My interest in the Crossroad Volunteer Internship Program mainly lied in the communities and identities of the patients the clinic served. I had an idea of the patient demographic prior to the initiation of my first rotation and felt deeply identified with the clinic’s mission to provide accessible healthcare. As a first-generation immigrant who experienced the process of assimilating to a new country, I understood that accessing healthcare was just one of the many difficulties the undocumented immigrant community faced. Growing up, I frequently heard of health complaints from friends and family. However unfortunate, these serious health issues were often endured and left “to pass.”
It was difficult to see this community minimize serious health complications, and it was far more difficult to accept that the decision to do so was not voluntary. They were forced to give their health a second thought. Thus, I understood that they struggled with much more than their health complications, as what typically accompanied their endurance was a lack of health insurance and English fluency, among other factors.
This struggle to access healthcare is not constricted to this community and is a struggle that is unfortunately shared by other patients and communities. It is why I find that being given the ability to help ease such challenges when accessing healthcare is incredibly invaluable. I appreciate that the role the VIPs take on is one that actively seeks to help patients obtain healthcare past preventive care and that reminds patients that their health is an important matter, regardless of identity.
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