Making Connections at Eleventh Street

As the Integrated Services Navigator and Recruiter at the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Eleventh Street Family Health Services, my main goal is to increase access to the many integrated services offered at the health center. These include exercise classes, use of our fitness center, healthy cooking classes, weight loss programs, chronic disease management programs, and stress reduction programs along with individual counseling with each of the instructors. These programs help to promote healthy lifestyles among the patients at the center, preventing conditions from developing or worsening. As part of my training at Eleventh Street, I was able to sit in on each of these programs in order to better understand their structure and the benefits that each program brings.  The coordinators of each program are compassionate and dedicated individuals, and it is inspiring to observe their classes and interactions with patients.

For instance, I was able to observe the Mind-Body Stress Reduction program which is run by my host site mentor Kathleen Metzker. Patients in this program often discussed the ways in which this program taught them to approach stressful situations by taking a deep breath and thinking before reacting. One day, I was on my way to a medical school interview and my taxi driver advised that I take deep breaths to manage the pre-interview stress. After we chatted a bit more, I learned that he participated in the yoga and meditation classes at Eleventh Street and had learned about this breathing technique from the yoga instructor, and my host site mentor, Kathleen—what a small world! I also saw the difference made in the patients’ nutritional choices through the Biggest Loser Weight loss Program and the Diabetes Self-Management Program. In these programs, I observed our dietician answer questions about diet and felt the curiosity and excitement of participants as they learned various ways to improve their nutritional choices.  The participants’ reflections at the end of the sessions reflected how much they had learned through their participation in these programs.

In my role, I have spoken with over 700 patients from all three departments at our center, behavioral health, dental, and primary care, to inform them about and connect them to these various programs. After gauging interest expressed in the integrated services form, I speak with each patient in the waiting area or on the phone to explain the services and how they can access them and then provide them with a comprehensive overview sheet. I then register them for programs of interest or mark their interest in a spreadsheet so that they can be called when the next session of the program begins. Many of the patients are unaware of all of the services that are offered at our center and it is rewarding to fully inform them on what is available to them. I also created a welcome packet that is provided to new patients in each department on their first visit which  includes handouts on our services, philosophy, and frequent concerns or questions. I speak with new patients about the packet to welcome them to our center and inform them on the services here.  It is exciting to be able to connect both new and old patients to all of our programming and I believe these connections can truly make a difference in their lives. In my role, I have learned how impactful lifestyle can be on a patient’s health and I hope to continue to advocate for healthy lifestyles throughout my professional career.
 

This blog post was written by NHC Philadelphia member Sonya Kowalczyk.
Sonya serves as the Integrated Services Navigator & Recruiter at Family Practice and Counseling Network - Stephen and Sandra Seller 11th Street Family Health Services.