Interprofessional students seek to 'Cram the Van' to help local recovery shelter

For the past 10 or so years, an interprofessional group of students from the University of New England has provided an invaluable service to clients at Milestone Recovery, a Portland-based specialized substance use disorder emergency shelter and detoxification center. Twice each month, students from UNE’s programs in Nursing, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Pharmacy, among others, travel to the clinic to wash clients’ feet, inspect them for wounds, and provide companionship.

In the time since the program began, it has become the longest-running program of the Westbrook College of Health Professions Office of Service Learning, offering students not only the chance to support their community but also to hone their skills as future health care providers.

“These clinics are rare opportunities for the clients to be taken care of and listened to,” said Trisha Mason, M.A., director of WCHP service learning and adjunct professor in the college. “Our students provide an opportunity for connection and service.”

But in this most atypical of years, the clinics have been shuttered as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on. No volunteers may enter the shelter, and no opportunities for face-to-face service learning are available through Milestone.

But that has not stopped UNE students from making change in their community.

“Just because we can't be there doesn't mean we can't still provide some sort of service and some sort of support for the community of people that we work with — and, at the same time, educate our own health professions students about homelessness and substance use disorders, especially right here in Portland,” said Mason.

On Thursday, Nov. 5, more than a dozen students from UNE’s programs in Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Pharmacy gathered in Innovation Hall on the Portland Campus for a socially distanced bag-packing session. There, they filled 64 backpacks with snacks, hand sanitizer, face masks, baby wipes, personal hygiene products, socks, journals, and other items. And, on Monday, Nov. 9, using a van from the shelter’s mobile outreach unit, the group will “Cram the Van” with the backpacks, which will go to Milestone’s clients.

The event has been done in years past, but this year’s donations hold in them something more personal. In each backpack, clients will find notes of encouragement and support from the students, who have personalized their messages.

“The purpose of the notes is about continuing to make those connections and letting people know that they are cared for, that there are people thinking about them and wishing them well, and that people are trying to encourage them during these really challenging times,” Mason explained. “And, I think that that one of the more meaningful parts of that is that the students are using the skills that they're learning as future health care providers to support their patients.”

Elaina Cosentino (D.P.T., ’21) was disappointed she could not travel to Milestone this year because, she said, her favorite parts of volunteering there have been conversations with the men in their care.

But she is hopeful the messages written by her and her colleagues can fill that void.

“The men seemed to find comfort in knowing we were there for them. While these handwritten messages obviously can’t replace the conversations that we once had in person, we hope they will give the men some inspiration and hope, especially with the cold months approaching,” Cosentino said.

Sierra Roberts (Nursing, ’21) explained that the partnership with Milestone is important for her as both a volunteer and nurse in the making.

“Before volunteering at Milestone, I didn’t have much experience with vulnerable populations or an understanding of the homeless population in Portland,” she explained. “But after attending my first foot clinic last year, and hearing many of the men’s stories there, I was reminded that every human being we care for as health professionals deserves to be treated as such — not just another hospital bed.”

Roberts encouraged members of the UNE community to support their efforts to Cram the Van, which will be stationed outside of Hersey Hall on the Portland Campus starting at noon on Monday. The service-learning students are asking for donations of winter items such as hats, gloves, and jackets as well as various items including lotion, travel-sized hygiene products, and baby wipes.

Every little bit will help those in need, Cosentino said.

“The UNE community did a fantastic job with supporting us for this event and donating a number of personal care items. However, our efforts don’t have to stop there, especially with the coldest months ahead of us,” she stated. “We have a very close connection with the people at Milestone and can continue to donate supplies. Anything, from winter jackets to scarves to masks, that people can and are willing to donate is encouraged and greatly appreciated.”