“Where there is unity there is always Victory” - Publilius Syrus

Going into this service year, I was unsure if I was equipped to adequately deal with all of the need that I would soon encounter. What qualified me to help these people? Who was I but a kid with a degree—a piece of paper from a fancy private school that allowed me to participate in the Philadelphia Health Corps? My clients and I would be no different, I thought, and they may find out that I was of no use to them. Within about a week of service, I found out that I was right about one thing: my clients and I were no different—no surprise there. There were college students, people with high school diplomas, and people with bachelors and masters degrees among them. There were even past AmeriCorps members that came into my office. In my patients I saw familiarity in both senses of the word: I saw my past, my present, my future, my uncles, my aunties…but what I did not anticipate, was the way in which my patients would aid in transforming me into a capable provider.

As a Health and Benefits Advocate at Eleventh St, I help patients navigate the fickle regulations of state and social service agencies and their often-times inconsistent, burnt-out caseworkers. With a functional understanding of Medicaid, the new Health Insurance Marketplace, and various prescription programs, my patients and I collaborate to stitch a patchwork quilt of medical coverage to cover their individual needs.

I often find myself at Eleventh St. after hours with a patient or for a patient, because like I said, I see myself and my family in them. We are all people with similar needs, all living similar lives, with similar dreams for our families. If I needed food stamps, I would want my advocate to make sure that all of my information made it to the appropriate state welfare agency in a timely fashion. I would also want my advocate to tell me where I could go to get food in the meantime if food insecurity was an issue. And if I needed medical assistance, I would want my advocate to be steadfast in making sure that the appropriate agency did not misplace the most important page of my application…twice. And if I have the nerve to think that I am worth all of this fuss, then I have the tenacity to understand why my patients are too. I love what I do; I serve people because I believe they are worth it.
 

This post was written by PHC member Kwame Quaye.
Kwame serves at the Family Practices and Counseling Network - 11th Street as a Health and Benefits Advocate.