Online Shopping and CCC

Recently discovered online shopping and made the mistake of signing up for a bazillion mailing lists. Now my email is being bombarded by all these sales that looks amazing. ): Today, I am decked out in my new Hollister shirt (so middle/high school, I know, I'm always a full four years behind). I realized how Californian I look in my flip flops, but I'm embracing it because I am crazy homesick right now. I've had dreams about being back home or being with my parents for the past three nights now. I think my subconscious is telling me that staying in Baltimore all summer was a bad idea. Still, no regrets. I've had a great summer and I know that I've grown and learned a lot in different ways than summers past. Change is always good, right?

Currently chilling in Starbucks and trying to delay the inevitable -- Full Length Round 6. ):  I'm liking the Summer Abby, I feel pretty laid back about everything, no stress on the horizon. Hope this attitude lasts. That's my goal for the rest of my life: don't let immediate situations impact my overall perspective on life. No single event is going to make or break me. Unless we're talking about my death. Or my full body paralysis. Goddamnit, just undermined my entire philosophy.

Also, my attempts to better educate myself on the world are failing miserably. Research articles are SO BORING. Where are the flashy six-packs positioned strategically to capture my attention? Instead, I am presented with colored blobs or diagrams that I can't make heads or asses of. Clearly, I am not PhD material.


Ooh, made my first client calls last night. It was heady; I am a case manager! :D I mentioned earlier that I've just started volunteering at the Charm City Clinic. It's a completely student-run operation where we reach out to the un(der)insured in the surrounding community and try to educate them about and connect them to available healthcare options. As a volunteer, I am assigned clients, most of whom are uninsured but qualify for the Primary Adult Care (PAC) Program in Maryland which gives them access to primary care. Even though there is this great resource available, most of the uninsured population remains unaware of its existence. My job is to help my clients fill out an application, walk them through their options, and make sure they get the healthcare they need and deserve. Very different from what I do at Shepherd's Clinic, and it really has given me a different perspective on the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and on a larger scale, the American healthcare/welfare system in general.

 It's sobering to learn, through extended interaction with my clients, how dependent they are on us for this information. Getting healthcare should not be this lengthy, esoteric process! Many programs offer great benefits, but fail to advertise adequately amongst their target population. Intentional? Maybe. Even things that are taken for granted by many of us, for example, being put on hold, can prove to be barriers to people who have limited access to phones or have few minutes to spare on their sparse monthly plans. Sometimes, my clients ask my questions that make me pause and think, "Say what now?" and I begin to realize how alien what I view as common knowledge because I had the privilege of growing up with healthcare (Kaiser baby, born and raised!) can seem to those who haven't had the same experience.

Just the other day, we had a client who thought the $20 co-pay was the price of medical services rendered. Imagine her surprise when she receives a $300 bill in the mail. Now imagine that again, from her perspective, as someone on a fixed income, paying rent, and supporting a family. The misunderstanding makes her wary of going in for medical care and fosters suspicion of medical institutions in general. Luckily for her, there is a financial assistance program at most hospitals where, if you make under a certain percentage of the federal poverty line, you can apply and have your medical bill waived. That's where we at the Charm City Clinic come in. 

I have learned more from two training sessions/ one day in the clinic than I have in a year of public health classes at Hopkins. Then again, I did spend that year playing Tetris and on Tumblr sooooo.... teehee.

Anyways, here's to doing my small part to making a difference in someone's quality of life!