HEAL class 3-21-12

Dr. Halbur talked to the class today about stress:

Questions posed to the class included:

What stresses you as a medical student?
Some responses included:

• Finding a residency
• Patients that don't do what they are told
• Loans
• Life in general

What behaviors do you find yourself doing as a result of stress?
Some responses were:

• eating
• exercise

What are some signs that you are stressed?
Some responses included:

• irritability
• withdrawal
• fast heartbeat
• weight gain
• sleep disturbance
• cleaning making lists
• watching movies

There are 2 types of stress:
Eustress (good)
Distress (bad)

Causes of stress can be internal (negative self talk) or external (physical emvironment, other people, life events)

Tips for relieving stress:
Lower caffeine intake
exercise
sleep
relax
work/leisure balance
set realistic expectations
reframe
have a support system
humor

Activities that could relieve stress and that the class participated
in include:
guided imagery
relaxation exercises

It is important to remember to take care of yourself and to find out what works for you!

Please share your thoughts/comments on the topics and questions posed in today's class!

HEAL Class 3/7/12

We had the privilege of having Andrea Hinojosa from Southeast Georgia Communities Project speak about her work and experience with migrant workers in rural Georgia. Some of the topics included:


Reasons that migrant workers do not seek health care

1. Fear of having no ID
2. Lack of transportation
3. Language barrier
4. Can't afford Rx
5. Follow up appointments are not feasible
6. Uninsured-no ID
7. Lack of financial resources
8. Inability for the children who crossover to get into school and become practicing health care workers themselves because of immigration laws
   

Care is delivered to migrant workers by actually traveling into the field

When giving patients ideas/instructions for better health management, look for ways of modifying lifestyle rather than complete changes because culture cannot be taken away

• Example, have patients decrease the amount of tortillas eaten and slightly alter the way food is prepared

Solutions

1. Educational solutions: scholarships and funds
2. Develop trust with the gatekeepers of the migrant community such as the boss and middleman on the farms
3. Be positive and understand their needs
4. Welcome patients and spend time with migrants coming into the community
5. Express warmth and welcome with body language and smiles
6. Keep confidentiality, especially with care given in the fields
7. Volunteer and gather basic materials
8. Educate your community on existing and upcoming laws

We also had the privilege of having Helping Hands and Dr. Adrianna Foster speak about their program and caring for the mental health needs of the homeless population. Topics covered included:

Specific problems in the homeless population such as:

• high rates of substance abuse and other physical problems and lower life expectancy
  
• the cycle of prison to halfway houses to clinics to crime and back to prison again

Helping Hands offers services and referrals such as:

• Treatment for substance abuse
• housing
• job placement
• screenings and referrals
• data collection

Please share your thoughts/comments!

Class 2/22/12

The HEAL class on 2/22/12 covered topics on interdisciplinary care such as:

1. Working with individuals across disciplines
2. The benefits of team work, including improvements in conditions for both patients and professionals, such as patient safety, professional burnout and costs
   
3. The importance of respecting the people and the disciplines that you work with
4. Effective team work involves sharing patient problems, communication and sharing responsibility
5. The importance of looking at practical barriers that patients face
   

Please share your thoughts/comments!

HEALing Connections: A Look at Black Medical Care

Congratulations on a great first event this semester! Today's event included a documentary and a panel discussion on the experiences of African American health care. The panel participants touched on a number of topics including:

• Personal experiences
• How to build a trusting patient-physician relationship
• Challenges the patient and doctor may encounter
• Systemic vs. grassroots changes and goals in health care
• Creating awareness
• Developing personal awareness of one's one biases and self education on diversity concerns

Please leave your thoughts/comments!

HEAL class 2/8/12

Our guest speaker for today's class was Peggy Belger from Red Cross. She discussed:

• Her own personal experiences with disaster and victims
• Language barriers and the importance of simply showing you care as a way to transcend such as barrier
• Role of the Disaster Action Team (DAT)
• Challenges of providing disaster/crisis victims with care and tips for your own safety
• The importance of understanding and following Red Cross protocol as a professional providing care
• The relief that Red Cross provides to ALL people despite SES, etc.
• The importance of connecting to people and even the use of humor ONLY when the victim initiates it
• Red Cross is involved with other activities outside of disaster relief such as providing trainings and awareness events

Please share your thoughts/comments!

Class 1-25-12

We had the privilege of having Ms. Sherman from Community Health Centers speak to the class about community health centers and

• The integral role of Community Health Centers locally and nationwide
  
• Population needs assessment
• Services provided
• Center physicians and incentives
• Service and prescription costs
• Volunteer opportunities

Please write your thoughts/opinions about the topics discussed in class!

HEAL 2012

Welcome HEAL students to a new semester! The HEAL class for this semester will begin January 11, 2012 and we look forward to seeing both new and returning students!

HEAL Class Journal

Today's class included a presentation from Dr. Martin on Health Disparities, particularly diabetes and diseases of the eye. Points discussed in relation to disparities included:

• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Various diseases
• Age
• Socioeconomic status
  
• Education

Also discussed was the importance of making specific definitions for what a disparity is according to target audience (talking to patients vs. grant writing) and knowing how to communicate and understand the patient, for example, referring to diabetes has having "the sugars."

Points discussed about diabetes included:

• Types
• Incidence and prevalence
• Risk factors: what can be modified and what cannot

Factors able to be modified, especially related to disparities, include environment

Ideas on helping patients modify environment included:

• Making urban areas safe for exercise areas
• Where one grocery shops and food choices available

We also discussed how to most effectively reach African American women through education and ideas included:

• Young: technology
• Middle-Seniors: church, grocery stores, creating opportunities to stay active

Please offer your thoughts and comments on today's topics and ideas resulting from the presentation. For example, what might be your thoughts or ideas about best reaching African American women, how might one change their environment or how to best communicate with and understand the patient?

Mentor Journal Entry 4

Well, it was our last individual group meeting with our students.  Any final thoughts?

Mentor Journal Entry 3

We covered quite a few topics with our students this week, including transcripts reviews, goal setting, problem solving, study skills, etc.  Please share your thoughts on this week's meeting.

Journal Entry # 5

HEAL topics covered in class today include:

Alcohol use and the similarities or differences across ethnicity, income, education, economics and more specifically, amongst medical students and physicians (signs of impairment) and what one can do to be an activist against alcohol use and how to be a resource in providing others in seeking assistance or how to go about reporting. Suggestions included prevention measures such as stress management and setting standards in place for behaviors that are acceptable, what behaviors are not and the consequences. The use of other various substances and the stats on the different types used were discussed.

Adolescent pregnancy and the rates across different regions in the United States. Being in the south, a region where teenage pregnancy is high, the class discussed thoughts about how to go about patient care and the importance of giving out correct information to teens and creating a comfortable, nonjudgmental environment where the patient can ask questions

Cigarette Smoking and the expense, prevalence, rates among ethnicity and factors affecting use such as risky behaviors and education. Resources discussed included smoking cessation programs, stress reduction and medications such as the patch.

Please share your thoughts.

Mentor Journal Entry 2

The second session with our students is complete.  Did anything interesting happen in your group discussion today?  Were there any topics worth sharing with your fellow mentors?  Or perhaps you have some general thoughts on how the sessions are progressing and developing?

Share your thoughts below.

Journal Entry #4

Advocacy and Community Outreach

At our last meeting, we discussed community outreach, how to become involved, and why this involvement is important in our future practice.  We also heard about the example of rural communities and understanding their setup, cultural practices, hierarchal importance, considerations for effective communication, etc.  

Please share your thoughts on the class.  

Great job to the HEAL programming students, the first program was a wonderful success!

Resources

Hello Mentors,

Just a note that I have added some helpful links on topics such as interest and values identifiers, study skills, high school time line, admissions information, scholarship search, SAT prep, resume writing, interview tips, salary information, etc. Most of theses resources are from GACollege411 and they definitely fit into the syllabus for Near Peer. I have uploaded a document with all the links, something that you could give to your students if you are interested in doing so.

Journal Entry #3

Today's class focused on discussing our experiences in the programming board process and our experiences in Near Peer. What do you think about our discussions? Were they helpful? Please share your thoughts.

Great job to all the mentors for a very successful and positive first meeting with your students! We are off to a wonderful start; great connections have already been made and thank you to the mentors for creating such a friendly and inviting environment for the high school students to feel comfortable enough to share their experiences and for helping each one to feel good about asking any questions that they may have. The high school students are already learning about the realities of healthcare career ladders and the many different pathways that people can take. Thank you again mentors for giving your time and allowing your high school students to get the individual attention and the positive role model that they need!

Mentor Journal Entry 1

Well, the first day of mentoring is complete.  What did you think?

Journal Entry #2

Workforce Disparities

Health Disparities

Today, we discussed many topics, heard several interesting statistics, and considered various health disparities.  A few highlights are listed below.  

• Pressing need for primary care physicians in Georgia
• Residency programs expansion
• Medical student tendencies to practice in underserved areas or within the state in which they attend medical school 
• Diversity in the workforce
• Disparities in healthcare
• Collecting detailed information from patients to effectively address disparities and cultural competency
• And many more.

Share your general thoughts on class today or on any specific issue that stood out to you.

Mentors

Hey All,

Directions to AR Johnson can be found HERE.  Directions to Academy of Richmond County can be found HERE.

Below is a small list of reminders for upcoming meetings.  It is not comprehensive, but it might be helpful.  Under the documents section, you can find copies of a sample GA High School Transcript and guidance on GACollege411 accounts.

Mentor Reminders

Session 1

• Be sure to collect the student contracts and the pre-tests at the end of the session.
• Emphasize that the pre-tests are not graded for accuracy or completeness.  
• Ensure the students will have their GACollege411 account set up sometime BEFORE the third session.

Session 2

• Remind students to bring a copy of their TRANSCRIPTS for session 3.  They must start this process immediately after the second meeting at their individual schools because it requires time.
• Ensure the students will have their GACollege411 account set up sometime BEFORE the third session.
• Information reminder: Importance of standardized tests (SAT, COMPASS) should be emphasized.  HOPE no longer pays for remedial courses in college.  If students are in need of 3 or more remediate areas, then no eligibility for GA state institutions.  

 Session 3

• Discuss difficulties they might encounter and what concerns them about the process.  Stress the importance of problem solving for these issues. 
• Time management is a huge aspect of setting good habits and forming efficient, pragmatic study skills.  
• Handouts will be provided by Denise about admission requirements and financial aid to be provided to students.  
• Remind students to bring a copy of their ESSAYS for session 4.  You can have them email the essay in advance of session 4 as well.  

Session 4

• Homework essays will be reviewed by mentors.  Be strict with grammar, content, flow, etc.  Be honest and pragmatic as essays are essential to admissions.  Admissions are looking for reasons to FILTER applicants, and a weak admissions essay is an easy filter.  STAND OUT IN A GOOD WAY.
• Discuss essays individually during the session. 
• Last set of handouts will be provided by Denise to highlight programs at GHSU.

Session 5

• On-campus tours.  Let Denise and Jennie know about availability during this day.  

ARTS IN THE HEART

Arts in the Heart is this weekend (September 16-18) in downtown Augusta.  Check out the website for details on times, tickets, etc.

Here is a great promotional video if you are wondering what Arts in the Heart Festival is all about.

Dr. Halbur would like everyone to attend as a part of the service component of the course.  It will count towards your total service hours....AND it should be a super fun festival!!

Enjoy.

Health Debts Push People into Poverty

Journal Entry #1

Aspects of Mentoring

Chronic Disease and Poverty

Today we discussed some key aspects of mentoring and also chatted about chronic disease and poverty.  Share your thoughts with everyone below.

Some questions you might want to address:

• What is the cycle of poverty and why can't people escape?
• What impact will poverty have on you as you work with patients?
• What perceptions do people have about the income and lifestyle of physicians?

Poverty and Chronic Disease

The last question for today, which might make for a great blog entry, is as follows:
What perceptions do people have about the income and lifestyle of physicians? How will you address these in your practice?