As part of her studies in the Linfield University master’s in nursing program, Sandra Lupton is leaning into healthcare as an ecosystem, one that doesn’t end at the emergency room or clinic doors.
So, when she heard the Linfield University-Good Samaritan School of Nursing might dispose of older, waterproof mattresses used at the Portland Campus, Lupton set her mind to keeping them out of a landfill.
“The mattresses are perfectly usable, clean and waterproof and have only been slept on by manikins,” Lupton said.
It was an act of kindness spurred by information Lupton gleaned in the classroom.
“According to Practice Greenhealth, hospitals produce more than five million tons of waste each year,” Lupton said. “At Linfield, I learned how much waste is created by the healthcare industry, nursing schools included, and wanted to put my learning into action.”
To divert the mattresses from the landfill, Lupton began reaching out to local organizations that support Portland’s unsheltered community. She connected with Michelle Ladd, a facilities and construction project manager with the City of Portland.
Ladd’s duties include the development of Safe Rest Villages around the Rose City. Safe Rest Villages will be outdoor shelters — not tents — that provide a place for Portlanders living outdoors to sleep, access basic and necessary hygiene services, and connect with case management and behavioral health services. Thanks to Lupton taking the initiative, Linfield’s old mattresses will be used in the villages.
“Everyone is so grateful to have received these, they will be put to good use,” Ladd said. Blankets, pillows and sheets are still needed as the winter months set in around Oregon.
Aside from the environmental benefits, getting the mattresses into spaces that provide comfort is a culmination, of sorts, for Lupton.
“I was learning about mental health when I moved to Portland. I would encounter some of our homeless residents on streetcars and it changed my perspective,” Lupton said. Since that time, she decided to be part of a solution. “I wondered if there was something more I could do, and I am excited to do more for the new community that Linfield is part of in Portland.”
