Y5 medical student, Molly Steele speaks to HIHS to find out more about the society, its mission, how it goes about its outreach work and how you can get involved.
Ever wondered how we, as medics, can better serve the homeless and other marginalised populations? Want to get involved with some volunteering and advocacy work? If so, join the Homelessness, Health and Inclusion Society in their mission to get the student community more involved in health and welfare services for the homeless and other vulnerable groups.
What is inclusion health?
Inclusion health is a service, research and policy agenda which aims to improve health and social inequities among people who are homeless, sex workers, travelling and migrant populations, amongst other groups. These populations have faced huge barriers to accessing good quality care. Health outcomes in these groups are poor compared with the general population, with disturbingly high levels of physical and mental ill-health and mortality seen. HIHS believes that it is our responsibility to take steps to change this.
What does HIHS do?
With the aim to contribute to improving provision for people experiencing homelessness and marginalisation, HIHS works alongside the Edinburgh Access Practice (EAP) and also charitable agencies such as the Salvation Army and Re-Act.
In addition to volunteering and outreach work, HIHS is involved in education and advocacy. They recently held their annual conference on inclusion health, which was a great success! The conference, organised by Aoife O’Neill, a 5th year medic, featured speakers such as Dr John Budd, who works at the EAP.
The society is also pushing for more teaching on inclusion health within the medical school curriculum.
I recently spoke with some of HIHS’ members. Here’s what they had to say…
Isaac Bonisteel, Y6 Medicine, Vice President and Co-Founder of HIHS
Isaac set up HIHS, along with Chiara Ensea, also in Y6. What Isaac is most proud of in helping set up HIHS is the process. At each stage it was very intentional; he and Chiara wanted to develop a social impact project but didn’t quite know how. Their first step was getting involved with the Edinburgh Access Practice, Centre for Homelessness and Inclusion Health, and meeting with researchers within the medical school. Through these opportunities they realised that there was so much being done locally to provide accessible care to those so often excluded, yet there was a stark disconnect between these services and medical students. They wanted to strengthen that link, connecting students to volunteer opportunities, while encouraging continual growth as learners and advocates.
Isaac and Chiara say they always joke about ‘not reinventing the wheel’; according to Isaac, what they started back in 2019 was by no means ‘revolutionary’. However, it does speak to how powerful it is when people collaborate enthusiastically with a common goal. Isaac is grateful to be surrounded and inspired by such driven and kind people on a weekly basis.
Akua Crankson and Phoebe Thackray, Y6 Medicine, Volunteering Coordinators
This is Akua and Phoebe’s second year as volunteer coordinators for HIHS. They both got involved because they feel very strongly about getting students engaged with volunteering opportunities and helping our neighbours in need.
Thus far, they have made connections with several charities, including Simon Community Scotland, Cyrenians and Re-act Scotland. Members of HIHS have been involved with a range of activities: working at food kitchens, outreach work with street sex workers, and helping with vaccination rollout for people experiencing homelessness.
“We have really enjoyed this role and look forward to seeing the society grow!”
Beatrice Lofthouse, Y3 Medicine, President
When you join university, for a lot of people it’s their first time in a city and seeing lots of people on the streets. This was the case for Bea. Seeing the high rates of homelessness and drug addiction in the city raised questions in her mind about what she could do to help, both within and outside of a healthcare context. She wanted to offer practical help by organising and advertising volunteering, but also to raise awareness and give students the opportunity to become more informed.
Initially, Bea was hugely inspired by a talk from Wes Steele, who gave his personal experience as a patient recovering from drug addiction and how he had been helped by the EAP. This really hammered home the importance of hearing lived experience; everyone has a story to tell, and it is essential that their voices are heard.
In the future, Bea hopes that HIHS will be able to branch out into other areas of inclusion health and collaborate with other societies, such as Edinburgh Friends of MSF, BAME Medics Society and LGBT Medics Society, as well as some more charitable organisations.
How can I get involved?
If this has piqued your interest, you can become a member for free via the EUSA website (link below). HIHS have plenty of volunteering opportunities coming up, so check out their socials (listed below) for updates or drop them an email.
Fancy taking a more active role in the society? The HIHS AGM will be held on the March 14 at 6pm. They are a very welcoming and inclusive group, always keen to welcome fresh faces.
