Going Beyond Medicine

During Pre-Service Orientation, every member’s unique skill sets played a beneficial role. In each activity, from developing an interactive handbook presentation, to using M&Ms to build a house, to figuring out how to jump through a rotating jump rope together, every member brought forth his or her own style of thinking. Despite our many personalities, a commonality we share is the desire to serve. During our many group discussions, I found that every member had a desire to make a beneficial impact in the lives of the patients and the staff at their respective host sites. I believe this “esprit de corps” within our group, the desire to make an impact, will be a great influence on my success in serving my patients.

An important factor I find in the public health field is the different preventative measures professionals take to educate the community on taking care of their health. It’s the idea that individuals can take control of their health before they develop chronic diseases that can lead to them being pinned to multiple hospital visits and medications. I find that educating patients and giving them the resources to live a healthy life is one of the most powerful things that can be given to people in our communities. In my health center, Strawberry Mansion, we have a large staff of professionals with multiple specialities  that play a role in different aspects of the patients’ care. I depend on physicians, nurses, clerical staff, the Health Benefit Counselor, and the Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Program Director to aid in my role as the Patient Advocate in the Prescription Assistance Program (PAP). When patients need resources that are outside of the scope of my job, I always seek the guidance of the staff. By doing this, the patient receives a range of care beyond just receiving their medication. On a typical day, an uninsured patient can be seen by a physician, then referred to me to gain access to PAP, and also referred to the Health Benefits Counselor for guidance to applying for health insurance. If, say, a patient has issues getting to the health center, we have social workers who can aid with transportation. The different skill set each staff member possesses is what ultimately aids in the patients' overall wellbeing.

The willingness to go beyond our duties by seeking the help of other staff on behalf of the the patients stemmed from the esprit de corps developed during our Pre-Service Orientation activities. We were able to complete each team building activity only by seeking the guidance of each other and using our different skills in the most effective way. Another way the esprit de corps among the members can help me successfully serve my patients is by valuing the respect with which we treat each other. We all respect each other's roles, voices and ideas when we participate in activities and training. At times when we failed to achieve a task, the respect we have for each other helped us regroup and listen to new ideas put forth to find an alternative method or approach.

_{The M&M house our group created after given the instructions to build a house using fun size bags of M&Ms in a few seconds. We had a quick discussion about what we each wanted to do and then we ripped open the candy wrappers and went for it. We each worked on different parts of the house and used other materials on the table such as the clay, pipe cleaners, slinkies and clay containers to make this masterpiece. Collaboration and use of everybody’s skill set was key in this project. A similar concept is applied when caring for patients.}

This mentality of mutual respect is also something I take away with me during interactions with my patients. I take the time to listen to their opinions and the stressors that affect their eligibility for PAP. I've found that just sitting down and listening to what a patient has to say, such as the effect a new job has on the patient's adherence to his or her medication, or how the patient’s personal obligations are affecting his or her capability of picking up medication, allows me to assist my patients more effectively. It’s all about respecting my patients’ stance on PAP and keeping in mind that everybody has different backgrounds that results in the ranging perspectives of PAP. When my patients see that I’m listening and respecting their opinions, it makes them feel more comfortable to ask me questions and express any issues they may have with the program. Ultimately, this increases the chances of patients remaining in the program, continuing their medication, and staying healthy.

Our group’s esprit de corps has already began to influence my success in serving my patients. The impact I have in my health center goes beyond my role as the Patient Advocate. It’s about working with the staff and respecting my patients’ voices. I walk away knowing that I’m making one of many impacts this service term personally and with my fellow AmeriCorps members.
 

This blog post was written by NHC Philadelphia member Natasha Simon.
Natasha serves as a Patient Advocate at Philadelphia Department of Public Health-AHS: Strawberry Mansion Health Center.