Eliza Shirley
In 1879, Eliza Shirley brought her work for The Salvation Army from London, England to Philadelphia at only 16 years of age. Over 100 years later, Eliza Shirley House is still alive, opening its doors to provide a safe environment and help for the abused, addicted, and displaced women and children of our city.
Today, the Salvation Army Eliza Shirley House, located in Center City Philadelphia, provides emergency shelter to women and children. The shelter provides its clients with a safe place to sleep and warm meals.
Drexel College of Medicine, along with other area medical schools, has provided medical care to the residents of this shelter for over 5 years. Our involvement at the shelter started with a handful of medical students and a physician, with clinic being offered once or twice a month. Within the last year we significantly expanded the services that we are able to offer the residents at Eliza Shirley House, and now serve both the women and the children with a weekly clinic.
In September 2010 we expanded our clinic hours to include a Tuesday evening Pediatric Clinic with the help of physicians and resident physicians from St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. The Pediatric Clinic is currently held every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month, but we are planning to expand to every week.
In the near future, student volunteers will receive training in Domestic Violence in order to better serve residents with their struggles and to help us become well rounded physicians. Additionally, we strive to become a center that will be able to offer vaccinations and help our patients organize their health care and better understand their health.
This is the second year that we have been coordinating the “Jump into Reading” program, initiated and sustained by two 2nd-year medical students. Every Thursday evening, volunteer medical students read with the children at the shelter. Every child that attends the program keeps a book from that session. Not only does Jump into Reading provide support for children to read, but it also gives the mothers some time for themselves within this extremely stressful environment.
At Eliza Shirley, we see patients with a wide variety of common medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, dermatologic conditions, acute infections, psychiatric illnesses, as well as struggles with the psychosocial issues that have resulted in them living in a homeless shelter.
Second-year medical students co-ordinate our clinics. First, third, and fourth-year medical students volunteer at the clinic on a regular basis. The clinics offer a unique setting for students to learn both about medicine as well as the daily struggles of a large number of Americans.. The Eliza Shirley clinics offer an opportunity for students to learn and observe how to provide compassionate and empathic care for patients.
For more information, please contact Ashley O'Connell @ apo27@drexel.edu or DUCOMElizaShirley@gmail.com