Throughout my entire life I have always been one that has appreciated and valued helping
others, whether it’s mentally, emotionally, or physically. Prior to CVIP I had been volunteering
in advocating for individuals with intellectual disabilities through the Special Olympics program.
The Special Olympics program taught me to understand and identify the daily struggles that
intellectually disabled individuals go through, and how to accommodate those struggles. As I
gained more experience with a portion of the undeserved population, I felt that I needed to
gain more experience in advocating and guiding other minorities within the medical field. So,
when I was accepted into the Crossroad Volunteer Internship Program, I was very excited to
have the opportunity in helping the undeserved population.
Throughout my time at Crossroad Health Center, it has been very humbling and eye opening for
me to witness the struggles that marginalized individuals have to experience. As an African
American woman that has experienced discrimination by health professionals, I know first-hand
the feeling of disappointment and disbelief that marginalized individuals have within medicine.
Therefore, during each shift I try to advocate for the equality of treatment and care for all the
patients I help throughout my shift.
During my time in this program, many marginalized patients have also faced financial and
health issues due to the pandemic. This program has allowed me to advocate for these
individuals by helping our patients receive quality treatment within their budgets’. I do this by
researching the patient’s insurance and finding a location/hospital that is covered within their
plan. Ultimately, Crossroad has allowed me to become better at communicating and advocating
for the best medical care/treatment for the underprivileged community.
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