What's in a Number?

Thirty-three thousand, eight hundred and seventy-three. That is the number of impressions the members of the 2014-2015 North Florida Health Corps have made on the people of Jacksonville, Florida in a mere eight months. This tally of individual services our members have provided include health education, case management, health screenings, nutrition- and fitness-related activities, and access to care. This number is a measure of the tangible services we have provided to Jacksonville residents throughout our service terms, but it does not come close to truly representing the impact we have made.

I appreciate the power of this number, especially after serving a year in the public health field. Not only does it demonstrate the need for the NFHC program in Jacksonville, but it also serves as a partial representation of the need for the National Health Corps as a whole. This number represents the number of services that would not be provided, and the needs that would go unmet were it not for the National Health Corps. It serves as proof that our organization serves a tangible purpose, and as a nonprofit, the NFHC needs this proof to procure support, both financial and otherwise.

This number, however, does not capture so much of what we do. It does not convey the huge sums of money being saved every time we help families become insured or help them understand the need for a primary care provider rather than going to the emergency room for non-emergencies. It does not reveal all the children whose lives will be improved because we provided their at-risk mothers health education and referral services before they were even born. It does not relate the pounds we have helped people lose, or the years we have helped them gain. It does not capture the effects of the knowledge we have imparted, or the stability we have helped foster. These results are immeasurable, but they give our service true value. So while our performance measures are impressive and important to note, their value should not be considered without the anecdotal understanding of what they truly represent.

This blog post was written by NFHC member Samantha Tyler.

Sammi Serves at THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health at Wolfson's Children Hospital as the Community Health Educator.