Nicole Desai: See how she's impacting patients at her host site and see what she's learning through her service year!

Was there a specific event/experience at your site that allowed you to directly and positively impact a patient's life through your service?
Although the Birmingham Clinic is able to provide a multitude of services for our patients, we are still limited to a certain extent.  For example, we had a hypertensive patient referred to our cardiology clinic and through a routine work up they discovered that he needed cardiothoracic surgery quite urgently.  However, the physicians were unable to move forward since he was uninsured.  I worked aptly to help him apply for Emergency Medical Assistance (EMA) and made efforts to contact the Department of Welfare office to ensure that his application was expedited.  Fortunately, approximately a week after the submission, he was granted EMA.  With his insurance, we were able to help him receive cardiothoracic surgery and ultimately save his life.
 

Was there a challenging moment at your site that you had to overcome? How'd you overcome it and what did you learn from it?
One of the first patients, who I health coached, was a patient who was diagnosed with diabetes at the Birmingham Clinic.  At the time, he was living in transitional housing but was on the verge of completing the program. I worked at great lengths with him to get his blood sugar under control and we were able to successfully do so through lifestyle changes.  However, after he had completed the program at the transitional housing, we were unable to get in contact with him since the number he provided with us was no longer in service.  I think the most challenging aspect of this situation was that he was making positive strides in taking control of his diabetes before he became "lost to care."  I consider this an important experience in my AmeriCorps year in that it showed me that, to an extent, you cannot help all those who you want to and that learning to step back is just as important as taking the initiative in the first place.
 

What advice would you give to future PHC members?
I think the most important piece of advice I can offer to future PHC members is to make sure you take the time to get to know your fellow PHC members.  Each member will have something to offer, whether it is something that will help you grow as a person or perhaps a set of skills that you can utilize to help your own host site.
 

Was there something you learned about public health and its importance while serving in the public health realm?
Spending my time serving in a free clinic has reiterated the importance of health education to me.  More specifically, health education that is comprehensive yet easy to follow for people of all literacy levels.  From first-hand experience, I have witnessed the positive difference it makes when patients are informed and educated on the repercussions of what happens if they do not take an active role in their own health.  With the rising epidemic in diabetes, I believe providing health education is something that is a feasible option that can work for a multitude of patients regardless of their background.