Care Corner:
A recap of the most frequently requested items for the Care Station in Statesboro
After launching our first Care Station in January on City Campus in Statesboro, we asked what products the community would like to see added in the future. Here’s a recap of some of the most commonly suggested items so far:
We agree that dental hygiene is an important part of maintaining overall health, both for humans and for our animal companions! While we don’t have individual toothbrushes or tubes of toothpaste in either machine right now, the deluxe hygiene kit in the Statesboro Care Station does include both a toothbrush and toothpaste (in addition to soap, shampoo, shave cream, a comb, deodorant, and a razor). We took this approach because we wanted to offer a comprehensive mix of products that are often needed together, and selling them as a kit reduces the total product cost for purchasers. We’re also watching the sales of the hygiene kits in Statesboro and continuing to speak with people in Vidalia to see if there’s a need for hygiene kits there as well. If so, we would be sure that they also include items to address dental care.
The weather is getting warmer and no doubt, the runners who took a break for the winter are back out in full force. We know that’s at least part of what was behind a recent suggestion that we received from someone who thought we should add electrolyte powder to the Care Station in Statesboro. All we can say for now is that we’ve heard the suggestion and will keep it in mind as the days continue to grow warmer.
The idea of adding over-the-counter inhalers has come up more than once, and we love it! The Care Station is all about increasing access to health products that can be difficult to obtain for various reasons, and inhalers certainly fall into that category. Consider them added to the list of items under consideration for the next time we switch out products.
Answer: We firmly believe that naloxone saves lives, and we want it to see it made widely available across the state of Georgia. With that in mind, we are actively working to make naloxone available 24/7 in the alleyway of City Campus in Statesboro and hope to have more news on this soon. In the meantime, we do have naloxone available to the public for free inside our office, located around the corner at 58 E. Main Street, Suite C. We are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and happy to offer naloxone – no questions asked.
And if you’d like to know more about what we are currently doing to increase access to harm reduction supplies and educational materials across Georgia, visit our ROHR website HERE.
At the IHLA, we are committed to protecting women’s bodies from unnecessary toxins and understand that many common tampon brands are known to contain heavy metals. In fact, the Care Station in Statesboro already offers tampons made with organic cotton. According to the manufacturer, the cotton in the tampons sold in the Statesboro Care Station is “whitened and disinfected using gentle hydrogen peroxide, avoiding exposure to harmful chlorine and dioxin residues.” The Care Station in Vidalia currently offers pads made from organic cotton, and we are committed to working with our vendor to consider organic options there, as well.
No doubt about it, testing for infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and flu reduces the spread of infections, so we love this suggestion! While we don’t currently have either of these tests in the Statesboro Care Station, we do have free COVID-19 tests available in our office, located at 58 E. Main Street, Suite C. Come say hello and grab a COVID-19 test anytime during office hours!
We are happy to support Care Station users who self-manage chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, and we think there may be room to grow offerings in this space in the future. We currently have glucose tablets available in the Statesboro Care Station and are piloting blood glucose test strips in our Vidalia Care Station. We will certainly consider adding hypertension management tools such as blood pressure cuffs to the Care Station in the future.
We are committed to providing products that align with community needs and will continue to announce new products as we add them.
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Would you like to learn more about our process?
Phase 1: Feasibility Study
Phase one focuses on understanding the needs and interests of the potential kiosk users:
- Assessing public interest and willingness to use Care Stations. IN PROCESS
- Working with city leadership to identify an impactful location for the Care Stations. COMPLETE
- Gathering information to uncover resource gaps within the community. COMPLETE
- Building partnerships with additional community organizations to strengthen support for the project. ONGOING
Phase 2: Pilot Installation
Phase two installs a health kiosk in a strategic location (IN PROCESS). Activities during this phase will include:
- Installing and maintaining the Care Stations.
- Offering access to educational resources and health services.
- Monitoring which products are being used and comparing this information to trends in community health problems and improvements.
- Evaluating the products and tests offered in the kiosk to make sure they continue to meet the community needs.
Our Goal Is Simple
Improve health access and outcomes through innovation and collaboration because your health matters.