CHC In-Service: Global Health and Health Disparities

   Post written by CHC member, Neerja J.      

   

          The Chicago Health Corps gathered for their final in-service last Friday, June 22^nd, at PHIMC.  It was a bittersweet day filled with a lot of reflection about our past months of service, and presentations on many health issues that remain to be addressed in Chicago and across the globe. 

            We began the day with a member check-in facilitated by the Team Building Committee in which we shared a current struggle at our host sites, a memory from our host sites, and our favorite thing about the CHC.  Obviously, “Rattlin’ Bog” made the list, as well as other accomplishments like the garden started by CHC members James, Maggie, and Sydney at Monarch Community Garden.  Many of the members also mentioned that they would miss the kids they had taught and worked with this past year through their host sites, and that it was harder than they expected to say goodbye.  I know that I personally will miss being at and working with the patients at Stroger every day. 

            Next, CHC member Carly Kruse introduced us to the realm of global health.  She identified many of the pros and cons to foreign aid, and discussed the emergence of research programs dedicated to global health.  Carly even shared "The Joy of Stats" with us to emphasize how cool and important global health data can be! 

            Following Carly’s presentation, Dr. Laurie Carrier from Heartland International Health Center shared her experiences with providing medical care in a variety of countries, including Honduras, Palestine, and Kenya.  She also discussed important considerations for choosing a global health experience.  For example, the sustainability of the program, the length of time you have to offer and personal adaptability to changing conditions were all key factors that Dr. Carrier urged us to think about when choosing a health experience abroad. 

            After lunch and some important reminders from Karen about our Education Awards, we watched a documentary called Precious Knowledge about the struggle to preserve ethnic studies classes at Arizona’s Tucson High School.  Afterwards, we discussed the stark differences of opinion on the classes between their participants and the politicians who fought to ban them, how these issues related to Chicago Public Schools, and alternative strategies the community could have used to prevent the classes from being banned.

Teambuilding is always a good time.

Soaking up some of that glorious Chicago sunshine.

           

          

         

         

         
The CHC then took a break with another team building activity, in which we made a giant web of twine in Millennium Park by holding onto a part of it and throwing the rest of the ball to a member who did something that stuck out to us over the course of our term of service.  As CHC member Jess mentioned at one point, it was amazing to see how close we had all become over the course of the year compared to our first day of Pre-Service Orientation. 

            We ended the day with a discussion with Dr. David Ansell, MD, MPH, and author of County: Life, Death, and Politics in Chicago's Public Hospital.  A number of CHC members had read and discussed the book prior to the event, and were excited to be able to hear from Dr. Ansell in his own words about his experiences at the old Cook County Hospital.  He discussed healthcare as a human right, and the social determinants of health that prevent thousands of Chicagoans from exercising this right.  Finally, Dr. Ansell answered questions from the CHC members, other AmeriCorps members, and volunteers in the audience about the Affordable Care Act and other topics. 

Dr. Ansell explains that in our careers it's not so important what we do, but our reasons why.
After a miserable first year in medical school, Dr. Ansell decided to stick with it because of his
conviction that health care is a human right.

            At one point during his talk, Dr. Ansell mentioned that his goal in discussing County with groups was to inspire at least three people to advocate for equal access to healthcare for all.  Based on the reflections I heard throughout the day from the CHC, whether they were about future plans or the wealth of experiences we’ll take with us from the students and patients at our host sites, I have no doubt that I had the privilege to spend a year in service with fourteen other people who intend to do just that. 

Meet the Members: Nina

Name: Nina Litton

Hometown: Arlington, MA

College attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Bachelor of Science, History Major, Pre-Med Qualifications

Fun fact: I have a scar from falling on a starfish.

Favorite quote: "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” - Albert Einstein



Why did you choose to do AmeriCorps?
I saw AmeriCorps as a way to learn from and contribute to a community that shared my commitment to service and improving health. As a Research Assistant, I learned about health disparities, chronic disease management, and efforts to improve quality of care. Reading papers about these topics, collecting data, and analyzing video of patients with chronic disease visiting the doctor’s office, I became motivated to directly serve people with diabetes who are affected by health disparities. I also wanted to serve anorganization that was committed to increasing access to care and improving quality of care. AmeriCorps and Erie Family Health Center gave me the opportunity to do this.

What are you doing as an AmeriCorps member?
I am serving as anAmeriCorps Health Educator at Erie Family Health Center—Humboldt Park.  I assist a variety of health promotion initiatives including the implementation, development, and evaluation of the following programs: Diabetes y Yo, Diabetes Mes por Mes, and Centering Pregnancy. Once a week, I perform one-on-one nutrition and diabetes education counseling with patients who have diabetes or prediabetes. I have created a new patient assessment and meal planning tool for Diabetes Educators.In addition, I collaborate with Rebecca Maddrell to teach healthy living classes for women who have graduated from Erie’s healthy living class, La Vida Sana. Earlier in the year, I coordinated Erie’s involvement in Northwestern's West Humboldt Park Diabetes Initiative kick-off health fair. 

What are your plans after AmeriCorps, and how does your year of service apply to your future plans?
I will join the American Diabetes Association as a Project Coordinator. I will work with Lions volunteers to implement diabetes programming and screenings in underserved communities. My year of service will apply greatly to my future plans. My experience performing diabetes counseling, teaching diabetes classes, and coordinating Erie’s involvement in the West Humboldt Park Diabetes Initiative kick-off health fair are just some examples of how my AmeriCorps experience has prepared me for my next step.

Favorite part of CHC so far?
All that I have learned from the people I have met and served with.

Deep Thoughts from the Chicago Health Corps: If you could be any animal, what would you be?
Royal albatross

From the Source: Neerja with American Cancer Society at Stroger Hospital

Another installment in our series about our members' service experiences, written in their own words.



John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County.
Formerly known simply as "Cook County Hospital."

One component of my term of service as an AmeriCorps member with the American Cancer Society at the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County involves providing very basic case management services to patients referred to me by my supervisor, the ACS Clinical Navigator in Stroger’s Radiation Therapy Department.  A memorable case for me involved a patient who was already extremely ill and urgently needed medical equipment.  As a result, my supervisor asked me to try to expedite the approval of the patient’s Medicaid application.  The only information I had was the patient’s caseload number with the Department of Human Services, and the name of the her local DHS Office Administrator. 

I decided to start by calling the general Medicaid hotline number for Illinois.  Once I got past the automated information system to an actual person, I got the name and phone number of the patient’s caseworker, as well as the caseworker’s supervisor.  The caseworker told me that it wasn’t in her power to expedite the approval of a Medicaid application, and that an office in Springfield, Illinois was charged with that task.  She couldn’t give me the office’s phone number, but she gave me the office’s name and address. 

At that stage, I decided to take a chance by Googling the office’s name and address in the hopes that I would find a phone number for it.  Miraculously, I found a document that contained a name for an office that was similar to the one that the case worker had given me, as well as the name and phone number for a woman associated with that office.  I called her, and she told me that expediting Medicaid applications was a judgment call that each local DHS Office Administrator had to make.  She gave me the phone number for the patient’s local Office Administrator, and the application was eventually expedited. 

This whole process of calling various public agencies, being put on hold, and using Google took a day and a half.  While I was thrilled that I was able to get the patient’s Medicaid application expedited for approval, I was shocked and appalled that so many barriers were in place to prevent a sick patient from accessing insurance.  Indeed, I couldn’t imagine how a person who was already extremely ill, didn’t have a day and a half to spend on the phone, and didn’t have Internet access could possibly have succeeded in expediting his or her own Medicaid application. 

The experience made me incredibly appreciative of the existence of programs such as the American Cancer Society’s Patient Navigation Services, which assists patients in overcoming similar barriers to accessing care every day.  It also increased my resolve to practice medicine in an underserved community in the future so that I can work to prevent my future patients from developing such complex health conditions in the first place.  Most importantly, the experience of trying to identify and contact the exact individuals within the DHS who actually had the power to expedite the application reinforced for me the necessity of always looking at healthcare issues from the patient’s perspective.  Having learned that lesson, my goal both now and in the future as a physician is to eliminate as much confusion and uncertainty from their encounters with the healthcare system as possible.

Meet the Members: Jessica

Name: Jessica Angelica Torres

Hometown: Chicago

College attended:

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Physiology

Fun fact: I won a worm eating contest in Cape Town, gobbled 6 of those babies down! (see photo below)

Worms, anyone?

Favorite quote:

"Real service is the power that sustains the world"

What you did before AmeriCorps?

Before AmeriCorps I was living the good life as an undergrad. While studying I working in the CRAYON, Caretaker Research Advancing Youth Obesity Knowledge, research lab in Champaign. Our research examined the roles of early risk factors for pediatric obesity such as childcare, child-feeding practices, physical activity, and family and environmental factors. I was also a research assistant for a professor studying how socioeconomic inequalities over the life course influence later life outcomes, in particular, health outcomes. Lastly, I spent some time volunteering at The Boys and Girls Club and The Times Center, support system for the homeless men in Champaign, IL.

Did your past work/school experience apply to your year of service?

Most definitely. First and foremost, it helped me realize that I wanted to be a part of the public health field and that I wanted to work directly with people. Having the privilege of working in a hands-on research lab where I was able to go out and collect data made me realize how much I enjoy being around people and interacting with them. With my schooling I received solid background knowledge in overall health including nutrition, physical activity, proper ways to teach physical activity, and sport injury management. Most importantly, throughout my four years of school I gained a deeper appreciation for service, only helping solidify my choice in this field. 

Why did you choose to do AmeriCorps?

I firmly believe in helping people and communities in need and providing them with outside resources. I am also very passionate about teaching people simple and practical ways to live healthy/healthier lives. I found that this program combines two things I am very passionate about and decided to apply. I also really enjoy working with people and the people I’ve come in contact with thus far have been amazing!

What are you doing as an AmeriCorps member?

My host site is J.C. Orozco Academy and I am the Elev8 Health Coordinator. As the title gives away I do a lot of coordinating for health services. I make sure we have a dental van visit the school monthly, assure students who need eye exams and glasses receive them, confirm that students are attending their appointments with the school doctor, etc. I taught (and am hoping to keep teaching) dance classes for adults, and led/help lead some afterschool programs such as the Running Club, Orozco Health Council, and HOP Sports. I also dabble in some of The Resurrection Project’s work and am assisting with their summer Peace Initiative and B-Ball on the Block.  

What are your plans after AmeriCorps, and how does your year of service apply to your future plans?

In the Fall I will be attending Boston University for my MPH with concentrations in International Health and Maternal and Child Health.

Favorite part of CHC?

The amazing people and being back in Pilsen!

Deep Thoughts from the Chicago Health Corps: If you had guests in from out of town what would you show them?

First we would have to go for a bike ride on the lakefront, followed by some sort of food tour (sooooo much good food to eat here!), and finally check out a free concert or street fest. Gotta love summer in Chicago!

CHC Service Day: Ujima Community Garden

Chicago Health Corps serving at the Ujima Community Garden in West Humboldt Park.

Ujima is a Swahili word. It means neighborhood cooperation, collective work and responsibility. That is a pretty accurate description of what is happening at the Ujima Community Garden in Chicago's West Humboldt Park neighborhood. After a good rain on May 31st, Chicago Health Corps members woke up June 1st to a gray morning and met up at this neighborhood garden. Lucky for us it didn't rain on us while we helped beautify the raised beds and pathways. And the previous day's rain made it so much easier to pull up persistent weeds. It was a great time and we were so grateful to the kind caretakers of the garden who surprised us with hot cocoa, coffee, and then, around lunch time, freshly grilled hot dogs! The hospitality was totally unexpected and so appreciated. It was easy to fall in love with the Ujima Garden and to feel like welcome friends in the community surrounding it.

Note: Don't miss the video at the end of this post!

Games in the garden. Sana and Jessica made an instant best friend.

Carly making the rows of veggies happy and healthy.

Taking out some pesky weeds in a near-empty bed.




Looks like a teaching moment, if I ever saw one.



Hot dogs AND hot chocolate?! We're happy girls.

Here it is. James on break at Ujima Community Garden. Showing off a little shovel trick he's been working on. Also keep an eye on the CHCers in the background. Classic.

Meet the Members: Becca

Name: Rebecca Maddrell
Hometown: La Grange, IL

College attended:
DePauw University
Double Major: Biochemistry and Spanish

Fun fact:
I qualified for the Boston Marathon

Did your past work/school experience apply to your year of service?
I have always had an interest in public health, although my university did not have a public health program. While at DePauw, I helped reform the Timmy Foundation chapter at my university. The Timmy Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on global health initiatives specifically in Latin America. After working with this organization I realized that I wanted to learn more about the public health system in America

Why did you choose to do AmeriCorps?
I chose AmeriCorps because I have always had a passion for community service. Before I continue down my medical career path, AmeriCorps has given me the opportunity to give back and fulfill my passion in community service and health care.

What are you doing as an AmeriCorps member?
As an AmeriCorps member I am serving at Erie Family Health Center. Erie is a federally funded health clinic that has the mission of providing accessible, affordable, and high quality health care for those in need. I do a variety of things like implement nutrition and fitness management programs, lead after school programs, manage Erie's Reach out and Read program. and teach teen pregnancy prevention classes in Chicago Public School system.

What are your plans after AmeriCorps, and how does your year of service apply to your future
plans?
My plans after AmeriCorps are to attend Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. My year of service will apply to my future plans because serving at a community health clinic has taught me a lot about public health. It has allowed me to work beside doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, health educators, and administration and taught me all sides of health care which will help me better serve my patients.

Favorite part of CHC so far?
My favorite part of the Chicago Health Corps so far has been meeting other members of the corps who have the same passion for healthcare and service that I do.

Deep Thoughts from the Chicago Health Corps: If you had a year off with pay, what would you do?
I would travel the world and immerse myself in every country's culture.  I would also spend some quality time with my friends and family!

The Tilden Cancer Screening Project with Neerja

post written by CHC member, Neerja J.

A few weeks ago, I met with the Teen Outreach Program Facilitator for a homeroom class at Tilden Career Community Academy in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood.  Her class needed to do a service project to fulfill part of their graduation requirements, and they voted to do their project on cancer screenings in their community.  Since I was serving with the American Cancer Society, the Facilitator asked for my help in creating resource guides on free and low-cost cancer screenings available in the Back of the Yards, Bridgeport, Chinatown, and Englewood neighborhoods (where most of the students lived). 

I spent the next few weeks researching health clinics in these neighborhoods, as well as their billing systems and the types of medical services they offered.  I also plotted out bus routes between the neighborhoods and the clinics to make sure that the latter were easily accessible and would not require residents to stray too far outside of their own neighborhoods.  Finally, I also found educational materials on cancer screenings, and conversation models to help the students talk to their parents about the importance of screenings. 

I put all of the clinical information into the resource guides, and also created a presentation for the students on different types of cancer screenings, their importance, and where they could be done within their own communities.  Despite some technical difficulties, I had the chance to present that information to two classes at Tilden on May 10^th and 11^th.  I was impressed with how much the students already knew about cancer and screening methods, and I loved having the chance to answer the questions that they did have.  All in all, I enjoyed having the chance to interact with students and to serve outside of a hospital setting (I can’t even begin to describe what a change of pace it was from Stroger!)