JMU FACULTY AND STUDENTS “I became involved CARE FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE with Open Doors By Michele Dombrowski because I believe in the missionthis is a vulnerable population often overlooked by many people.” – Meghan Schultz (’20), JMU Nursing alumna
Meghan Schultz (’20) works with professor Tammy Kiser recording patient information. For as long as she can remember, Meghan Schultz (’20) wanted to be a nurse. During her third semester community clinicals she was placed in the Suitcase Clinic, a homeless healthcare initiative that is part of JMU’s IIHHS (Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services), dedicated to improving the health of the local homeless population. Rather than functioning in a fixed clinical setting, the mobile services provided by the Suitcase Clinic allow clients to be seen by healthcare providers in private settings within various homeless shelters. The clinic is run by nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nursing students, PA students, faculty supervisors and local volunteers. After meeting and working with many of the clients at the Suitcase Clinic, Schultz soon began volunteering with Open Doors, another local organization that provides shelter, compassionate support and access to services for people who are homeless. The two organizations partner to provide quality care for this at-risk population.
“I became involved with Open Doors because I believe in the mission- this is a vulnerable population often overlooked by many people,” Schultz said. Schultz was serving as an Open Doors shelter manager when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and overwhelmed the organization with new challenges. “During this COVID-19 crisis our homeless population need us the most,” Schultz said. “[T] hey normally can shelter during the day in malls or libraries and eat at fast food restaurants, however, during this crisis these places are closed.” With the university’s plan to shut down in early fall because of the virus, leadership agreed to allow space in JMU’s Godwin Hall to provide some relief for the situation. The hall provided ample room to house all individuals and the ability to keep beds six feet apart. Clients were also fed dinner each evening, made possible with donations from local churches, the community and help from JMU’s dining halls. Volunteers from the Suitcase Clinic provided daily screenings for the clients. Nursing professor and Clinical Coordinator of the Suitcase Clinic, Tammy Kiser, shared, “We start at 6:15 each evening, and take temperatures and
ask screening questions before anyone is allowed to enter. There are around 50 people sheltering at Godwin each evening.” With support from local governments, individuals who show symptoms, test positive or are at high risk due to chronic illness are isolated in motel rooms. “Suitcase Clinic volunteers check with each individual once or twice a day to monitor their progress, take care of med refills, etc.,” Kiser said. When people asked Schultz if she was scared to work with possibly infected COVID-19 patients, she replied, “I was not nervous to work with possibly infected patients due to the fact COVID-19 can be spread anywhere. I am just as likely to pick it up at the grocery store or while pumping gas. Just because these people are homeless does not mean they are infected, which is a common misconception that the public has. JMU has prepared me to care for many patients no matter what their background or situation is.” Schultz graduated with her BSN in May 2020 and is currently working at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA on the telemetry unit.
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