The most influential experience while serving as CHIP Outreach Coordinator involved assisting a single mother and her young son. The mother was working fulltime and did not have health insurance. We attempted to get her signed up for CHIP. The mother was literally pennies over income and did not qualify. I was devastated to suggest to a dedicated mother who was striving to make ends meet and provide for her son that it would be better if she dropped her income for a period of a few months in order to qualify for CHIP. Her son needed a very expensive ear surgery and without insurance, she could not afford it. I shared this experience with the WV CHIP director and like to think this case made an impact in raising the income levels to 300% FPL. With this first-hand experience, I was completely committed to the health center movement and contributing to better health outcomes and access to care. I still carry this story with me today and use it to ground myself and remind me of the impact our efforts make in the lives of real people.

Know someone that should be featured in the Community HealthCorps Alumni Spotlight?  Let us know by filling out a Contact Us form here.