Newsletter, Issue 6

April 2013

Community HealthCorps
at CCALAC

Celebrating AmeriCorps Week!

Each year approximately 80,000 Americans from all walks of life engage in national service programs. Through AmeriCorps, members serve to meet critical needs throughout the nation in education, public safety, health and the environment. AmeriCorps Week is a time to recognize the commitment of AmeriCorps members and alumni by highlighting the extraordinary impact AmeriCorps makes across our nation every day. CCALAC Community HealthCorps Navigators celebrated this week by reaching out to the community with a Beach

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AmeriCorps Week Pg.1 Navigator Spotlight Pg. 2

Overlooked Health Careers Pg.3 AmeriCorps Week Pg. 4

AmeriCorps Lifestyle Pg. 5 Calendar of Events Pg. 5

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Bethany Hamilton, Community HealthCorps Program Officer from NACHC visits Navigators at TCC.

April 2013

Navigator Liz Arias

Shares her experience at CHAP Care and aspirations for the future.
Elizabeth Arias is serving as Outreach Coordinator at CHAP Care What did you do before Community HealthCorps? Community HealthCorps to expand my experience in the public health setting working alongside the low-income population. My position as a navigator, allows me to use my knowledge on human behavior to improve health care. Whats a typical day like as outreach coordinator? As an outreach coordinator, I use multiple tactics to inform community members about the services provided by the health clinic. Two days out of the week, the outreach team goes out to the El Monte community and distributes patient recruitment materials. Distributing areas usually consists of grocery stores, flea markets, schools, libraries, etc. The remaining days of the week, I work on the clinics newsletter, building partnerships with local organizations, identifying other community settings to provide outreach presentations, and volunteer recruitment. What are your plans after Community HealthCorps? I am unsure of my plans after Community HealthCorps. I have applied to public health graduate school in San Diego; however, I would like to gain more public health experience in Los Angeles

Inaugural Community Impact Award

The Community Impact Award was launched in the 2012-13 program year as a way for Community HealthCorps to nationally recognize individuals, groups and organizations for their contributions of time money or expertise in a way that has provided tremendous benefit to the local program and community. Among the Community Impact Award honorees, who have demonstrated exemplary dedication to the Community HealthCorps program was CEO at one of our Community HealthCorps placement sites. Below is the press release Elisa A. Nicholas MD, MSPH CEO, The Children's Clinic Serving Children and Their Families The Children's Clinic currently hosts four Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC) Community HealthCorps Navigators. The Children's Clinic has gone above and beyond in their support of the program. During the recent MLK Day events, they agreed to co-host an event and advised on various activities including one where the CEO participated on a healthy eating panel. They have been generous in their support and leadership as CCALAC develops their new AmeriCorps program. They also are constant champions of the program and speak about the benefit of Navigators during various meetings and events

I lived in Boston, MA and had recently finished my graduate social work program. I began providing therapy to the lowincome Hispanic population of Boston once passing the licensing exam (L.C.S.W). Although my masters degree was macro focused, the high demand for Spanish speaking clinicians in Boston allowed me to work at the micro level of mental health. Why did you choose to do Community HealthCorps? I have always been intrigued with the components that compromised a persons well being. Growing up, I was mainly exposed to primary care, which lead me to study nursing during my undergraduate years. As I went further on in my studies, I began to realize that there were deeper layers that affected an individuals overall health status. My interest became prevention with a focus on human behavior. I received my masters degree in social work with a concentration in public health. Treatment adherence requires the understanding of individuals cultural values and belief systems, which I feel many primary health providers lack. I joined

Congratulations!

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Newsletter, Issue 6

April 2013

Overlooked Careers in Health Care

Written By: Stephany Rush
Working in community clinics, we interact with essential health care providers in various positions. We see the nurses, doctors, medical assistants, coordinators and health educators who are all vital to the well-being of our respective patient populations. However, working at a community clinic, I have come to understand the severity of injustices shoved on people who live in underserved areas. Not only do our patients need the health care providers inside the clinic to ensure they have the necessary tools to reach their full potential, but they also need community providers to guarantee they receive care outside of the clinic. Below are a few very important health careers that are often overlooked:
Public Health Inspectors investigate health safety situations in work spaces, restaurants, schools, and more. Also known as environmental health officers, they enforce laws related to environmental health and provide prevention strategies and education when needed. Minimum requirements include a bachelors degree and field training experience. Substance Abuse Counselors provide community outreach and assistance to those in crisis. Substance abuse counselors generally provide support for alcohol and drug dependent patients, but the scope of work could span many areas. Minimum requirements generally include a bachelors degree, 2-4 years experience, and certification in the state of practice. Personal Trainers help people get or stay in shape by providing personalized exercises and diets for each individuals lifestyle. Licensing and certification varies by state. Midwives/Doulahs provide care to pregnant woman and offer them an opportunity to give birth at home. They also help care for newborns and assist mothers with breastfeeding. Many midwives also provide reproductive health education and family planning services. Many nurse-midwives have a master's degree in nursing, public health, or midwifery. Certification varies by state. Nutritionists/Dietitians help ensure that individuals and families are eating well. Schools, non-profits, hospitals, spas, rehabilitation facilities and other organizations have nutritionists on staff. Certification varies by state. Physical Therapists help people who are ill or have been injured to improve their movement and manage their pain. Physical therapists communicate with other health care professionals to create a personalized patient plan. They typically work in hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. Minimum requirements generally include a doctoral degree in physical therapy and licensing in the state of practice.

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Appreciation Day and Community Career Readiness Day in East Los Angeles. Navigators also took some time to reflect on service thus far and re-energize their spirits to continue serving to ease health disparities. Edward Kim, Navigator at Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center lead the planning for the Beach Appreciation Day and shares his experience. When conducting a service activity, how do you measure success? Is it measured by the completion of all tasks and duties on your agenda? Or is it done by fulfilling objectives that can be included in your OnCorps reports? While all these methods are effective and in many cases necessary, the simplest indication of an activitys success can be determined by smiles. After the Sea Lab, the students and Community HealthCorps navigators took their activities to the beach. In order to warm up, the outdoor activity began with yoga instructed by Shana Meyerson of Mini Yogis Yoga For Kids. Through Shanas expertise, we were able to do postures that were fun for the kids and the AmeriCorps members. During one challenging posture, all I could hear was laughter as the students attempted to maneuver their legs while they sat across from their partner with hands embraced and feet touching sole to sole. Although the sharks were small and harmless to humans, the students, arguably, gained some bragging rights.

April 2013
were plenty of wipe outs and follies as the conditions were not even ideal for an advanced surfer. However, after each fall or wobbly ride to the beach, you could see the smiles on the students faces.

There were smiles all day. I saw smiles as students touched a sea slug for the first time. I saw some as kids did tandem yoga. And I saw smiles in the water as well. In fact, I noticed the students werent the only ones smiling. I saw these expressions of joy on the faces of the Community HealthCorps Navigators and myself, too. And while we successfully reached our goals for the activity, it was all those smiles that truly demonstrated the success of the event.

At the Sea Lab in Redondo Beach, the students were very engaged during the tour of the aquarium. Students and my fellow Navigators were able to see and touch animals that are usually only seen in areas that are inaccessible. While the students were amazed that the color of some starfish is purple, they were even more excited to be able to touch one. In addition, how many students can say that they actually touched a shark?

Following a yoga warm-up, the students charged the frigid water of the Pacific. Tolerating the winter water of the California shoreline would not have been possible without the assistance of Warm Current, an organization that donates wetsuits and conducts surf instruction for un derprivileged youth. There

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April 2013

The AmeriCorps Lifestyle: Spring Cleaning

Written By: Stephany Rush
Cash in on Spring Cleaning - Spring cleaning is an opportunity to clear away dust and get rid of items you havent used in a year. However, this season is also a great time to put a few extra dollars in your wallet. If youre like me, you have lots of gifts and clothes you no longer have use for. Although I am a huge advocate for donating useless items, spring cleaning is a great time to cash in on your goods. Step 1: Categorize the items you no longer need. Furniture, knick-knacks, clothes, appliances, and electronics are a few groups I use when spring cleaning. Step 2: Assess quality. Used items are assessed based on the four conditions: excellent, good, fair, and poor. It is only acceptable to sell anything in excellent or good condition. Items in fair condition can be donated. Items in poor condition should be trashed. Step 3: Sell it. Large items like furniture, electronics, and appliances can be sold on websites like Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon. When selling online, make sure to describe the item in detail and list any scratches or blemishes. Look up similar items on these websites when deciding on how much to sell your items for. (Disclaimer: When meeting up with a potential buyer, remember to always have someone else with you.) Small items like clothing and jewelry can also be sold online, but it may be easier to take these items to local consignment shops like Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads Trading Co. Consignment stores will buy used clothing, jewelry, and shoes if they feel they can resale them.

CALENDAR: Upcoming Events

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April 6th World Health Day @ Expo Center Soboroff Sports Field. April 19th - Recruitment Info Session at Veggie Grill April 21st CicLAvia Adopt-an-Intersection April 27th Cambodian New Year Celebration at El Dorado Park, Long Beach May 1st Inaugural Spring Symposium Informing Responses to Reduce Poverty and Improve Health in Latin America hosted by the UCLA Blum Center.