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BCMS ALLIANCE

BCMSA Supports The

Period Poverty Movement

By Julia Halvorsen, VP of Community Outreach, BCMSA

Successful community outreach really is as simple as identifying a need and responding to it. I
joined the Bexar County Medical Society Alliance (BCMSA) specifically because of their history
of service throughout Bexar County. Organized medicine is strong in Texas — the Texas Medical
Association (TMA) and Texas Medical Association Alliance have a thriving nonpartisan legislative
branch that works to promote enhanced health and wellness for all Texans. The TMA recently
backed state legislation that eliminated the sales tax on menstrual products such as tampons and
pads. The BCMSA learned about the prevalence of period poverty that brought about this legisla-
tion in the first place, and we decided to do something about it.
The Period Poverty Movement is gaining momentum across the country. There are several organi-
zations that are making strides to address the issue, but we wanted to do something that was focused
on the needs of our local community. San Antonio has a long and rich history of cultural diversity
going back to the early 1700s. San Antonio is also the largest majority-Hispanic city in the U.S., with
64 percent of its population being Hispanic. The bulk of the available educational material addressing
period poverty doesn’t take into consideration cultural values that are common in Hispanic culture. It’s
perceived by some people to have undertones of hot-button issues like gender and sexual activity that
might be in opposition to the values being taught in the home. Public health initiatives and patient
education that fail to consider cultural beliefs and values will be minimally effective. Our Alliance
members recognized the need for a period outreach program that is fact-based and conscientious of
diverse cultural beliefs, so we developed a program tailored for our community.
Eighty-four percent of teens have missed a class or know someone who has missed a class because
they were on their period and didn’t have access to period products. Two-thirds of low-income fam-
Julie Halvorsen with SAISD Nurse
ilies have trouble affording period products. Three-fourths of menstruating children said that they
have felt shamed or “dirty” because of their period. It's not uncommon for periods to start as young
as 9 years old, so we recognized that we needed to provide menstrual supplies and education that are For information
on the Bexar
age-appropriate for a 3rd grader. The school nurses, counselors and teachers understand the needs of County Medical
the children in a community extremely well, and are frequently the direct point of access for a child Society Alliance,
in need of resources, so we directly involved them in developing this project. scan the code:

While working with the school nurses in San Antonio Independent
School District (SAISD), we learned that they have an annual budget of
$200 to purchase supplies needed to address the health needs of the entire
student body. Our Alliance members got together to make daily period
kits containing enough pads for the school day as well as take-home kits
with enough supplies to last for the duration of a monthly period. We
assembled hundreds of these kits to distribute to schools. Some members
contributed monetarily, some assembled kits and some delivered the kits
to schools, but each of us believed that doing good can mean doing some-
thing small and, as a result, this project has made a big impact.

Julia Halvorsen is the Vice President of Community
The BCMSA members contributing to The Period Poverty Movement Outreach for the BCMS Alliance.

10 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • May 2024 Visit us at www.bcms.org 11