Homeless Health Initiative

Volunteers

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Homeless Health Initiative. As a health care provider for the HHI program, you are helping children and families during a time of crisis by providing integral services.

Your services

As a part of the volunteer HHI team, you will provide one or more of the following services to the children in shelters and their families:

You are expected to attend the visits that you have signed up for, unless you notify us that you cannot attend. Please be sure to sign in at every visit and fill out relevant forms to ensure that service is given efficiently to children. Following your volunteer duty you will be asked to provide a written reflection of your learning through the experience.

Health education

The HHI program also conducts daytime educational presentations in the shelters to both shelter residents and shelter staff. The goal is to better equip the audience with the knowledge and resources needed to ensure the healthy mental, physical and social development of the children. Examples of topics include,"Understanding Ear Infections/Hearing Issues" and "Advocating for your Child's School Success."

These educational sessions are offered by Nursing and Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellows including developmental pediatricians, speech and language pathologists, physical and occupational therapists, audiologists, social workers and psychologists.

Primary care services are also provided through the 39th Street Primary Care site and the Primary Care Center at Cobbs Creek.

Getting there

The HHI currently offers services at the the People's Emergency Center, ECS St. Barnabas Mission and Lutheran Settlement House Jane Addams Place. You will receive an e-mail reminder about the upcoming shelter visits several days before the visit. On the day of the evening shelter visits, the team meets and car caravans to the shelter site leaving from the Wood Building at approximately 5:45 p.m. The visits usually last about 2 hours.

2011 volunteer opportunities

Nutrition & Fitness in Emergency Housing

HHI has fantastic nutrition and fitness programming in our West Philadelphia shelters throughout the Spring and Summer. We are looking for volunteers to form small teams of facilitators and HAVE FUN!

It's EASY to join our team:

  1. Pick a day or evening from the schedule below and let us know.
  2. We'll provide an orientation. Fitness orientation to be held on April 6th, 5-6pm. Nutrition orientation TBD.
  3. We'll email you and your teammates the curriculum lesson--(fairly basic knowledge that you probably use every day in your job or home life). We'll provide any materials needed (jump-ropes, handouts, etc).

Our main goal is to get moms and kids in shelter EXCITED and MOTIVATED about nutrition and physical activity! It's easy, fun and important!

Let us know if you can give 1 hour (or more!) to fill the empty teamslots in the schedule. Feel free to INVITE a CHOP friend and pass along to your departments. Contact Melissa Berrios, berriosm@email.chop.edu to sign up.

Fitness opportunities

People's Emergency Center, Wednesdays, 1:30-2:30pm
 April  20  27    
 May  4  11  18 25
 July  13  20  27  
 August  3  17  24  

 

 

 

 

 

People's Emergency Center, Wednesdays, 7-8pm
 April  20      
 May  4  11  18  25
 June  1      

 

 

 

 

Jane Addams Place, Thursdays, 6-7pm
April 21 28    
May 5 12 19 26

 

 

 

St. Barnabas Mission, Thursdays, 7-8pm
April 7 14 21 28
May 5 12    

 

 

 

Nutrition opportunities

People's Emergency Center, Wednesdays, 1:30-2:30pm
June 1 8 15 22 29
July 6        

 

 

 

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