Just the Basics: Socks Needed for a Vulnerable Community

This blog post is written by Dr. John Giurini, Chief of Podiatric Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

It’s a simple concept and it’s common sense. Clean socks provide good foot health. Yet, most of us take it for granted. For some dry, clean socks are a luxury.

Which is why, every year for the last four years, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has been collecting new, white socks for the homeless men, women and children of Boston. It’s part of Sox for Socks, a program coordinated by Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) in partnership with the Red Sox Foundation.

Why socks? The answer is simple. The homeless community living in shelters and on the streets spend so much of their time outdoors and are often exposed to rain, snow, ice and cold temperatures; leaving many wearing soaking wet socks and shoes for days or weeks at a time.

When I learned about this program I knew it was something we had to do. As a foot specialist, I’m acutely aware of the dangers of wearing damp shoes and socks or going barefoot.  All the foot physicians on our team are dedicated to this cause, too.

Between now and August 1, BIDMC is hosting its fourth annual Sox for Socks Drive. The hospital sock drive is led by the Division of Podiatric Surgery and the Committee of Social Responsibility of the Department of Surgery at BIDMC.

As you can imagine, wearing wet socks and shoes for days on end can result in serious infections and ailments that can lead to limb-threatening and even life-threatening conditions. Some of the foot conditions that are common among the homeless are:

• Athlete’s foot from going barefoot or wearing damp socks
  
• Plantar warts
• Puncture wounds from walking on foreign objects such as broken glass
• Blisters which can result in deeper, more serious infections
• Trauma to nails or toes
• Nail and skin infections
• Frostbite

For people with other serious health conditions such as diabetes or peripheral vascular disease, these foot ailments can actually put their lower limbs and their lives at risk. 

The best way to prevent conditions like these is to keep feet clean, dry and warm. Clean, dry socks provide a barrier and a layer of protection to prevent some of these foot problems.

To collect socks and help meet this basic need, we have placed collection boxes in various locations throughout the hospital. If you are going to be at the hospital, you can find bins to drop off donations in our two main cafeterias: The Ullian Café, located on the second floor of the Feldberg Building (330 Brookline Avenue) on the east campus, and the Farr Café, located in the basement of the Farr Building (185 Pilgrim Road) on the west campus.  

In the first year, we collected a 100 pairs of socks and donated them to the BHCHP. Last year, we collected more than 300 pairs. This year we’ve set a modest goal of 400 pairs. I’m hopeful with our increased efforts to spread the word and addition of collection sites around the BIDMC campus and at our Podiatry offsite office locations, we will exceed our goal by a substantial amount.

Each pair of socks makes a direct impact on the health and well-being of a homeless person.

Read about the program and if you’re in the hospital, please drop off a pair or two of new, clean socks. You’ll make a huge difference to the health of a homeless person.