Montefiore Doctor & Einstein Medical Students Donate Feminine Hygiene Products to Ukrainian Women

By SÍLE MOLONEY

In collaboration with The AFYA Foundation, Montefiore Einstein women prepare care packages which include feminine hygiene products, to be shipped to Ukrainian women, on Thursday, March 31, 2022.
Photo courtesy of Montefiore-Einstein

Bearing witness to the plight of the Ukrainian people amid the ongoing invasion by Russia of Ukraine, supporters around the world are stepping up to help in all sorts of ways, including Montefiore anesthesiologist, Dr. Tracey Straker, and three Albert Einstein College of Medicine medical students, Cory Ransom, Breckin Horton, and Diana Dominguez-Garcia.

In collaboration with The AFYA Foundation, the group of Montefiore Einstein women are helping to address the needs of Ukrainian women by preparing personal care kits to be shipped out to Ukraine, which include needed, feminine hygiene products. On Thursday, March 31, the group handed over the donation of the personal care kits at the Einstein College campus.

Dr. Straker, a Westchester resident and member of the Westchester Bronx Society for Black Physicians (WBSBP), working with the Einstein Student National Medical Association, and supported by Montefiore Health System, had previously launched a campaign to raise funds and create personal care kits to address the lack of access to feminine hygiene products locally.

Straker had previously written in the context of the initiative, “As a physician working in the Bronx, and as a member of the Westchester Bronx Society for Black Physicians, I join many in feeling compelled to give back to our community.” She added, “With the support of Montefiore Health System, we have launched a project to bring feminine hygiene products to women in shelters and medical student-run clinics across the Bronx. WBSBP has partnered with the Einstein Student National Medical Association to bring this initiative to fruition.”

The Afya Foundation was proud to provide 5 Luggage for Life bags of wound care supplies, skin staplers, airway tubing, antibiotics tubing, and more for infectious disease doctor @rajeev_fernando's, and orthopedic surgeon Howard Katz's mission trip to #Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/xh1QonnTlH

— Afya Foundation (@AfyaFoundation) March 30, 2022

Straker concluded, “One out of four women has struggled to purchase period products in the past year due to lack of income. One in five girls misses school due to a lack of menstrual products. This alliance is working together to combat period poverty, educate about safe feminine hygiene practices, empower self-care, and instill dignity. In honor of Black History Month this February, we are collecting donations for this initiative. In March, we will distribute the donations in celebration of Women’s Health Month. Thank you.”

However, due to the unfolding, dire events in the Ukraine, Straker and the students later decided to make a donation, worth more than $17,000, to Ukrainian women in need. The group is working with the Westchester-based, Afya Foundation, which connects those who have medical supplies with those who need them, “delivering hope and healing around the world.”

Since the war in Ukraine began in February, The Afya Foundation has shipped over 325 pallets of medical supplies, weighing almost 160,000 pounds, with a total value of nearly $1.8 million, according to Straker.

Donate period products at one of the @MontefioreNYC campuses or donate online: https://t.co/Fp8gdK2Ev3

They've raised more than $17k of their $20k goal. Help these amazing organizations cross the finish line!#HealthEquity #MenstrualEquity #BronxNY #MontefioreProud

— Montefiore-Einstein Anesthesiology (@MonteEinstAnest) March 24, 2022

The doctor later added, “As we close on Women’s History Month, I have made the decision to donate the majority of the feminine hygiene kits to female Ukrainian refugees. Working in conjunction with Afya Foundation, these kits will be airlifted to reputable partners in and near Ukraine to deliver the supplies to those with the greatest need. This is a well-documented need as these refugees flee violence. It speaks to my vision that healthcare moves the boundaries of our communities; it is care where it is needed the most. Thank you for your support.”

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