March 2024: Weekends at St. Agnes and Last Round of Module Exams!

       March Service Hours: 8 hours Current Cumulative for Spring Semester: 16 hours 

As we are in the thick of Mens and Women’s March Madness finals this week, (Geaux Lady Tigers anyways) I can’t help but think that the real madness this March has been coming to the realization that we only have a little over a month and a half left in the program. 

Per usual, I visited St. Agnes twice this month. There, I was able to continue helping with the effort to repaint the inside of the women’s shelter. It was such a blessing to be able to see the progress being made, as well as experiencing the local neighborhood come together to get the job done. This go-around, I mainly helped move and clean furniture that was dirtied in the sanding and paining process; my fellow volunteers and I were so excited to be able to place the artwork back on the walls in order to make the shelter feel a little bit more cozy again! 

I have particularly enjoyed my continued service this year because my weekends have become a time for me to develop closer relationships with the Sisters that run the homeless shelter, the women and children that reside there, as well as those that attend the Saturday morning soup kitchen. 

An experienced that will be forever humbling and valuable to me was the direct intersection of what we were learning  in our Psychopharm unit this month with the reality of so many of those that are facing homelessness. Unfortunately, individuals that experience homelessness, as well as individuals that experience challenges regarding their mental wellbeing, are faced with stigmas arising from negative stereotypes and perpetuated discrimination from the public. Even more unfortunate than this, is the fact that homelessness and behavioral health are inextricably linked. 

 Mood disorders such as BPD and social anxiety disorder, as well as psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, and substance use disorders, are all serious, debilitating conditions that require medical treatment, which is where the social determinants of health make a difference. Homelessness is multifaceted issue with systemic aspects related to housing affordability, economic opportunities, and healthcare access via insurance qualifications, or lack thereof. Even more so, the development of a mental health condition can be the very thing that led someone to become homeless in the first place, due to a lack of support from family, friends, and even from the healthcare system itself. These are only a few of the barriers that cause mentally struggling persons, homeless individuals, and those that fall under both categories to increased risks of adverse health outcomes; most often, they are the very thing that prevent  people from recovering mentally, financially, and even socially. 

No matter the reason that someone may find themselves unhoused—whether they have an untreated mental health condition or not— these individuals are people first — and they deserve our respect.