My name is Delani, and I have spent almost a year with Americorps' National Health Corps Community Health Fellowship in NEPA. During my time, I have been positioned at Volunteers in Medicine in Wilkes Barre, PA where I work as a Community Health Worker. After graduating in 2023 with my B.A. in Public Health Biology, I knew that I loved helping people and providing healthcare, but I didn't know what my path was to achieve this. Volunteers in Medicine was the perfect next step in my career to gain experience and help those who exist in the healthcare gap.
VIM provides healthcare for the working population of Luzerne County who cannot afford or access health insurance. Through my time, I have helped patients qualify for services in the clinic, navigate other resources that exist, and learn how a busy medical office operates. I do a lot of work with the clinic's weekly food pantry, which provides a free bag of groceries to patients. This includes ordering the food, packing it with the help of staff and volunteers, and organizing the data and reports. Through the time, I have learned many office skills that could transfer to any setting and learned the importance of addressing those who are not covered by the system. I am grateful to the National Health Corps, the Community Health Fellowship of NEPA, and Northeast PA AHEC for providing such an eye-opening opportunity.
