DCPCA NEWS - VOLUNTEER VIEWS FROM COMMUNITY OF HOPE HEALTHCORPS MEMBERS

Volunteer Views from Community HealthCorps Members Anne Blair & Whitney Vedella (Community of Hope)
DC Primary Care Association, March 30, 2009

Anne and Whitney both became HealthCorps members for similar reasons. They wanted to continue their careers in the health field, and possibly even at a community-based health center. Being HealthCorps members allows them to see many different roles in health care, but also the workings of a community health center. They also became members to hopefully make a difference in people's lives. Their project at Community of Hope is focused on diabetes and educating patients on this disease. They have been organizing and creating materials to use for diabetes education and have done some teaching with newly diagnosed patients. So far, the patients and community have been given a great deal of information about diabetes through health center bulletin boards, pamphlets, and teaching. Anne and Whitney hope that community members are healthier people because of it, but there is always progress to be made. They have definitely learned a good deal about diabetes and the patients in the health center and how much they care about their health. In addition, they're learning about their individual strengths in that can be used in certain situations. For more info about DCPCA's Community HealthCorps program, contact Cathy Morales \n , DCPCA's director of Community Health Access Programs, at (202) 638-0252 ext. 237.

This article originally appeared in DCPCA News on March 30, 2009.