if you had your menses and couldn’t bathe, except maybe to hurriedly wipe yourself with a wad of cold wet paper towels in the stall of a public restroom. For a homeless woman and for the approximately 169,000 homeless women like her who are living on the streets on any given night in the United States, this miserable scenario is relentlessly repeated each and every month, twelve times throughout the year.

A box of tampons costs about five to seven dollars and for the woman who is homeless, the choice is all too often between buying them and having something to eat. To make matters worse, in forty states, menstrual supplies such as pads and tampons are classified as non-essential “luxury” items, further adding to their cost, while Viagra, a medication that treats erectile dysfunction, is taxed in only one state! Plus, even if a woman has access to food stamps (SNAP), feminine hygiene products cannot be purchased with this money.

That’s why in 2017, I started Her Padded Truth, a nonprofit organization geared toward providing women who are homeless, in transition, and living in impoverished conditions with menstrual hygiene products. We are geared to ending menstrual shaming and educating communities and government on the unfair “pink tax” that women are subjected to in many states. We are a grassroots movement making a huge impact in the state of Virginia. Since starting we have donated over 10,000 menstrual hygiene products to women across the Hampton Roads area and abroad. The goal is to bring awareness and remove the shame of the stain.

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Charlene Rainey-Bell, FNP-C

The Vaginal Health Enthusiast

www.herpaddedtruth2.org

email: herpaddedtruth@gmail.com

For more information on Her Padded Truth and to donate to this movement follow us on all our social media platforms:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/herpaddedtruth

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HerPaddedTruth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herpaddedtruth/

 

 

 

This nurse practitioner started a CNA school after realizing that these valuable team members needed a more comprehensive program of study.

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v randleby Victoria Randle NP-C 

Deciding to become an entrepreneur can be a scary task to tackle, especially if you lack a mentor or support. You ask your self “ Where do I start? Which way do I go? Who can I trust?” It can all seem so overwhelming that you may give up before you even get started. However, with determination, perseverance, and a strong support team, it can be done! Remember, no one determines your fate but you!

In my practice as an RN, I saw a decline in the quality of CNA’s. I felt this stemmed from multiple issues. One big issue was a lack of nurse support for CNA’s thus causing a lack of pride in their work. I also noticed that many schools seemed so fly by night, “Become a CNA in 10 days!” Are these students really getting the exposure and sense of pride that they need for the job? That’s when I decided someone has to take action and that someone would be me!

I had no idea where to start and figured lots of things out along the way. I must say I did some major head bumping along the way. I met people who were very helpful, people who donated time and money in my vision and then there where those who of course just wanted my money and gave me only half of what I needed. Unfortunately we can’t always see those people coming. Nevertheless it took me two years to get my CNA program up and running. I would like to share with you the steps to get moving in the right path. I happen to be in the state of Georgia so much of this will be Georgia based, however other states are very similar.

  1. Identify your authorizing body for the CNA program in your state. Each state is different. The CNA program may be governed by the Health Department, the State Board of Nursing, or a separate branch that is specific to nurse aids only. In the state of Georgia the certifying body is the later mentioned. The nurse aid-training program certifying body is the Georgia Medical Care Foundation (GMCF). Please click here for more info GMCF Nurse Aid info. In the state of Georgia you must attend a FREE two day workshop offered by the state called “ Train the Trainer” in order to become a CNA instructor and/or start a CNA school. Dates for this workshop can also be found at the link above. Please note this workshop fills up FAST and is offered once a month so have the site booked marked and check it religiously every day to catch an open spot. I would also like to note you do not have to be a nurse to own a CNA school, however you must have a nurse (RN) be on staff to coordinate the program.
  2. In many states you are responsible for writing your own curriculum and submitting it for approval. This affords you the ability to expound upon certain aspects you may feel are important to teach and can help you create a unique set of CNA graduates that facilities will seek out. The state of Georgia requires that your curriculum be at least 85 hours of instruction, lab and facility time. You can choose more hours if you wish. Choosing a book and writing a curriculum is VERY time consuming. It took me a year to write my own. Many states are open to which book you can use but be sure to check with your state to ensure you choose an approved book. In Georgia they discuss how to write your curriculum and which books are approved at the Train the Trainer workshop. If you still feel stuck or overwhelmed, feel free to consults someone like myself who has been there and done that. I will be happy to provide a consult to help you with your curriculum. Just email me at thesecretcocktail@gmail.com
  3. Find a nursing home that is willing to contract with you. It is a state requirement that you have a contractual agreement with a facility to bring your students to so that they may gain hands on learning. Depending on where you live and the number of schools in your area, this process can take a while. Many facilities already have contractual agreements with other CNA schools or nursing schools and may be at capacity. Also some facilities insurance do not allow them to have students in their facility. Make a list of nursing homes far and near, find out who the DON is and make contact with them. Sell your vision and school to them. Why should they let your students practice there? Will you offer their employees a discount to attend your school? Can you promise them future staff members out of your graduates? Can the two of you partner to help fill their CNA shortage?
  4. Submitting your curriculum and waiting for approval can take up to three months in Georgia. If you are lacking any documents or something needs to be corrected in your first submission, you have two additional chances to re-submit in a one-year period. If your curriculum fails all three times, you must try again in a year so you must be diligent! In the event your curriculum passes (which it will because you will be diligent) you are contacted for a site visit by the state and the site visit can occur up to 3 months after the curriculum has been approved. It is imperative you have a site identified and all required items ready at the site for inspection. An equipment list can also be found at the link above. For more info on curriculum help join my email list HERE. I give out free tips to help you along the way.
  5. WHAT SOMEONE NEVER TOLD ME!! There are additional items that need to be submitted with your curriculum. In the state of Georgia, there are a multitude of forms you have to craft such as: Clinical sign in sheet, Class sign in sheet, instructor evaluation form, student evaluation form etc. If these are missing, you must resubmit, even though it is not part of the curriculum. Also the entire curriculum and all these forms MUST be printed out and hand delivered to GMCF for approval. All additional documents must be resubmitted the same way so have plenty of paper and ink handy because you will become a self made Kinkos! If you would like more tips on the SECRETS behind starting your own CNA school, visit my YouTube channel The Secret Cocktail. There you will find videos to answer your questions and give you insight on topics of interest.
  6. Once your curriculum has been approved and you pass the dreaded site visit, they will let you know right then and there if you are approved to start, however you cannot open the doors of the facility until you received an actual letter in the mail. Being completely approved is the best felling in the world!!!

PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Have a business plan written. Ensure you have a solid marketing plan and be sure to have a strong partner (this was my failure). There is no way you can do this on your own. You need someone who is just as vested as yourself in the endeavor. Of course you will need an instructor to help teach and secretary to secure those students when they call, but you certainly need someone to help you in the background. Ordering supplies, marketing, accounting, building community partnerships, preparing for annual state inspections, cleaning the building, I mean the list goes on!!! I promise you, you cannot do it all alone. Both of you must understand this is not an instant cash business and you will initially be working for free just as you would with any other entrepreneur endeavor. However, with determination and perseverance you will strive for success and you will succeed!

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Victoria Randle NP-C
Executive Director
New Beginnings Career Center Inc.
We are a proud 501c3
678-310-6168 Office
Victoria-No-BG