Information versus Education

While serving at Fantus Family Planning clinic, I have experienced the difficulty and patience it takes to ensure access and availability to health services for the broad community. As a health educator, my role is to inform individuals on sexual reproductive health and birth control options. Throughout my counseling sessions, I include questions that probe the patient's current knowledge of birth control, condom use, STI/HIV testing, healthy relationships, and overall self care. Despite the structure of these conversations, it can be difficult to bring up potentially sensitive topics with patients; this requires each counseling and education session to be unique and individualized, considering the patient's comfort level with me. As I have witnessed firsthand the past few months, everyone has a different learning style, which determines how open she is to family planning strategies, sexual reproductive health, and overall available services in the clinic. It is my duty as a health educator to meet her where she is and provide any information on what she would like to know.

Although it may seem simple for me to list off statistics and claim the positive effects of protected sex and contraceptive use, it may not be as easily applicable for patients to incorporate into their lifestyles. Hormonal birth control methods have the possibility of affecting both a woman's body and her moods. Additionally, the effectiveness of a birth control relies on more than just the biological factors of the birth control itself; it relies on the combined efforts from a woman's own education, ability, and empowerment to make the most suitable choice for her. I remind myself to maintain this outlook and to not push my own agenda because information cannot be forced upon a patient without her own openness and willingness to seek education. 

The expansion of education and outreach on available health services at the clinic goes beyond an individual level as well. Although they are less personal, health fairs that the clinic participates in create opportunities for communities to increase their access to care and gather information to look over on their own time. Fantus staff participated in a health resources fair at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) of Cook County, in order to promote our services and offer information on STDs/HIV and contraception. The young members of the center showed interest in these services and took brochures with them, to peruse through and utilize once they regained access to services outside the center. These steps in reaching youth are crucial for public health, particularly in health promotion and disease prevention. Especially since the clinic is so close to JTDC, teenagers' ability to have those resources is necessary and incredibly helpful as they continue their lives outside of a regulated schedule. As I continue to see new patients, whether on an individual or group basis, I look forward to strengthening and adapting my own counseling style, as well as ensuring the Fantus community's expansion to education and availability.

This post was written by CHC member Clare Healy

Clare serves as a Health Educator at Fantus Cicero Health Centers