Category Archives: Advancement

Day 1 – Service Learning Project 2009 Community Health Survey

On Monday our group which was comprised of 19 students and faculty from the Schools of Nursing, Public Health, Social Work and the Division of Physical Therapy gathered at the United Church of Chapel Hill to embark on our 5 day Service Learning Trip. We all piled into 4 vehicles and drove to Greensboro to the Gateway Center where we had our “just-in- time” training for the 2009 Community Health Survey (CHS). The CHS is a face-to-face health needs survey sponsored by Guilford County Healthy Carolinians and the Guilford County Department of Public Health. The data being collected assesses health status, access to care, social support and the need for service.

After some intense training, an “in-depth” interview between two members of our group, Christine and Travis, lunch and an interview with News 14, we set off to thump the streets dressed in our beautiful Duke blue and gold vest we set off in groups of 3 to interview residents in high risk areas in Greensboro and High Point. Our survey was designed to randomly select households in the highest poverty census tracks of Guilford County. We used handheld computers with GIS overlay to guide us and we entered data directly into the computers.

Most people were very willing to participate and be interviewed. After the interview they continued to share their concerns, frustrations and hopes with us. A major theme echoed by the residents of Greensboro and High Point was the need to “clean up the drugs” off the streets. In hind site, our first day of interviewing was a humbling experience, essentially we were strangers trying to quickly understand the lives of others—we were given the opportunity to be a part of private and personal experiences. We all agreed with the words of one sage resident who commented during her interview, “If all of us are going to be healthy everyone has to have a chance to be healthy.”

After our assignments were completed for the day we drove to beautiful YMCA Camp Weaver. We ate dinner, watched the DVD, Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making us Sick?, and discussed and reflected on the day. We all turned in fairly early knowing that we would have a very full day of interviews on Tuesday.

Day 2- Service Learning Project 2009 Community Health Survey

After a simple but lovely breakfast at Camp Weaver we set out for our staging area at the Guilford County Cooperative Extension on Burlington Rd. Our group arrived there around 8:30 a.m. where we were met by the staff of the Guilford County Dept. of Public Health. After a brief update and some debriefing, our 10 teams set out in separate cars to continue the interviews we started on Day 1. We interviewed more residents and learned more about their plight, struggles, hopes and fears. At the end of the day we completed a total 86% of the 210 surveys–way to go!!!!!!!!!!

One memorable interview was a mother of 2 small children living on the edge; her husband made too much money to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance. She spoke of her frustration of not being able to seek medical care for herself, lack of affordable childcare options and affordable fresh produce. These same concerns were voiced by many in this community.

We headed back to Camp Weaver for dinner and a grand camp fire. We ate smores, sang songs and played games under the clouds and stars at Camp Weaver.

Day 3- Service Learning Project 2009 Community Health Survey

We packed up, ate breakfast, checked out of Camp Weaver and drove to the Gateway Center to receive final instructions for our last 4 hours of interviews. In the end we were able to complete all 210 household surveys. As we reflected on the past 2 ½ days, we were able to identify common themes among the communities: crime, drugs, lack of affordable fresh produce, access to quality healthcare, and the need for more safe parks. By identifying these concerns the Guilford County Department of Public Health together with Healthy Carolinians hopes to develop, implement and tailor programs to address them.

We said good bye to staff of the Guilford County Department of Public Health and headed to Columbia, NC, located in Tyrell County which is the most sparsely populated county in NC. Our first stop was the Cypress Grill in Jamesville, a popular local restaurant and eastern NC landmark that is open a few months of the year when fresh herring is available. We all enjoyed dining at this unique herring shack before heading to the 4H Center in Columbia where we had a large cabin reserved for our group.

Day 4 – Service Learning Trip/Alligator Community

Our group had a mouth-watering breakfast at the 4-H Center and then headed out to the Visitor Center in Columbia where we met our partners from the Conservation Fund, Buck and Justin. We followed them to one of the more than 800 Rosenwald Schools in NC.