Fellows Video Clips

Richa and Kari accelerated the dental clearance process for cancer patients so that they can begin medical treatment earlier. Building upon a 2018 and a 2020 Schweitzer project, they expanded the services to include the more frequent cleanings and follow up care cancer patients need to help avoid serious problems and infections and to manage any dental issues that arise.

Adam and Glenn launched Complete Smiles to restore the smiles, confidence, and dignity to people without teeth by providing high quality complete and partial dentures to vulnerable community members at no cost at the CAARE Clinic. They provided over $17,000 worth of oral health services and dentures.

The Fellows launched H.O.P.E. (Hispanic Oral health Prevention and Education) to provide culturally sensitive education to the Latinx community in their native language about oral health and how it ties to their overall health. They partnered with a free clinic, Vidas de Esperanza, to increase access to care and empower patients to take charge of their health. They provided provided over $12,000 in free care to 72 patients.

Lack of affordable dental care has often left community members unable to go to the dentist. The Fellows aimed to change that in Bertie County by connecting people to CLC-Ahoskie to receive low- cost oral health services and establish the clinic as their dental home.

When volunteering at Bloomer's Hill People's Free Clinic, Ben and Meghan saw patients had many social needs that need to be addressed. So they established a care coordinator position to not only connect patients to community resources, but make sure patients received the services they needed. They were able to get one patient's power back on within days of it being disconnected!

Callie led Deacon Doulas, a volunteer program providing continuous support – both physical and emotional – to laboring Medicaid and under-insured patients which launched as a 2019-20 Schweitzer project. The additional labor support is needed now more than ever. She created an in- house training curriculum eliminating the need sustainability funding and trained 45 volunteer doulas who served over 100 on-call shifts.

The Fellows launched the Black Maternal Health Equity Initiative to provide patient advocacy, social support, and a link to community resources for Black pregnant women at a high risk clinic. Patients are paired with Duke medical student advocates who assist them with navigating the healthcare system, address their social determinant of health needs and provide support during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The goal is not to give the mothers a voice, but to amplify it and work to create solutions to the barriers they face.

Although we hope to never have to use it, it is important to know the proper techniques to administer infant and child CPR in case of an emergency. To ensure parents and caregivers are adequately prepared, Serena and Karen offered free infant and child CPR and choking rescue classes. Over 95% of participants demonstrated competence as evidenced by hands-on skills assessments and increased their efficacy in performing the skills.

Paul launched a mentoring and enrichment program for minority fifth and sixth grade males who come from single-parent households to help them make better decisions, healthier behavior choices, NORTH CAROLINA ALBERT SCHWEITZER FELLOWSHIP 2021-22 VIDEOS and cope with any challenges they face from their social environment. NCCU awarded him the Dr. Odessa Lemay Smith Character Award and the John B Turner Award for Leadership Excellence in recognition of his work developing his program.

Home is not just a place or an address. Home is somewhere an individual feels comfortable cooking, sleeping, socializing, and traveling to and from. A deficit in any of these aspects can greatly affect a person’s health and prevent the desired quality of life. Tamar and Trisha led the WellNest Housing Support Program which provides social, financial, and goal-oriented support to newly housed community members with a history of homelessness. They aim to break the cycle of chronic homelessness, alleviate health risks associated with housing insecurity, and fill a gap in the homelessness care continuum.

Fellows Kathryn and Jack and their team of volunteers made weekly calls to seniors as a source of personal support and connection to resources to address the social drivers of health. Plus, they provided food and essential item delivery for those who are unable to leave their homes. 284 seniors were served and 86% reported a reduction in feelings of isolation.

Michael and Al-Amin created A.I.M.M. High (Achievement in Minority Men) to give Black and Latino young men the skills they need to be successful in life by focusing on developing their individual and professional identities. They built a sense of Brotherhood while at the same time bolstering participants' self-esteem.