Hometown: Racine, WI
College attended: University of Chicago
Fun fact: I've never lived more than five minutes from Lake Michigan (Woohoo Midwest!)
Favorite Quote:
"HELP! HELP! HELP! The world is calling, heal the world and in the process heal yourself, find the human in yourself by finding the citizen, the activist, the hero." --Tony Kushner (2004 Columbia College Class Day address)
What you did before AmeriCorps?
I worked as a research assistant in a sleep lab at the University of Chicago. I also spent most of my time outside of class volunteering with Health Leads, a national non-profit organization that mobilizes college students to connect low-income families with social service resources within a clinical setting. I worked as a fellow with Health Leads (then Project HEALTH) during the summer after my first year of college in which I co-developed and conducted a community outreach project for them. That opportunity to visit community organizations across the South Side of Chicago not only taught me to think about communities in terms of their assets instead of their deficiencies, but it also strongly influenced my understanding of health as being a function of a person's environment.
Did your past experience apply to your year of service?
The Sleep Lab gave me a realistic sense of how a clinic operates, and how tiring/irritating the experience of being in a hospital can be for a patient. That was a good perspective to have going in to Stroger. Health Leads gave me case management experience, knowledge of community resources throughout Chicago, and an education in the gaps and barriers within the social safety net in the city. This was a good baseline to build off of for conducting outreach to new patients at Stroger, and for assisting with basic case management. I also served as a Program Coordinator with Health Leads, which involved managing a group of volunteers in a pediatric emergency room for three years, so I have experience in developing and maintaining volunteer programs. This has been extremely helpful for creating a volunteer program for the American Cancer Society at Stroger.
Why did you choose to do AmeriCorps?
I knew that I wanted to take a year off before medical school, and I also knew that I wanted to spend that year working with a health-related non-profit organization. I was used to being allowed to develop and follow through with my ideas for running a program because of my experience with Health Leads,
but I couldn't find very many jobs that would allow me to be a valued team member and a direct service provider as a fresh college graduate. AmeriCorps attracted me because it allowed me the opportunity to develop and participate in initiatives that could make a real impact upon the health outcomes of underserved populations straight out of college. Once I saw the huge variety of positions in which I could serve a community, I knew that I wanted to commit to a year of service with AmeriCorps, and the Chicago Health Corps in particular.
What are you doing as an AmeriCorps member?
I'm serving with the American Cancer Society in the Radiation Therapy Department at the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. There are multiple components to my service position, so I wear a lot of different hats at any given point in a day.
I reach out to new patients to let them know about the Patient Navigation Services program, which connects patients to ACS Clinical Navigators in the hospital who can provide them with information on cancer, emotional support, and day-to-day help. I also provide basic case management services to patients, such as helping them navigate public benefits. Additionally, I follow up with "no-show" patients, or patients who consistently miss appointments for radiation therapy, and address barriers that prevent them from accessing treatment. My final task involves creating a volunteer program for the American Cancer Society at Stroger.
Direct quote from Neerja Joshi:"Gentrification has done me one wrong too many!"--what I exclaimed a few years ago when I found out that my favorite taqueria on Taylor Street had been replaced by a wine shop.
Deep Thoughts from the Chicago Health Corps: If you were a superhero, who would you pick as your sidekick? And what would your respective powers be?
Sidekick:
Dr. Horrible (from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog)!
Powers:
I think Dr. Horrible has a freeze ray that he uses to stop time. Mine would probably be the ability to freeze things (as in make them really cold). That would be so handy in the summertime!
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