homeless hospital
In october 21, 2021 the mobile clinic opened its doors for those in need in Saint-Petersburg. This is a joint-project of Charity Hospital and the Kinonia orthodox christian youth club. Gazelle minibus became a base for implementation of medical-social cabinet for homeless and poor people.
Doctors from the Charity Hospital receive patients so as members of Kinonia are engaged in social work. The cabinet is equipped with everything necessary for the medical help provision. The physicians can do examinations, dispense medicines and dressing materials, test for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B and C, Covid 19.
While volunteers provide help to those in need in different parts of the city, Sergei Ievkov, director of the Charity Hospital, seeks help from the city goverment in the opening of a medical-social center. According to him, this center will be a full-fledged hospital for people who find themselves in a difficult situation.
The Charity hospital provides homeless people not just with medical and social care, but also hope.
The mobile clinic on its way to one of the points where doctors will accept their patients. Volunteers visit places which manage the distribution of food or overnight shelters for homeless people.
Сharity hospital founder Sergey Ievkov at the Delay Normalno festival, which is dedicated to social, cultural, and educational initiatives. The Charity Hospital delivered a lecture at the festival on helping the homeless and a master class on blood pressure and sugar level measurement. Sergey performs with lectures regularly, gives interviews, writes and publishes articles. His goal is the promotion of assistance to homeless people along with improving its quality.
Vitaly Kurdenko, member of Kinoniaorthodox christianyouth club, preparing the bus for departure. Every time before starting work, Vitaliy cleans the working place, packs clinic with consumable materials, organizes volunteers. He does a social work with the homeless in a mobile clinic as well.
Vitaly Kurdenkoduring the preparation of mobile clinic for leaving.
A volunteer doctor preparing the mobile clinic to receive patients in one of the assistance points for homeless people.
Volunteer doctors at the mobile clinic.
Homeless man at a volunteer doctor’s appointment. Many patients visit the clinic systematically. That often happens in order to get medicines and consumables for prolonged therapy. The charity hospital adds all the patients to their own database. It helps them to navigate in the patient’s history of disease and prescribe the treatment based on it. There are more than one and a half thousand records at the moment.
Reception of patients next to the night shelter for the homeless.
In addition to organizational work and Charity hospital management, Sergey moves out to the field with the Mobile clinic.
Volunteer physician Sergey Ievkov examines patients at the mobile clinic.
Volunteer doctor selects eyeglasses for a mobile clinic patient. Charity hospital organizes the collection of unnecessary glasses. It happens in optic shops,Charity Hospital and Kinoniaoffices, and at the separate collection festivals. The collected glasses are getting measured with a lensometer, checked their interpupillary distance, marked indicating their diopters and stored in the mobile clinic. As a result, it’s possible to select glasses for anyone in need right on the spot. Homeless people are able to order some things from volunteers as well: crutches, sleeping bags or some clothes.
Vitaly Kurdenkocommunicates with the homeless. Apart from medical help, the mercy bus provides some other help as well. Homeless or a needy person may apply to a social worker on the document recovery issues, search of relatives, employment or possibility of getting to the shelter for the homeless. People likewise have the opportunity to use a bus phone for free, or charge their mobile one.
A homeless man communicates with relatives. He uses the mercy bus phone which is available to all those in need.
The Diakonia charity foundation distributes hot food to homeless people. All the places visited by mobile clinic have the organized distribution of hot food. It usually happens before the admission of patients. It’s done by various organizations, foundations and volunteers.
Vitaliy Kurdenko and a volunteer pick up clothes that have just been donated for homeless.
Sergey Ievkov meets an ambulance crew, who’s been called for patient’s hospitalization. During the hospitalization, a homeless person gets a life-pack. This is a set of things in order to keep a person at a hospital in relatively comfortable conditions. It includes slippers, change of clothes, hygiene products, brochures and flyers informing homeless people on where to contact for help, after discharge.
The volunteers of the mobile clinic before moving to one of the points.
Charity hospital’s birthday. The event gathered a few dozen volunteers. From doctors who visit patients to SMM specialists, who manage social media and do public relations.
Sergey Ievkov goes to Smolniy, where the Saint-Petersburg government is located. In June, 2022 Saint-Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov awarded the charity hospital with a medal for selfless contribution to organization of nationwide mutual action called My Vmeste. During the award ceremony Sergey asked the governor of the city to provide space for a new charity hospital project – socialmedical center for homeless.
Sergey and Vitaliy partake in the round table dedicated to the start of Radio Vera broadcast in SaintPetersburg. They presented their charity initiatives in turn. Vitaliy began making his speech by saying his churching was contributed by that radiostation. Sergey left his attitude to religion with no comments.
Sergey examines the building for making a medical-social center for homeless in Gatchina. Sergey seeks for buildings on the property relations committee website, in an open database. If the building is suitable for creating a hospital, Sergey starts to prepare documents to the committee in order to provide him that building. He’s got a rejection the first time because the building couldn’t be given to a free use. Sergey currently signed his statement for getting a social rent.
The reception in SaintPetersburg city government. At the end of a 10 minute conversation, the politicians told a few more organizations claim to get the building Sergey was interested in. The meeting will be held in October, where every candidate will be given 2 minutes for his project presentation. The latest decisions on rent will be made by its results.
Sergey Ievkov at the monthly Mobile clinic's online conference. Coordinators, administrative staff, medics, and partners of the project discussed the problems and present tasks. For example, winter season preparations and the change of mobile clinic’s departure schedule. Sergey considers the most important result of meeting for him, became the decision of heading out to the living places of homeless people at their request to provide medical help.
Sergei Ievkov is in the medical office of the Charity Clinic. In 2023, a full-fledged Charity Clinic was opened. A premises was found, and repairs were made there. Now volunteer doctors can receive their patients and provide assistance in comfortable conditions. In 2024, the last outing of the mobile clinic took place. Now, based on this vehicle, a social assistance office for all those in need will operate. Vitaliy Kurdenko will be in charge of this project.
The opening of a fully functioning clinic has increased the number of volunteer doctors. This has allowed for more patient appointments and longer consultation times. Now, the Charity Hospital has therapists, trauma specialists, ophthalmologists, and even prosthetists.
Ultrasound appointment.
A patient at an ophthalmologist's appointment.
Therapist appointment.
At the beginning of 2024, a man with an amputated leg came to the clinic. He had been hit by a train while he was drunk. He lost his job due to the injury and did not have Russian citizenship to seek further assistance, so he turned to the Charity Hospital. Volunteer doctor Kristina took on the task of making a prosthesis for him.
Kristina is checking the plaster mold for the future prosthesis. The Charity Hospital purchased the components for the prosthesis. The entire process of making the prosthesis took place at Kristina's home.
The final fitting of the prosthesis made by Kristina.
Testing patients for hepatitis and HIV. In 2024, the mobile clinic continues to make trips to provide medical assistance, but much less frequently. The main work of the doctors is now focused in the charity clinic.