Work with Parents: The hidden Gem to Service

This post is written by Jodie Lawrence.

Jodie is a Asthma Educator at the Respiratory Health Association.

Back in 2007, the Respiratory Health Association began an asthma education program with a goal to reach 10,000 students. I am excited to share that I am on the team that will hit this mark. It feels surreal to think we have educated almost 1,500 students within this year alone. My time at the Respiratory Health Association has been spent putting effort towards eradicating Chicago's asthma-related health issues. As this year of service comes to a close, one of my major takeaways will be how valuable the services we provide are to the parents of asthmatic children.

As I have quickly discovered, asthma is tied to many health disparities. I remember during our Chicago Health Corps Pre-Orientation Service week, we watched a video that defined public health. People were slapping'This is Public Health" stickers on everything: buses, benches, fresh food, no smoking signs, health clinics, bikes, water sources, etc. The stickers represented all the different subjects within the field of public health, but more so represented how things, seemingly unrelated to public health, were actually extremely relevant. In retrospect, I did not really appreciate the message of that video to the depth I now can. Delivering presentations about asthma to parents has been a key example illustrating how public health issues intertwine. More often than not, conversations about health care, violence, housing, and education are all brought into the dialogue within the hour I have to talk to them.

In addition to delivering my own presentations, it has been particularly significant for me to listen to the Asthma Management presentation being given to a primarily Spanish speaking audience. Interestingly enough, the Spanish speaking presentation, which is almost identical to the English version, sparks different questions and reactions within the audience. No matter how much direct exposure to the community I have, I am still taken aback by the diversity of Chicago residents.

Overall, I am so grateful for the service I am able to provide to the children, but the real cherry on top has been fostering relationships with their parents. Taking fifteen minutes of my day to answer their questions and hear their stories has taught me a great lesson: the importance of being a good listener. It's a major part of recognizing and helping to solve a health disparity, and it is a lesson I am still continuing to learn.