Me, NHC, and the City of Brotherly Love

In late August last year, I moved across the country from San Diego to Philadelphia, with no personal contacts and no idea of the kind of community and lifestyle I would encounter. As spontaneous as it seems, I did have my reasons for why I opted to join National Health Corps this year. Rather than staying at home in a place of comfort, I felt the need to integrate myself into a new community and contribute my skills to help alleviate the health disparities in underserved populations while exploring my aspiring career in public health.

Fast forward 10 months and I am in disbelief of how much has happened in such a short amount of time. As I sit in my office preparing documents and organizing the workspace for the next NHC member to take over in a few weeks, it’s hard to imagine leaving my newfound home. My experience in Philadelphia has exposed me to completely new lifestyles, cultures, and values which I will incorporate into my self-development and next stage of life. Serving in National Health Corps Philadelphia has taught me so much about the current issues in public health through my participation in various community service projects, professional development trainings, and direct service with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health at Health Center 6. 

I used to find it a daunting task to navigate through the intricate health systems, let alone help others obtain proper care but now through collaborating with patients, healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies to secure timely and affordable medications, this has made the experience feasible and tangible. As a patient advocate, the many successes and failures I experienced have improved my skills in dealing with the unexpected issues by managing multiple priorities, practicing effective interpersonal communication and maintaining a positive attitude.

Undoubtedly the most important aspect of my year of service has been the people I have uniquely interacted with- from the patients at health center 6, to the kids at community service events, and the other 25 devoted health corps members- each person has had an impact on my life. I can take away lessons on perseverance from my patients who would successfully manage to jump through loopholes and overcome barriers to ensure their health was taken care of. Thanks to the kids, I will always remember to keep a light hearted attitude, because you never know when a courageous toddler will enter your office unannounced looking for a new friend. Finally, while working alongside fellow members, health center staff and supervisors in our united efforts to ameliorate the health issues in our communities, I gained a better understanding of what it means to be selfless and perceptive.

While there were moments in the beginning where it was difficult to see how my efforts in chipping away at seemingly insurmountable tasks would contribute to the systemic social change of reducing health disparities, I was always reminded of the meaningful role I played in improving the lives of others whether that was saving a patient money on medications, translating complicated documents to ensure timely care or receiving a genuine smile from an individual who needed to vent. NHC has shown me the beauty of collaboration and the valuable impacts it can have in health care. I have realized that it is in these small steps and successes that we gather the momentum to inspire and advocate for prospering and healthy community across the U.S.  Though my time serving with NHC will be ending shortly, I am grateful for the experience and lessons I learned that will forever be part of my identity. 

This blog post was written by NHC Philadelphia member Gerardo Nicolas.
Gerardo serves as a Patient Advocate for Philadelphia Department of Public Health-Ambulatory Health Services: Health Center 6.