Ohio State medical students empower incarcerated women through health education efforts

Jolie Austin
Thu, 05 Dec 2024 04:01:51 +0000
Campus, Instagram Page, News, Belinda, health, House Call, hygiene, incarcerated women, Meghana Ravi, Nicolette Le, nutrition, ohio reformatory for women, ohio state, ohio state college of medicine, Ohio State medica students, ohio state university, osu, Physicians for Human Rights, self-care, The Lantern, the ohio state university, ZOOM

Five House Call participants from the last cohort gather together for a photo reflecting on their transformative experiences during the year. From left to right: Heather, Jillian, Gloria, Belinda and Whitney. Credit: Courtesy of Tara Nickle

A typical Tuesday night for Nicolette Le involves immersing herself in medical textbooks. Some weeks, however, she steps through the gates of the Ohio Reformatory for Women.?

Le, a second-year in the College of Medicine, said she got involved with the House Call program to enrich her career and empower incarcerated women through access to education. Every month, the program connects Ohio State medical students like Le with incarcerated women to provide health and nutrition instruction via Zoom and in-person sessions.

House Call — established in 2020 by the Ohio State chapter of the Physicians for Human Rights nonprofit — began as a book club and has since evolved into a community-focused space that hosts demonstrations on self-care concepts like basic hygiene and proper nutrient intake, self-reflection exercises, breathing exercises and creative activities designed to empower participants to set personal health goals, Le said.

“We talk about things going on in their lives,” Le said. “We have reflective moments and even time for poetry. It’s about presenting health information, but more than that.”

Le said program discussions often center around health equity, also noting the needs of incarcerated individuals are frequently overlooked.?

“Although we provide a service and space for them to speak and reflect, they give us so much by sharing their stories,” Le said. “Treating them with the respect they deserve — not just as patients, but as people — is crucial.”

Meghana Ravi, a second-year Ohio State medical student, said the women at the reformatory struggle with not just physical isolation, but also exclusion from broader conversations about health disparities.?

“When we reflect together, everyone realizes that many challenges we encounter are quite similar,” Le said.

Belinda, who requested to go by first name only per the reformatory’s policy, is an incarcerated woman at the reformatory who participated in House Call last year. She said her motivation to join stemmed from her work in the infirmary, where she recognized the need for guidance from medical students.?

Belinda said collaborating with House Call enhanced her understanding of health and nutrition, particularly emphasizing the importance of water, fiber and fresh produce intake.?

“Right before I started House Call, I had a pacemaker and defibrillator put into my heart, so I didn’t have the information about that,” Belinda said. “I was given a very generic summary of what was placed against me, but I didn’t know a lot about it. The women with House Call, they did the research. They found out a lot of information for me to where it puts my mind at ease.”

Belinda said she commends the medical students’ dedication and thinks future programs could benefit from an expanded focus on psychiatric issues.

“The medical students go above and beyond,” Belinda said. “They really do the absolute most for us.”

To be involved in House Call, incarcerated women simply indicate their interest in the program, with roughly 20 being randomly chosen to participate for a given academic year, Ravi said.?

Participants are encouraged to celebrate “small wins,” recognize that setbacks are a part of life and give themselves grace during tough times, Ravi said.?

This year, House Call aims to introduce a written element to track each woman’s personal growth and experiences. More specifically, Le said the program plans to compile participants’ accomplishments to be shared and reflected upon at the final meeting of the year.?

Ravi has been actively involved in House Call for over a year. During this time, she said she has witnessed significant improvements in the self-care practices of incarcerated women.

“By educating them on what screenings they need, they become better advocates for their health,” Ravi said. “Knowing this information alone gives them a lot of power, and that’s what it’s about.”

More information can be found about House Call on the College of Medicine’s website.