OUR LEGACY TODAY Summer 2022 | Legacy Community Health Newsletter | LegacyCommunityHealth.org
AmeriCorps Members Connecting Communities to Health at Legacy Legacy’s mission to drive healthy change in our communities includes supporting our patients’ basic needs as part of their overall wellness. We’re doing that with the assistance of AmeriCorps members who work in Legacy clinics and live in the neighborhoods we serve. AmeriCorps members are mostly college students who pledge up to 11 months of service with Legacy. They are supported with a monthly stipend, and those who complete their contract receive an education award that can be used to repay qualified student loans and other educational expenses. Legacy was the first organization in Texas to embed the AmeriCorps program in a health care agency, and we receive funding from OneStar, the state program which administers the program. “Our AmeriCorps members help people access primary and preventative health services by addressing any barriers to care they may have,” says Ashley Harris, AmeriCorps Program Director. “We also target the social determinants of health that affect our patients’ well-being outside the clinic, including access to food, transportation, or housing.”
Legacy was the first organization in Texas to embed the AmeriCorps program in a health care agency.
The 29 AmeriCorps members employed at Legacy work in our clinics or live in neighborhoods we serve to link communities more easily to health care resources. University of Houston student Jordin Hodges is a Health Connect Advocate at Legacy’s Santa Clara clinic, and she is one of the first friendly faces patients see when they visit. Jordin greets them for an introductory interview and then, if assistance is needed, Jordin follows up with phone calls to continue the process. “We connect the dots for people and help them find the resources they need,” says Jordin. “Once they’ve successfully accessed those resources and their circumstances improve, we ‘graduate’ them out of the program.” Jordin tells us that she saw a recent graduate “and she looks so much better. Her son ran up to hug me. It’s great to see the impact I’m making.” Jack Winn, Legacy’s Senior Director of Grants Management, is a former AmeriCorps member who helped launch the program in 2019. “I served in Utah, and AmeriCorps totally changed the direction of my life,” recalls Jack. “I knew I wanted to work in community health care and make a difference.” It’s their drive to serve that unites Legacy’s AmeriCorps team. “Most people don’t know about what our patients are going through,” explains Jordin. “It’s more than ‘Let’s check your blood pressure.’ It’s how they’re doing
Legacy staff and AmeriCorps members were on hand as April 3-10 was declared AmeriCorps week in Houston. Pictured left to right are Noelia Fadic, Azjuri Aguebor, Ashley Harris, OneStar’s Mary Grace Landrum, and Teyiba Tullu
outside the clinic and what stressor out there could be affecting their blood pressure and overall wellbeing.”
It’s their drive to serve that unites Legacy’s AmeriCorps team.
While Legacy’s AmeriCorps members are gaining first-hand experience on the front lines of health care, they are also benefitting from monthly meetings and professional development training, such as resume writing, public speaking, and computer software training. Networking in meetings and on the job is one of the most valuable opportunities.
“We bring in people who are really motivated, who want to learn health care and make those connections,” says Harris. “If the front desk needs them to translate or help a patient fill out forms, they’re willing to jump in and just fill the gap. We want them to take on that Legacy spirit.”
AmeriCorps member Jordin Hodges interviews patients at Legacy’s Santa Clara Clinic
In fact, Ashley Harris is one of several AmeriCorps members who have graduated to full-time employment at Legacy. The experience has also clarified and focused Jordin’s career choice in the field of Epidemiology to fight the AIDS pandemic. “My perspective has changed,” reflects Jordin. “I’ve gone from wanting to treat patients individually as a physician’s assistant to doing something that benefits the entire community.”