Development of my group’s actual Problem Solving for Better
Health (PSBH) project was perhaps one of the most challenging, insightful, and
rewarding learning experiences of the semester. Prior to Capstone, I’ve had
plenty of PSBH experiences but this Capstone project definitely tested and
enforced the valuable concepts of the PSBH model that I have learned in
previous coursework. Our first step was planning and assessing our community:
Brooklyn, Ohio. During this time, I learned a lot about the health problems
inflicting the communities as well as strengths and weaknesses present within
the community. This portion of the project taught me important lessons about
community partnerships and finding community resources in order to better solve
community health problems. We met with CCBH staff and staff at the Old Brooklyn
Family Service Center for guidance developing our project. After meeting, I was
excited that we agreed to implement a marketing campaign for recent Ohio
Medicaid family planning expansions. During my experience in the Title X
clinic, I found that this was such an important community need. It is a
critical program that many community residents are not aware of. By attempting
to raise awareness for Ohio Medicaid, I realized that I would be playing an
instrumental role in helping disadvantaged individuals gain health care access
to critical family planning health services. It was great to witness how such a
small project could have such a large potential impact on the community. I
found research that supports that this program can provide more people with
health access and thus contribute to a reduction in unintended pregnancies and
STI rates.
Our
marketing campaign went well. We visited many, at least 300, different
locations businesses in Brooklyn. We spoke with many Brooklyn residents and
patients in the clinic. Alone we directly referred more than 2 dozen patients
to Medicaid. This does not seem like a lot; however, like Medicaid family
planning expansions, the Title X clinic is new. Thus, it has not established
that large of a clientele when compared to other clinics. Additionally, we also
went to local colleges near the community. Overall, I feel our marketing
campaign was a success and made a valuable impact in the community.
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