AmeriCorps – The Second Time Around

 

Post written by CHC member Maggie Sugrue

Maggie serves at the ErRespiratory Health Association as a Lung Educator

 

In honor of National AmeriCorps week, I spent some time reflecting on what service has meant to me. Chicago Health Corps is not my first experience with service- last year I served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest in Juneau, Alaska. Both of these experiences were transformative for me in many different ways.

Maggie with her 6 housemates in Juneau, Alaska. (April, 2012)

Last year, I was able to impact a community much different than one I had ever experienced before. I learned a lot not only professionally, but personally as well. Living in Alaska thousands of miles from home, adapting to a new culture, and living in a house with other volunteers made me much stronger in my convictions and cultivated my sense of self. JVC NW is based on living out four core values. Two of these values, community and simple living, I found both the most challenging and most rewarding.  When living in an intentional community with 6 other volunteers, each person’s opinion is taken into account for every decision made, ranging from something as small as which type of milk to buy to as large as where to live. This shared living experience combined with the lack of modern conveniences, such as TV and internet, provided me with many opportunities for growth. I learned the art of compromise, when to stick up for my beliefs, when to step up and take a leadership role, and what truly matters in life.



Joining Chicago Health Corps brought me back home, where I am able to apply what I learned during my service in Alaska, and continue to build on it here in my own community. Serving in the city I grew up in is an honor, and making a difference in a place I call home is something I have always wanted to do. I serve as a Lung Health Educator at Respiratory Health Association, a non-profit that promotes healthy lungs and fights lung disease through research, advocacy and education. This experience, has given me the opportunity to refine my leadership skills, build connections, and most importantly, learn more from those I serve than they may even learn from me. Service has been a once, ok twice, in a lifetime opportunity that will shape the path my life will take. It has solidified my passion for both public health and public service, and I cannot imagine where I would be without it.



Respiratory Health Associations COPD Team at the

 2012 Living Better Together COPD Conference

(Photo Courtesy of Sooz Main)

MEET OUR MEMBERS: Dahsan Gary

Meet Dahsan...

Our token "cool dude" serving at Respiratory Health Association as an Asthma Educator

#howtotrainyourdragon ... LOL

Is your home safe from Radon gas? Test it today!

Post Written by CHC member Maggie Sugrue 

Maggie serves at Respiratory Health Association as a Lung Educator

When individuals are asked about what causes Lung Cancer, common answers often include smoking and second hand smoke. While those are leading causes, rarely, radon, the second leading cause of lung cancer, is ever given as an answer. Most people have never heard of radon gas. That is one of the reasons I serve as a Lung Health Educator at Respiratory Health Association. I educate communities on the harmful effects of radon and promote the importance of testing their homes for this radioactive gas.

Radon is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas that is released by the decay of uranium, a naturally-occurring rock in our soil. When radon is released, it can seep through cracks in the foundation of our homes. Many homes have small levels of radon; however, any amount higher than 4pCi/L, a unit of radioactivity, is considered unsafe and requires action. It is important to test the radon level to know if your home is safe. Seasonal changes, renovation, and other factors make testing your home for radon every few years, if not more frequently, recommended.  This can be done by purchasing a radon test kit online or at a local hardware store. These kits are easy to use and inexpensive.

If your home does test in the unsafe range, it is possible to have the home professionally mitigated to bring the radon down to a safe level. Mitigation usually involves the installation of a vent pipe system and fan, which pulls radon from beneath the house and vents it outside of your home. For more information on radon, testing, and mitigation, visit http://www.lungchicago.org/radon/

How Does Asthma Make You Feel?

Post written by Thu Nguyen

Thu serves at Respiratory Health Association
as an Asthma Educator

“Scared.”       “Worried.”      “Like I can’t do anything.”

Leading a FAN class at a CPS school

Those are the most common responses I hear when I ask students about how having asthma makes them feel. It’s quite heartbreaking for me.  A child shouldn’t have to constantly worry about their chronic condition or feel incapable of doing things other children can do. While I have read so many research articles and facts about the dangers and importance of managing asthma, the students’ responses give me a tangible reason why I am spending a year serving as a Chicago Health Corps member.

As an asthma educator for Respiratory Health Association, I travel throughout the Chicagoland area to teach asthma education to students and adults. However, the best part of my day is coming to a school and teaching our Fight Asthma Now (FAN) class to asthmatic students.  In the FAN curriculum, we teach students about asthma warning signs, the respiratory system, asthma triggers, and proper medication administration. We stress the importance of carrying an inhaler at all times and using a spacer, a chamber that is added on to the inhaler to ease the delivery of the medication, whenever possible.

Student remembering her inhaler and spacer at school!

As I was leaving a school last week, a student chased after me to show me that she’s carrying her inhaler AND spacer at school. It overwhelms me with joy when students apply what I’ve taught them in FAN class. Our students walk out of FAN class feeling more comfortable and confident about managing their asthma, and I hope to continue accomplishing this goal throughout the year.

Learn more about asthma: http://www.lungchicago.org/asthma/

Female Condoms Included in HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign





Post written by CHC member Marissa Baranowski

Marissa serves at Respiratory Health Association as an Asthma Educator






Heeey Ladies!!
CHC member Sydney Weydemeyer & HCC
 member Caitlin Donato handing out condom
kits at the Brown Line Kimbal stop.



Bright and early on November 30th, the Chicago Health Corps and our sister AmeriCorps program, Healthy Community Corps, were out in full force commemorating World AIDS Day!  As part of the larger Chicago Community Condom Project sponsored by the Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago Health Corps members gave out free safe sex kits at ‘L’ stops throughout the city. These safe sex kits included both male and female condoms.  In total, 100,000 free condoms were distributed! 

Now you might be asking yourself, what exactly is a female condom? 

Just like the male condom, it is a barrier method of birth control.  Female condoms are made of nitrile, making them a fantastic option for those with latex allergies, and are shaped like an open-ended tube.  Using them is a great way to prevent unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), like HIV.  In fact, the female condom may be preferable to reduce the transmission of STIs spread by skin-to-skin contact, such as herpes or genital warts, as it can cover more surface area than the male condom. Above all, they give the receptive partner choice and control!


Female Condoms stay in place using
a removable inner ring and attached
outer ring.



Chicago Health Corps loved partnering with the Chicago Department of Public Health to commemorate World AIDS Day and help spread awareness!  To learn more about female condoms or get involved with the Chicago Community Condom Project, visit:

Chicago Female Condom Campaign Site

Chicago Community Condom Project Site

Truck Farm Chicago Passes Out 2,000 Tomatoes During Second Season

Post written by CHC member Sydney Weydemeyer:

As a successful second season comes to a close, Truck Farm Chicago has passed out a lot of tomatoes! At almost every Truck Farm Chicago visit, truck farmers pass out freshly-picked tomatoes for people to taste.  After visiting more than 2,600 people at 60 sites over the 7 month season, that is over 2000 tomatoes! Quite a feat considering Truck Farm is a project directed and run just by one Chicago Health Corps AmeriCorps member, Sydney Weydemeyer and one Farmer Tim, with the help of a few wonderful volunteers and interns.

Truck Farm Chicago is a non-profit project of Seven Generations Ahead and Green Sugar Press. A mini farm planted in the bed of pickup truck named Petunia, Truck Farm engages both youth and adults in conversations about food and health. Truck Farm visits schools, libraries, park districts, businesses, community organizations and festivals teaching people about eating healthy, growing their own healthy food, and getting outside and staying active!

Kids trying tomatoes.

Farmer Tim at The Children's School in Oak Park discussing seed saving.

Combining numbers from the first and second seasons, Truck Farm Chicago has visited over 5,300 people in the Chicagoland area! Petunia's been all over the city, from Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse in Irving Park and Centers for New Horizons in Bronzeville, to Energy BBDO, Gary Comer Youth Center, Respiratory Health Association, the Kids Table, and countless Chicago schools. Truck Farm is small, but mighty!

For more information, or how you can bring Truck Farm to your school next season, visit www.truckfarmchicago.org.

Farmer Sydney, Chicago Health Corps member, sporting her AmeriCorps gear while leading a visit at Lloyd Elementary.

The kids at Centers for New Horizons give a big goofy thanks to our funder friends at Ernst & Young!

A girl laughs at a funny vegetable joke by Farmer Tim (one of the few laughs we got during the season for our veggie jokes)