WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – The name Milly Smith may be familiar to you. She’s an outspoken reformer of Watertown’s schools and a physician assistant who owns an urgent care in Watertown.
What you might not know is that she’s traveling to eastern Europe to help care for refugees of the war in Ukraine.
“Some of the things that the delegation has been asked to bring, they’re just simple things for us that we take for granted. Vitamin C, Tylenol, ibuprofen, just some of the basic over-the-counter medications that we take for granted,” she said.
Smith will first travel to Kracow, Poland to treat refugees there, then she’ll head to Ukraine. The trip is the work of “One Heart,” an Israeli group that provides humanitarian relief around the world.
“We’re actually going to Lviv, which is a neighboring Ukrainian village, and actually cross the border to provide medical services to – they have medical tents there,” she said.
One Heart has been traveling to Poland for a week at a time since the war began. It’ll be Smith’s first trip.
“We have been briefed about some of the things that we’re going to see, so my expectation is that it’s going to be a very emotional experience,” she said.
Smith believes more help will be needed beyond medical care and emotional support.
“They’re going to provide whatever support services, taking them to the store, getting them food, providing clothing, giving toys to the children, so it’s not just a medical perspective, but this One Heart organization is really doing a cohesive, a whole humanitarian effort,” she said.
Smith says she never expected this rewarding opportunity – one where she will learn how people live in times of war and provide mental, emotional and physical relief.
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