Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department’s Project HOPE is hosting a Winter Walk to raise awareness for homelessness and street medicine.  The event is called Walk a Mile in THEIR Shoes because walkers are going to experience part of what homeless men, women, and children experience every day – walking through the city in freezing weather and winter elements trying to stay warm because shelter may not be available.

Details:

Project HOPE’s team members will lead the walk through downtown Wheeling past communiy partners, all of whom work together to care for our homeless population.  Following the walk, walkers are invited to join the Project HOPE team at the Soup Kitchen for breakfast and discussion.

Project HOPE is a Street Medicine team that cares for the homeless population in Wheeling, WV. HOPE stands for the Homeless Outreach Partnership Effort. We operate by going on rounds to homeless camps and homeless shelters, dispensing medical care. We also run multiple exam rooms, at the local soup kitchen for example, to provide privacy for our patients. All patients deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of socioeconomic status.

Our mission statement:

  1. Ensuring equal access to medical care for unsheltered men, women, and children.
  2. Bridging the gap between the homeless and the health care system through direct street outreach.
  3. Creating relationships by dispensing medical care with compassion and respect, while maintaining dignity.

Our goals:

  •  Improve access to medical care for the homeless, by linking them to primary care providers.
  •  Breakdown stereotypes by promoting positive dialogues between the homeless and providers.
  •  Create an environment of dignity and respect for the homeless and providers.
  •  Promote health literacy, healthier lifestyles, and overall well-being.
  • • Provide education for students of various disciplines to practice street medicine.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/projecthopewheeling/ for more information on our organization.