My name is Laina Carnes. I joined NHC and the AmeriCorps program around September of 2024. I am a newly graduated Public Health student from Sac state (stingers up!) and was looking for some community health experience to apply my learned knowledge into the real-life public health arena. My Host site was determined to be  Ampla health, a nonprofit FQHC with locations distributed across Sutter, Yuba, Butte, Glenn, and Tehama County. Ampla Health has been an insightful experience thus far into my service term. As my position as a Ryan White Care Coordinator, I get to help people living with HIV/AIDs have access to resources, medical/non-medical services, and other means of care so that they can sustain a higher standard of living, regarding their health and well-being. Usually, I work indirectly with the community, but other times Ampla health offers me opportunities to shadow employees or participate in outreach events.  

For example, last month, we were invited to help set up and orchestrate the Ampla health booth at the Veterans Stand down event in Orland. This event was hosted by Glenn County to honor veterans and give back to those who have served the country. As stated in the Glenn County press release, “Glenn County Departments, local community partners, and veterans' services agencies will come together to provide a service event for veterans and their families. Veterans can receive haircuts, mental health services, housing assistance, medical screenings, employment services, military gear, benefits help, legal services, food assistance, free lunch, and much more!” (Glenn county, 2024). This event allows veterans to ‘stand down’ from their focus on serving others and allows them to shift the attention to their own health and wellness. Ampla Health was a proud vendor at this event, hosting two tables (with a medical bus). At our designated area, we were offering HIV and Hep-C finger prick testing, as well as A1C and blood pressure readings, to anyone interested. Alongside these diagnostic tests, we also offered veterans resource flyers, clinic information brochures, and health education pamphlets so that they had access to care and services for health management. The Veterans stand down was an inspiring event, lifting those who have served, providing them with hope and guidance, and giving them the well-deserved support from other fellow community members/vendors who volunteered in solidarity. It was an amazing opportunity for me to participate through Ampla’s guidance, not only because it allowed me to give back but also because it gave me a brief encounter with the elements of efficient introductory health care and health communication. Below are some pictures of our set up where we set up to greet and offer services to individuals participating in the event: 

Moving onward in my service with NHC and alongside Ampla health, I look forward to engaging in more outreach events and opportunities to grow in public health, health education, and health communication. I know that this is just scratching the surface of answering community needs and improving population health. I am excited to learn more tools and skills to become better equipped in serving communities and making a difference in the identified areas of need.