SLU PT Students Organize Feminine Hygiene Product Drive to Benefit Underserved St. Louisans

Left: Nina Valaitis, SPT and Right: Caroline Lipic, SPT

SLU PT Students, Caroline Lipic, SPT and Nina Valaitis, SPT Advocate for Menstrual Health

The Menstrual Hygiene Product Drive was organized by Saint Louis University Program in Physical Therapy students Caroline Lipic, SPT and Nina Valaitis, SPT, both under the guidance of its founder and SLU PT Alumna, Dr. Christina Vivit (SLU DPT Class of 2019). Lipic and Valaitis also partnered with community organizations serving as distribution locations, including the St. Patrick Center and St. Louis Alliance for Period Supplies. This initiative was also supported by the SLU Program in Physical Therapy and the SLU Micah Program which stationed on-site collection boxes in their offices.

The drive was a quantitative success. Specifically, they collected 1,588 Tampons; 1,148 pads; 48 liners; 4 bottles of hand sanitizer and 1 pack of personal cleansing wipes. These supplies will go to the needy and underserved in the local region. “Our target population are people in the St. Louis community who have periods but do not have access or funds to purchase and use menstrual products. This includes but is not limited to people who are experiencing homelessness,” writes Caroline Lipic.

Not being able to afford menstrual hygiene products is a widespread problem in the region. Lipic reminds us that “Dr. Anne Sebert Kuhlmann’s research on ‘period poverty’ has shown that ⅔ of low -income STL women can’t afford Tampons or pads.” These products just simply aren’t available through safety net programs, like Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SANPT) “Adequate menstrual hygiene management is not a luxury,” Kuhlmann and her co-authors conclude in the study. “It is a basic need for all women and should be regarded as a basic woman’s right,” continues Kuhlmann.

By spring 2020, the St. Patrick Center will become a full-time distributor of period supplies, along with St. Louis Alliance for Period Supply.  This means that the Center will receive and distribute products every month from drives like the one held last March by Lipic and Valaitis, who plan on seeking your support again next year.

DPT students Caroline Lipic and Nina Valaitis would like to acknowledge the generosity behind the donations. They released the following statement thanking all parties involved in the drive’s success: “To all those who came together to support our community members in St. Louis in the 2nd Annual SLU PT Menstrual Hygiene Product Drive, we thank you!“

To find out more about St. Patrick Center, you can locate information on their website: www.stpatrickcenter.org
To find out more about St. Louis Alliance for Period Supplies, you can locate information on their website: www.allianceforperiodsupplies.org

SLU PT Student Organizes Feminine Hygiene Product Drive to Benefit Homeless St. Louisans

A Wholehearted “Thank You” 
By Christina Vivit, DPT Class of 2019

To all who came to me with your empowering words, thoughts, donations, and support, THANK YOU for your incredible contribution and support to my feminine hygiene product drive for those experiencing homelessness in our city.

With your contribution, we collected over…
50 boxes of sanitary pads
23 boxes of tampons
14 packs of cleaning cloths and baby wipes
7 packs of resealable zipper bags
5 large packs of new ladies underwear
2 bottles of bath soap

The donations were brought to St. Patrick Center, a local nonprofit organization that works collaboratively within the community to transform homeless services and end chronic homelessness in the St. Louis area. St. Patrick Center provides opportunities for self-sufficiency and dignity to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. They offer resources such as an emergency shelter, safe and affordable housing assistance, employment programs, mental and physical health programs, and support services for veterans.

I would also like to thank Dr. Brooke Kalisiak, PT, DPT, WCS and Legacy Physical Therapy as a partner donor site. Legacy Physical Therapy is a privately owned physical therapy and wellness clinic that offers outpatient services in orthopedics, pelvic floor disorders, and women’s health conditions.
Although menstrual hygiene may be a stigmatized topic, your wholehearted response to the drive reveals a sense of empowerment and care for our St. Louis community. I cannot thank you all enough for your kind words, thoughts, and contribution to the feminine hygiene product drive.


To find out more about St. Patrick Center, you can locate information on their website: www.stpatrickcenter.org
To find out more about Legacy Physical Therapy, you can locate information on their website:
www.legacytherapystl.com 

SLU PT Students Enjoy Engaging with the Community at the North County Back 2 School Fair

SLU PT students Brea Masching and Christina Vivit (DPT Class of 2019) were invited to do a table presentation at the back to school health fair in North County on Thursday, August 10, 2017.

The Community Resource Fair - Back to School Edition is an annual event that includes free health screenings, a backpack giveaway event, children's activities, and workshops from community partners.

Christina and Brea presented together and made handouts on injury prevention in sports for kids and teens, the importance of mental health, concussions in the pediatric population, playground safety, and adaptive sports for kids with disabilities.

Pictured below are some of the handouts they gave out to the community.

They ran out of handouts not even halfway through the event! People were really interested in the information - especially injury prevention, adaptive sports, and mental health.