Oswego Health Opens Menstrual Product Pantry

(Fulton, NY – December 11, 2024) Oswego Health is pleased to announce the opening of a Menstrual Product Pantry at the Center for Mental Health & Wellness for Youth in Fulton, thanks to a generous $2,500 grant from the Women's Fund of CNY at the Central New York Community Foundation and a $2,500 award from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield as part of their Health and Wellness Awards Program.

This new pantry aims to provide free, easily accessible, quality period products to the young women in our care, addressing an often-overlooked need that directly impacts their physical and mental well-being. The products will be available at our Center for Mental Health & Wellness for Youth in Fulton and our school-based therapy programs in Oswego, Fulton, and Hannibal.

The idea for the Menstrual Product Pantry originated with the dedicated staff at the Center for Mental Health & Wellness for Youth, who recognized a pressing need among the young women they serve. “We serve a predominantly low-income population, with many of our patients relying on Medicaid, SNAP, and similar programs,” explained School-Based Mental Health Program Coordinator Jennifer Lynn Torrese, MSED.  “Unfortunately, quality period products are expensive, and these kinds of programs do not provide cash assistance to cover this basic need, so our staff have noticed clients making do without--isolating at home and skipping social events--which has a tremendous negative impact on these young women’s physical and mental health. We want to help remove this barrier to product access to set these young women up for success in every aspect of their lives, beginning with self-care and dignity.”

In 2023, Oswego Health’s school-based mental health clinics and the Center for Mental Health & Wellness for Youth saw 447 female individuals under 20. Products will be kept on hand and stored at our Center for Mental Health & Wellness for Youth office in Fulton, where any young women receiving our services can easily and discreetly request a packet of products. Based on needs and product preferences, staff can better tailor program purchases once the program begins.

“We believe this program will enable these young women to confidently and comfortably attend school and work during their menstrual cycle when they might otherwise withdraw from activities,” shared Margaret Barclay, Executive Director of the Oswego Health Foundation. “Investing in and supporting these vulnerable young women will give them the best chance at being their best selves, reducing a range of anxieties and giving them the confidence to engage with and participate in…well, anything and everything! We also think that providing a safe and stigma-free holistic foundation for these young women to feel more comfortable with themselves will help set them up for success in other areas of their lives, including their mental health and their relationships with others, and that will have a positive impact on our community—one young woman at a time. Ultimately, we hope this program will remove a source of uncertainty and empower these young women to fully participate, uninterrupted, in the normal activities of everyday life in ways that they have not been able to thus far. Through this Menstrual Product Pantry, supported by the Women’s Fund of CNY and Excellus BCBS, we are proud to take action and provide assistance where needed most. We are committed to the health, dignity, and success of the young women in our care.”

For more information or to become a patient, contact the Center for Mental Health & Wellness for Youth at Oswego Health at 315-326-3555. 

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About Oswego Health:
The mission of Oswego Health is to provide accessible, quality care and improve the health of residents throughout Oswego County. As a nonprofit healthcare system established in 1881, Oswego Health is proud to be Oswego County’s largest private employer. More than 1,400 employees spread throughout its 18 locations, work for the Oswego Health system, which includes the 132-bed community Oswego Hospital, a 32-bed psychiatric acute-care facility with multiple outpatient behavioral health service locations, The Manor at Seneca Hill, a 120-bed skilled nursing facility, and Springside at Seneca Hill, an independent retirement community.  The health system also operates Oswego Health Home Care, the only hospital-based certified home healthcare agency in the County, as well as two outpatient centers, including the Fulton Medical Center, offering urgent care, lab, medical imaging, physical therapy, and occupational health services, and the Central Square Medical Center, offering urgent care, lab, medical imaging, and physical therapy services. In addition, the healthcare system includes Oswego Health Medical Practice, a multi-specialty medical group offering the community accessible, high-quality healthcare. 100+ physicians and advanced practice providers offer an extensive array of services across CNY, including primary care and specialty care in orthopedics, cardiology, ENT, gastroenterology, breast care, general surgery, urology, and bariatrics; for more information about Oswego Health, visit www.oswegohealth.org.