Autumn Nor'easter and Waterbury Outreach

Last week was the third natural disaster I never expected to experience while in CT. After an earthquake and a hurricane... I expected some winter storms. But one that knocked out our power for three days? No! I'm sure many of you heard about it on the news. But it was really a surprise! Thursday I heard 3/4".... suddenly, Friday we were hearing 6-12"! We heard that we could expect massive power outages due to heavy branches and wet snow. We went to the Home Depot for shovels and to the public library for books Saturday morning, but to be honest, we weren't too worried. We lost cable Saturday evening, which we expected, but went to bed with power. Around midnight, we lost it. My roommate from California and I made her first snowman, and we anxiously waited for power to return... and waited... and waited. It was chaos. Only 6% of the people in our town had power. People were waiting an hour in line to get gas because so many stations were without power. The cashiers at the grocery store were wearing bulky winter coats as they sold non-perishables and batteries. On Sunday we hardly had reception because so many cell phone towers were down. We all sat with our candles and flashlights, reading in the dark and laughing about our situation. We took showers at a fitness center nearby with power. Although Middletown only had a few power lines down, driving in a nearby city was scary. There were trees and power lines down everywhere. I was thankful I never had a reason to drive at night. Our apartment was down to 50 degrees, and we made plans to sleep somewhere else Tuesday night. Thankfully... power was restored to our apartment on Tuesday evening. (Probably one of the few times I was glad to live near the business district.) Unfortunately, one of the AmeriCorps was blocked into their driveway for days because of powers lines and a downed tree. A few other members went until this past weekend without power as well, and one member went 10 days without power. One of the good things to come out of this is that many community members (myself included) reflected on how there are people who struggle daily with finding hot meals, hot showers, and a warm place to sleep.

The health center will be opening a new site in Waterbury this month, and as AmeriCorps members, we've been asked to go door to door to alert the community. Because the health center aims to serve underserved populations of people, we primarily went to low income neighborhoods. We were in groups of four or five with an Access to Care worker (someone who works for the health center to help enroll uninsured people in state health insurance). The homes were large, beautiful Victorian style homes, but it was a huge eye opener, as half of the homes in the neighborhoods were boarded up, many with profanity spray painted on the boards. We saw condemned notes for reasons like raw sewage, and many homes had suffered through a fire, with burnt furniture strewn onto the yard. Maybe I've been watching too much Law & Order... but I was just waiting to trip on a line and see a house burst into flames. While it was a bit intimidating, we had many positive interactions with people. One man I spoke to put his hands up in the air and yelled "Woohoo!" at least three times in our conversation, as I described that the health center would accept his insurance. Another time, this little old lady was yelling at me from down the street, 'Hey! Hey! What are you doing here?' When I went over to speak to her, she was very sweet, and seemed to be the type of person who had lived in the neighborhood before it became abandoned. Overall, I feel that the community health center will make a positive difference in the community.

Peaceful Playgrounds

In the past month, there have been two events that really stick out in my mind involving children. The first event is peaceful playgrounds, a program that gives paint and stencils to schools located in impoverished areas. As AmeriCorps members, we decided to take part in painting some elementary school playgrounds. We arrived at the school to find spray paint and typical stencils: foursquare, hopscotch, and a map of the United States. We then proceeded to paint encouraging words such as: jump, bounce, fly, explore, and zoom! As we finished cleaning up at the end of the day, the principal came over to chat and learn more about AmeriCorps and our year of service here in CT. Upon chatting with her, we soon learned that because they were the hosts of an annual spelling bee, their auditorium underwent a $40,000 renovation. This was against their will, as $40,000 could be used as a salary for two aides at this largely underfunded school. The mural, however, was unbelievably breathtaking. As we stepped into the auditorium, we were all in shock and awe. Surrounding us were many familiar faces: Winnie the Pooh, Harry Potter, Madeleine, the Wizard of Oz characters, Cinderella, the Cheshire Cat, Peter Rabbit, Mother Goose, and on and on. Every time I turned my head there was a new character that I didn’t see before.  Although the mural was spectacular, and they were putting it to good use, the school was clearly in need. The principal was actually moving to a new school that week, and was heartbroken about her decision. The school in New Britain, where she is leaving, has near 700 students, and only 60 staff members (where as the new school has 110 staff members for 450 students). Because their test scores are below national average, the school is losing funding. She is without an assistant principal, and in the past week alone had to restrain two children and call family protective services three times. The rate of childhood obesity and incarceration rates for families in their area is well above average. Many of the children also suffer from behavioral health disorders. Despite all the barriers, she has done wonderful things for the school. They now have a bank that comes to the school regularly, and have many college pendants hanging all over the school to encourage them to think of college. She has many awards and recognition events occurring in the school to encourage good behavior and things like attendance. They also have a ‘Where in the World is Smitty?’ event, where Smitty, their owl mascot, travels the globe, teaching them about new countries. They currently have a school based health center in their school, which allows them to have a nurse practitioner, medical assistant, and social worker on site, and they also have Recess Rocks! a program aiming to end childhood obesity, coming to their school. (It makes me proud to say that these programs are both programs through the health center that I work at). In her 7 years at the school, it seems she has overcome many barriers, and that the children are losing a fabulous principal.

The other event happened when I was doing outreach with Roberto (another AmeriCorps member) at a homeless shelter in the evening. There were children there, and as we were giving them stickers, they were eager to interact with us. One of the comments of the children caught me off guard, he said 'It's embarrassing to be here'. We acknowledged what he was saying, and he commented again that he did not want people to know that his family was at the shelter. Roberto and I made our best attempt to encourage them, and point out all the wonderful things that they had available to them at the shelter. Eventually, we got them to show us their dance moves they had created to a Veggie Tales song. Although we left the shelter knowing the kids felt better about their situation, I can't even imagine living at a shelter. As a kid, you look forward to bringing your friends over to visit or having your own room, even having your own toys. It's sad to know that many of these kids come in with nothing, and that they may leave with hardly much more. Emergency shelters are often 60 day stays, and there are limited resources for safe, affordable housing. I can only hope that these children are able to recognize the importance of family, and grow up able to live in a stable environment.

I know I haven't been writing frequently, and part of this is due to Winter Storm Alfred. I'll write a bit about this experience later this week!


 

Food stamps and Boston

I have so many experiences where I think- 'I have to blog about this!'. Unfortunately, all of these incredible experiences make me awfully busy. I will try my best to keep everything short and sweet.

As you know, I'm working with people who are homeless or near homeless. They frequently qualify for benefits such as food stamps and state insurance. Although I am not the one who gives out these benefits, I am trained along with other staff members at the health center to determine if the person will be eligible. However, as an AmeriCorps member I see the other side because as AmeriCorps members, we also qualify for food stamps. This process has been absolutely awful! One does not recognize how absolutely frustrating the situation can be until they are forced to be in it. So, because the Dept. of Social Services here in Middletown (where I live), is only open for walk-ins from 8am-11am, I had to mail in my application. Two weeks later, I get a call from my case worker. He talks extremely fast, and I can hardly keep up with what he is saying (I can't imagine how a non-native English speaker feels!). Then, he proceeds to tell me that he needs a signed form from my roommates saying that we all buy and eat food separately (which neither of my roommates had to have signed) and that he needs a note from my previous employer in St. Paul, MN! saying that I no longer work there! So, I scramble up this information and mail it in to him as soon as possible. Finally, 1 month after I mailed in my application, and two weeks after my roommates have their cards, my card finally arrives in the mail! But no sooner do I receive my card, and call to set up my pin number, that I learn that they entered my social security number wrong! Luckily, I am able to go in to work late the following day. So, I go in to the office, wait in line for an hour, and finally, finally, get things straightened out. 

As I am not supporting a family, and I understand how many hundreds of cases the case worker deals with each month, I tried to patiently wait. However, I can only imagine the absolute frustrations of the people who apply for benefits and the lengthy, frustrating process. Another thing that I feel a bit weary about is what I buy with my food stamps. Today, you don't actually use food 'stamps' to buy food, we have a debit card that looks like any other credit card. I do consider myself to be an extremely healthy eater; most of the food I purchase is WIC approved. However, I still can't help but wonder if the person behind me is judging that I'm purchasing spices or organic tomatoes in the same manner that I used to judge others. I have been thoughtfully appreciating this new pair of 'shoes' that I've been wearing as an AmeriCorps member. 

On a more pleasant note, my weekend was spent with four other AmeriCorps members in Boston. We were lucky and able to travel with a light budget for many reasons. Saturday morning we rose at 5am to travel two hours away (gas compliments of the health center) to Boston where we performed a Recess Rocks dance at a Stevesongs concert. Mr. Steve is a children's musician from PBS who wrote a song for the health center's program. It was a hilarious and fun morning with the kids as we encouraged them to get up out of their seats and dance along in the aisles with us. From there we drove the 5 minutes into Boston where we parked and walked around the city. It was a beautiful, warm fall afternoon and we were able to walk through the Public Garden, the Commons, Newbury Street, and more. At night we drove 40 minutes to Nicole's (an AmeriCorps member) parents house. I was thankful to enjoy an actual box spring and mattress for the first time in 2 months (I have been getting used to sleeping on a futon). In the morning we traveled to Salem, MA where we spent a few hours walking around and through museums. I was a bit surprised that the town was more so about Halloween than the history of the witch trials, but it was educational and entertaining, and I'm glad to be able to say I went there.

My job at the health center has also been going well. The AmeriCorps members and I have been busy outside of our regular programs organizing service projects. One of the projects we did recently was the food drive, where we raised over 375 lbs of food! The picture is of Nicole and some of the food at the food pantry. One of our next exciting projects will take place at an elementary school where we'll be painting murals on the playground. My supervisor and co-workers are amazing, and I have been learning the ropes of outreach. I will be sure to write soon about some of the unique, heartbreaking and heartwarming experiences I have had so far!

Complex Situations and Beach Clean-up

International Coastal Clean-up

My service year has been wonderful so far. I am getting very involved with the health center outside of WYA and I am very much so looking forward to the year ahead. My last few weeks in WYA have primarily consisted of me shadowing the mobile medical team. One of the shocks has been the number of children we see at the shelters. I knew coming into the year that the stereotyped homeless person (a middle aged man wearing layers of clothing pushing a shopping cart) was just that, a stereotype. However, it is still shocking and troubling to see the many children who pour into the shelter after school is over, and the many young infants who spend their days at the shelter or the library. We see all types of patients with many different problems. Speaking to the team (we have either a nurse practitioner or a physician, and a pharmacist, a registered nurse, and an access to care worker), I have learned that they often deal with complex and troubling cases. Patients could come in with a serious skin infection requiring immediate attention, but we learn that they've checked themselves out of the hospital against medical advice and that they're probably worried about other important things like where they will sleep for the night and what they're going to eat tomorrow. The team also makes sure to inquire about other health problems the patient has. For example, a patient could also come in with a sore throat, and we learn that they are no longer taking psychotropic medications because they've run out and that they have also had a seizure last week. The team is also really great about checking for generic versions of drugs that are available for cheap (i.e.$3 for a month supply). It can be a bit overwhelming to see individuals and families come to the health clinic in need of much more than health care. Fortunately, I have been able to attend monthly area service provider meetings in the cities where we have shelters. These meetings are awesome! It is a group of individuals from different organizations that provide basic or essential services to those in need. I've been able to discover the variety of services available (food pantries, shelters, community centers, HIV testing, free classes on completing GED, learning English, working on resumes, etc) and now have the ability to connect people I meet through WYA with these community resources.

Within the health center I have been actively involved with other AmeriCorps members in their areas. I’ve gone with Brianna (one of my roommates) to an elementary back to school night to promote our school based health centers. I also had the opportunity to go to a beautiful breast cancer ballet performance to promote the health centers free early detection program, which offers one free mammogram, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer screening per year to those without insurance (or with high deductibles). In the future, I’ll hopefully be helping out with the family wellness center or with the Recess Rocks program. 

The AmeriCorps members have also been enthusiastic about planning group community service projects outside of our regular assignments. We have one planned for nearly every weekend, and we’ve already started a food drive. We also did a beach clean-up. There we found many interesting trash items: a shoe, a toothbrush, a pacifier, 2 rugs, a rusted pipe, a fence, and a tire, and more. The picture I posted is of our team of AmeriCorps members in front of all of the wood everyone gathered. Our team of 5 picked up over 50 lbs. of garbage!

Besides AmeriCorps projects and the health center, I’ve also been enjoying many fun activities with my roommates in CT. We’ve gone to the coast and the apple orchard, as well as hiking and exploring New Haven and Hartford. We have trips to Boston and NY planned as they are both within 2 hours (Salem, MA, too!). Hopefully this beautiful fall weather we're having will stick around a bit longer. I'm looking forward to the month ahead and I'm sure I'll have much to post about soon!

WYA and VA Stand Down

Hello everyone!

I decided to start my blog up again as I spend 10 months in Connecticut working for a community health clinic. I've joined the AmeriCorps, a government-funded service program, and specifically, the Community HealthCorps (which is governed by the National Association of Community Health Centers). Basically, I'm an outreach specialist for the health care for homeless program of the health center (Wherever You Are - WYA). The WYA program is mobile and goes around to 4 cities throughout CT (soon to be 5!) and 7 different sites to provide medical and behavioral health care to people who are or nearly are homeless. I'll primarily be working in homeless shelters and food pantries promoting the medical/behavioral health team and other available services. I'll also be doing some case management. The health center even has a mobile dental clinic and substance abuse counselor for WYA patients. One very important fact I have yet to mention is that all mobile WYA services are FREE! However, there is a limit to mobile services. The health center does have a sliding fee scale system in place, although I still have to learn how WYA patients are billed when they go into the clinic.

So far my orientation has been incredible and most of the health center workers are amazing. My supervisor is a very compassionate person who has a lot of concern, energy, and motivation to ensure that her program is the best it can be. The first week of orientation we had a luncheon with all of the members and head staff such as the CEO, VP, and CMO. The leaders are very involved in community service, especially with the AmeriCorps members. The health center itself is also very data oriented and focused on providing quality, top-notch services to their patients (i.e. they have a mobile camera to screen for Diabetic Retinopathy (an eye problem that can lead to blindness).

The health center is not only providing a plethora of services to the community from their clinics and mobile programs (besides behavioral health, medical, and dental programs, there are school based health centers, family wellness centers, a Recess Rocks program, and they have their own dance studio called Vinnie's Jump n Jive!), but they are also participating in community run events. Today many workers from the clinics were at a VA in CT serving at the VA Stand Down. The VA Stand Down is one day where homeless veterans from all over the state are bussed in to receive all kinds of free services. They can get hair cuts, supplies (deodorant, toothpaste, etc), food (breakfast, lunch, and even boxes of girl scout cookies), immunizations, screenings (for things like oral cancer and respiratory disease), and dental care! The health center provided the dental care through their mobile dental clinic. We served about 90 patients, who not only received free cleanings but also free services such as crown repair. It was an honor to be able to help with such an important event.

The next few weeks should be both rewarding and challenging as I continue to orientate into my position. I'm sure I'll have much more to share in the next few weeks!

Tasha