Healthcorps members participate in our Values Clarification training

This week, RHAP presented for the Community HealthCorps Program, a national AmeriCorps group of 18 individuals engaged in a variety of projects to promote access to health care and health information in medically under-served communities all around New York State. This particular group of HealthCorps members is comprised of recent undergrads, many of whom intend to be family doctors.  We were excited to present RHAP’s work to such a motivated group of future health care leaders.

RHAP’s Executive Director Lisa Maldonado started the session off with an overview of the state of reproductive health access in the US and explaining RHAP’s unique role in improving contraceptive and abortion care in our country.  Natasha Miller, RHAP’s Women’s Health Advocate (and also a HealthCorps member) led a Values Clarification Workshop. Everyone participated in discussions and activities that focused on providing non-judgmental, patient-centered care to all patients no matter the provider’s personal beliefs.

Falencki Fellow Erin demonstrates an MVA

Erin Hendriks, RHAP’s Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy Fellow, finished off the workshop by role-playing an Options Counseling Session for a patient (Natasha played the patient), and demonstrating a manual vacuum aspiration on a papaya. (Did you know the papaya is a great anatomical model of a uterus?)   Rosann Mariappuram, RHAP’s Program and Administrative Associate, was on hand too – fielding questions and taking pictures.

All the participants are deeply committed to providing health care to under served populations.  This was a great opportunity to engage future clinicians in thoughtful discussions about the importance of providing reproductive health care to everyone!