ABOUT US

OUR STORY

In the summer of 2021, a medical student volunteering in New Orleans went on a call to help a victim of human trafficking. While assessing the victim, there were two questions that continually ran through the medical student's mind: "How am I and other future physicians being prepared to identify and handle these types of situations?" and "What can I do to raise awareness amongst my future colleagues on human trafficking?" From Red Flags to Freedom was born from a medical student's desire to create a training program for future healthcare providers on how to identify and fight against human trafficking.

OUR FOUNDER

In the summer of 2021, our founder, Megan Powers, volunteered with the Baptist Friendship House in New Orleans. As a medical student and no stranger to the mission field, Megan immediately felt a connection to the mission of creating awareness and advocating on behalf of survivors of human trafficking. She was surprised by how little she, as a medical student, had been informed of the presence of human trafficking in the US, especially within the healthcare setting. Megan felt called to inform her fellow healthcare trainees about human trafficking in order for them to know how to recognize the situation and provide appropriate trauma-informed care.

OUR MISSION

We provide evidence-based training for future healthcare providers on human trafficking and equipping them to be able to:

1. Effectively identify the red flags of trafficking.

2. Communicate and care for the victims in a way that is sensitive to their situation.

3. Maintain the victim's honor and dignity throughout their medical experience.

WE PROVIDE THE KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES NECESSARY TO IDENTIFY AND RESPOND TO THE RED FLAGS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

WE PREPARE TRAINEES TO BE ADVOCATES AND PROVIDE CARE WITH DIGNITY.

"I want to provide the best possible care for my future patients. Part of that is being able to identify signs of human trafficking and knowing how to properly intervene. There are so many more complexities to the topic than I previously thought."

Matt McCarron, Resident at MUSC

"Trauma-informed care is a master class in empathy and meeting people where they are. I think before this experience, I expected patients to come in and for me to be able to reasonably find solutions to all of their problems. I’ve learned a lot about thinking long-term plans and making small steps towards healing."

Kaitlin Hardy, Resident at CHKD

"You never know what another person has experienced in their life. Approaching each encounter with a trauma-informed perspective has made me a better clinician and a better fellow human."