When Service Comes Full Circle

During my term of service with the Philly Health Corps, my role as a Patient Health and Benefits Advocate has helped me connect with patients of all ages; my experiences with children and prenatal patients have also had a positive effect on my service term. While being interviewed for the position at my host site, I expressed interest in maternal and child health and health education to complement my main role of enrolling patients for health insurance. To say that the opportunities to do so at Abbottsford-Falls are endless is an understatement.

PRENATAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES WITH ROSEMARY DUFFEY R.N.

Out of all my weekly responsibilities, I especially look forward to working with Rosemary Duffey R.N. every Wednesday and Friday during prenatal appointments. Her personality alone helped me become very comfortable with learning to approach all patients effectively, not those just seeking prenatal services.

I have been able to learn about childbirth and pregnancy through Rosemary, the three Obstetricians, and the midwife who rotate on a biweekly basis at Abbottsford-Falls.
Rosemary’s role at Abbottsford-Falls and The Health Annex (both Family Practice Network Health Centers) is to provide clinical support and educational services to all prenatal patients at both clinics. During my first few weeks with Rosemary, I was able to introduce myself to patients in the exam room along with Rosemary and listen to her educate patients on pregnancy and childbirth. Once she finished, it was then my turn to educate patients on insurance options, WIC, prenatal services through non-profit organizations, such as Maternal Care Coalition (another PHC Host Site), and Nurse Family Partnership. One of our Obstetricians would then enter the exam room to complete the process.

On days when the patient load was high, Rosemary would triage patients along with Tasha Thornton (the Prenatal Medical Assistant) while providing education to new parents about childbirth and parenting in our large conference room with beverages and healthy snacks. Meanwhile, I would set up a small station to provide social services to patients. 

The most gratifying and exciting experience I’ve had thus far was seeing a few patients who I had been introduced to in the first month of my service term return to the clinic months later with their newborn baby.  My ability to help enroll their child in insurance and any eligible social service is beyond gratifying! Thanks to Rosemary and the entire prenatal team at Abbottsford-Falls, I can truly say that my experience is quite unique and my interests have been honored during my service.
 

This post was written by PHC member Jenné Beausoleil.
Jenné serves at the Family Practice and Counseling Network - Abbottsford Falls as a Health and Benefits Advocate.