I applied for the Volunteer Internship
Program because I was interested in using my time and talents to improve our
Cincinnati community and the healthcare community while learning about the
behind the scenes details of what it takes to be a successful physician and to
have a successful community healthcare plan.
When I first started as a VIP, I did not
completely understand why it was necessary to have an entire team of people
simply scheduling other people’s doctor’s appointments. This seemed like a
simple task that every adult in our community should be capable of doing. Clearly
the VIP program existed for a reason, which meant that something about
Cincinnati and its residents required an intervention in healthcare assistance.
To figure out more about why the
program exists, I asked some of the other VIPs and Crossroad employees. I
learned that Over the Rhine has an overwhelming number of residents that are
living below the federal poverty line and do not have health insurance or
regular access to reliable transportation. The Crossroad health center
addresses and resolves these issues, because it accepts payment from those who
do not have insurance and must pay out-of-pocket and accepts Medicare insurance
plans. Other privately-run doctors’ offices will deny patients who do not have
health insurance and typically will not accept the Medicare insurance plans
that many of Crossroad’s patients have. This makes scheduling referral
appointments at physicians’ offices outside of Crossroad very difficult, and
for this reason the VIP team exists.
It is very rewarding to serve as a
patient’s “case manager” and be able to play a role in their journey from
establishing care at Crossroad to assisting in scheduling their referral
appointments with specialists. I have learned that there are so many barriers
that make getting care for our patients very difficult. Serving as an intern in
the program has helped me realize how many privileges I have and also to not
assume that others have the same privileges and easily accessible care that I
do.
-- Nina Grau
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