McLaren Central Michigan, part of statewide McLaren Health Care, along with other leading local organizations are recognizing Red Dress Day as part of the National Day of Remembrance for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, a solemn commemoration of the prevalence of violence against indigenous women and girls.
In partnership with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, Central Michigan University, Zonta Club of Mt. Pleasant, and RISE Advocacy, McLaren Central Michigan will display red dresses to further raise awareness for the movement.
Through the generosity of the community, McLaren Central Michigan has displayed more than 30 donated red dresses on its campus, near the hospital’s emergency department entrance on Brown Street and along South Drive.
The Red Dress Day exhibit will display through May 17.
“The history of violence against indigenous women is a terrible and tragic injustice that must never be forgotten,” said Beth Nesbitt, BSN, RN, Program Coordinator of the McLaren Central Michigan Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program. “We are grateful to those who donated to the display, and for the awareness that it has raised to aid in creating a safer, more just community.”
Unique to the region, trained and experienced SANE nurses are available 24/7 in the McLaren Central Michigan emergency department to assist victims of sexual assault.
The program provides a comprehensive, private exam to document, collect, and process any forensic evidence of an assault, and can also provide crisis intervention support and referrals to counseling and any needed follow-up medical care.
Along with the hospital’s display, additional community dress exhibits include:
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Ziibiwing Center (6650 E. Broadway Rd.)
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Clarke Historical Library (250 E. Preston)
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Veterans Memorial Library (301 S. University Ave.)
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Central Michigan University Libraries (250 E. Preston)
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Mid-Michigan College (2600 S. Summerton Rd.)
A remembrance event will be hosted on Thurs., May 16 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Broadway Park, near SCIT Housing (2451 Nish Na Be Among Dr.). “No More Stolen Sisters: A Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Event” will feature guest speakers sharing their views and personal stories.
More information on SANE, what constitutes sexual assault, prevention strategies and other resources, visit mclaren.org/centralsane.
About McLaren Central Michigan
McLaren Central Michigan is a 118-bed acute care, CMS 5-Star rated hospital located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It offers a full range of health and wellness services including Primary Care, Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery and Cancer Services. McLaren Central Michigan is recognized as an accessible and dependable source of quality medical care for residents of Mount Pleasant, Isabella County and central Michigan. In addition to its medical staff of over 50 active physicians, it is affiliated with more than 150 other quality providers. The hospital is one of the region’s largest employers, with approximately 400 employ¬ees and many volunteers. McLaren Central Michigan received the Governor’s Award of Excellence for 2017 and 2019. The hospital was named one of the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health in 2019. McLaren Central Michigan holds The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation and is the only hospital in the central Michigan area to consistently receive an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade from Fall 2018 – Fall 2022. Learn more at mclaren.org/centralmichigan.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6.6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 640-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers. McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.