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AmeriCorps and the Medically Underserved in Utah
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Established in 2001, the Health Access Project (HAP) is a
community partnership that works to develop a more
effective system for providing health care to uninsured
residents of Salt Lake County.
AmeriCorps members have been a part of HAP’s success
since 2003, and they currently utilize FIVE full-time mem-
bers. These dedicated men and women work with local
physicians, hospitals, community clinics, private busi-
nesses and the state and local health department medical
providers to secure specialized medical services for low-
income and underserved patients.
Months after a serious flood destroyed their former
office HAP was able to move into a lovely new location,
full of sunshine. On December 3rd, HAP opened its
doors and welcomed community members and volunteer
providers to tour the new location and learn more about
their vital work in the community. Staff and AmeriCorps
members created excellent presentations to illuminate
the important work they do.
HAP Project Director Jessie Oyler notes that Ameri-
Corps member Tetea helped recruit volunteers with
expertise in catering services as well as with businesses
who agreed to donate food and materials for the event.
Tetea utilized her own expertise to create a beautiful and
delicious offering for their guests. AmeriCorps members
Emily and Victor also were influential in making the open
house successful by petitioning businesses for support
and recruiting volunteers.
During the Open
House, HAP also cele-
brated the naming of
Jessie Oyler as the
new Project Director.
Jessie started as a
Case Manager with
HAP in 2004, and
continued to progress
and learn, eventually
taking on the roles of
Primary Care Coordi-
nator and Case Man-
ager Supervisor. Jessie
is grateful for the men-
toring of previous
HAP Directors Daniel Nielson, who helped him realize
his goal of getting his Masters Degree in Public Admini-
stration, and Michael Gardner, who provided him with
the know-how and experience needed to be a successful
Project Director at HAP.
Jessie says that HAP could not perform its mission with-
out the dedication of the AmeriCorps members he leads,
that having these members saves the organization money
and maximizes the quality of care their clients receive.
Congratulations, Jessie, on your leadership of this won-
derful community resource, we are so excited to work
with you in the future!
A Good Beginning
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Computers for
the Community
of Bluff, Utah
2
A Joyful Day
with the
Salvation Army
3
New Faces, in
the Office and
the Field
4
A Big
Thank You to
our Supporters
5
Inspiring Letter
from the Field
6
AmeriCorps and the Medically
Underserved in Utah (AMUU)
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0
AMUU Program Director Cindy
Ewing and HAP Project Direc-
tor, Jessie Oyler celebrate their
agencies’ continued collabora-
tion.
During orientation week in October, amidst trainings in chronic disease, public health programs, first aid/
CPR, and community resources, AmeriCorps members worked together to craft a vision of how they
would fulfill the program’s mission this year.
After multiple sessions of teambuilding and collaboration, the members of the 2009-10 AmeriCorps and the
Medically Underserved in Utah pledged to fulfill our mission with Commitment, Courage, Respect,
Innovation, Empathy and Joy.
Since October we have seen our members bring these qualities to their service and are looking forward to
an incredibly successful program year.
Mission Statement AmeriCorps and the Medically Underserved in Utah (AMUU) strives to reduce
economic, geographic, cultural, and language barriers to health care and to
expand primary care services for medically underserved populations in Utah.
Worthy Celebrations and Warm Congratulations
AmeriCorps... Getting Things Done!
AMUU is a program of
P A G E 2
Innovative Service Benefits Bluff Community
Claudia Ruiz serves with
Comunidades Unidas (CU),
whose mission is to eliminate
ethnic disparities by promoting
grassroots outreach, educa-
tion and long term policy change.
CU has been serving the commu-
nity for 11 years and helping
more than 15,000 families annu-
ally.
Sabrina Morales, the director of
CU, says ―Claudia is a wonderful
addition to our caring group of
staff and volunteers. She brings
a great deal of energy and en-
thusiasm to everything we do.
She exhibits a great deal of
initiative and is very creative at
recruiting community members
as volunteers for our programs.
Prior to becoming an Ameri-
Corps member Claudia was
already an active volunteer for
CU. Her interest in working
with immigrant communities
and teaching them about how
to access services has been of
great help to our organiza-
tion.‖
Claudia also delivers weekly
news and information for the
Spanish-speaking community.
Listen to Claudia Saturdays
from 8-10am and Sundays 6-
8pm. The station is AM1640
¡SuperRadio!
Please consider donating your used, good condition computer
supplies to the computer lab in Bluff, Utah!
WISH LIST
An up-to-date computer (PCs or MACs with Microsoft Word)
A Microsoft Windows textbook (that is the current software on
all PCs now).
A Printer where at least 10 PCs could connect to as a network
Extra ink cartridges for those printers (enough for 10 students)
A phone line for broadband linkage between a network of PCs
Microsoft Excel software if not already on donated PCs or MACs
Printer paper
Keyboards and mouses (mice?)
Stable tables and chairs
Mouse Pads
Surge-protected extension cords
CD-ROMs or flash drives so students can save their work and
take them with them.
Donations are being accepted at the AMUU office in Salt Lake City.
Please call 801-716-4605 for more information.
Cathlena Plummer had the idea of starting a computer lab in her
community (the tiny town of Bluff in southeastern Utah) one day
while visiting with her mom and aunts. Her relatives talked about
how today’s technology had surpassed their expectations while
growing up and how modern kids were all glued to their iPods
and cell phones.
Cathlena’s mom pointed out that she didn’t even know how to
turn on the computer, let alone do anything with it. So Cathlena
struggled to give her mom a mental picture that the computer
was a huge filing cabinet filled with important documents and
pictures. This is when Cathlena had an ―Aha!‖ moment, and real-
ized that teaching computer classes would be a great service for
her community.
Cathlena and her mother spread the word and a lot of people
came through with help. The first five computers were donated
from the elementary school in Bluff by the Principal Monique
McDermott. Cathlena’s online buddy from California donated his
old PC, rather than just recycling it.
Finding space for the computer lab room has been a struggle. For
3 months, the computers were housed in the local priest’s per-
sonal office before being moved into an abandoned building. The
current location has a lot of wiring problems and doesn’t have an
adequate heating system; it’s hard to schedule classes in the win-
ter. Despite these challenges, Cathlena is excited to build the
computer lab.
Her students have already learned how to write up resumes and
cover letters. They hope to someday move into a building with
heat and a working bathroom. Cathlena dreams of someday hav-
ing access to a satellite internet system and wi-fi connectivity.
¡SuperRadio!
AmeriCorps Member
Claudia Ruiz
The Computer Lab in Bluff Utah, is the result of an Independent Service Project (ISP) organized by one AMUU member.
Each of our 32 members will complete an ISP throughout the course of their service year.
Important Dates: January-March January 6 Member Meeting 9-noon AUCH offices
January 15 AmeriCorps Member Social 6:30-9:30pm Our Lady of Lourdes
A Celebration of Service
January 18 Martin Luther King Jr Day 10:30-noon Utah Food Bank
of Service Project
January 20 Workshop: Writing Proposals 10am-1pm AUCH offices
January 28 Diabetes Training 9am-4pm Utah Department of Health
(Spanish)-Optional
February 3 Member Meeting ** 9-noon AUCH offices
March 3 All-Day Member Meeting 9am-5pm Indian Walk-In Center
March 24 Workshop: Motivational 10am-1pm AUCH offices
Interviewing and Behavior
Change
March 31 Members will Submit ―Letters from the Field‖-
A Reflection on this quarter’s service Due by 5pm
** Please remember to bring your donated blankets for the International Rescue Committee (IRC)—part of Jo
Hubbard’s ISP.
P A G E 3
Angel Tree Service Project When a group of people come together
with the intention to get things done,
it’s amazing what you will see happen in
a day. On December 18th, AMUU part-
nered with the Salvation Army Angel
Tree project to get something done
for low-income children in Utah.
Bright and early, AmeriCorps members
pulled into the parking lot of the old
Utah Food Bank warehouse, the sea-
sonal home of the Angel Tree project.
Spilling into the warehouse with smiles
on their faces, the AMUU crew started
by quickly organizing themselves and
dispersing into working groups.
In one corner of the warehouse, do-
nated items (clothes, shoes, winter
wear, and toys) were set out on tables
and racks so that a collection of items
could be compiled for each Angel Tree
recipient. Volunteers selected a large
black garbage sack printed with a child’s
name, gender, size, and requested items.
Volunteers then went ―shopping’ and
packaged gifts of much needed items for a
child in our community. Laughter and
encouraging remarks could be heard as
members did a different kind of ―holiday
shopping‖ and filled bag after bag with
donations for low-income families.
In vast aisles of bags that stretched from
one end of the warehouse to the next,
members worked together to ensure that
all the requested items were present and
that the bags were neatly sealed and or-
ganized for pick up.
Other members could be seen transport-
ing bags of collected donations throughout
the warehouse, talking and smiling as they
collaborated to accomplish something
they believe in – getting things done for
the community.
Still more AmeriCorps members could be
found at the front of the warehouse taping
labels on an endless stream of bags, which
were quickly filled and prepared for distri-
bution to Utah families.
“While volunteering at Angel Tree
with my AmeriCorps group, I was
filled with excitement and joy. Angel
Tree is such a great program and I
was glad to see my fellow Ameri-
Corps members working together...
to give local kids a great Christmas.
No matter what the value or quan-
tity of the clothes and toys we picked
out, it was obvious that the greatest
gift given this holiday season was the
gift of love and service.”
– Ashley Bridges, AMUU member
The day passed quickly and everyone left
feeling the deep satisfaction of having do-
nated a tangible service for the people in
their community.
The angel tree service project was just the
first of many service projects planned for
AMUU this year.
AMUU member Karina Martin does
some heavy lifting
AMUU members Victor Villasmil and
Cristina Ramos and Program Director
Cindy Ewing “shop” for kids.
New Faces in the Office: Cindy, Sara, and Baby Kai
P A G E 4
Cindy Ewing has a rich
history of working with
local non-profit organiza-
tions and is now bringing
her passion and leadership to AmeriCorps and
the Medically Underserved in Utah (AMUU). An
alumnus of AMUU, Cindy has already developed
a strong commitment to reducing barriers to
health care in our communities and an apprecia-
tion for the dedicated citizens who step forward
and contribute their time and talents to benefit
Utah’s medically underserved populations.
―The most exciting thing about leading
such an extraordinary program is the
wonderful group of people I have the
opportunity to work with. Our Ameri-
Corps members come from all over the
world and bring an incredible diversity of
skills and talents to the program.
Working with our AmeriCorps members
to promote access to health care and to
deliver compassionate and respectful ser-
vice to our community members is so
rewarding. I know our members are out
there making a difference in people’s lives
on a daily basis, and there is no way to
measure the true value of that kind of
work. It is an honor to be able to lead
such fabulous people and to help them
achieve their professional and personal
goals. The spirit of service is strong in our
program and the dedication of our mem-
bers to their clients is incredible.‖
Cindy is actively developing new relation-
ships with community organizations who
will promote our vision for accessible
health care and will enrich the services we
are able to offer our clients and community
members. Through quarterly service pro-
jects, AMUU will address Human, Environ-
mental, and Educational needs in Utah com-
munities.
Cindy Ewing,
Program Director
On the side, Sara shares her love of knit-
ting by teaching kids and adults needle-
working skills at a local yarn shop.
Sara is proud to join AMUU: ―I am so
lucky to have worked with so many kind,
generous individuals over the years. I truly
believe in the power of people to help
others, to support our community, and to
actively change the world for the better. I
am looking forward to working more
closely with our AmeriCorps members,
who are serving people and our communi-
ties with every-
thing they’ve got
(and who are
smart, interesting,
fun folks too!).
I would like to
thank everyone
who has welcomed me into this excel-
lent program. I will continue to work
hard to support our members and the
agencies and clients they serve.‖
We would like to welcome Sara
Moses, AMUU’s new Assistant Direc-
tor. Sara has a long tradition of work-
ing with non-profit organizations in
Salt Lake City; she started fresh out
of high school working specifically
with teen clients at Planned Parent-
hood and stayed on for many years
working with patients and then later
with donors. For the last few years,
Sara served as the Office Manager of
City Academy.
Sara Moses, AMUU Program Assistant Director
It is with joy and warm congratulations
that we announce the arrival of a new
baby! Kate Corrigan, AMUU Program
Assistant, and her husband Paul welcomed
Kai William Corrigan to the world on
Dec. 29, 2009. He weighed 8 pounds 3
ounces and was 22 inches long. The little
fellow has red hair! Kate and Paul, we
know you’ll enjoy this grand new adven-
ture and hope you enjoy spending time
with your new little guy!
Kate Corrigan, AMUU Program
Assistant and new baby Kai
“The best way to find yourself is to
lose yourself in the service of others.”
- Gandhi
“Life’s most urgent question is: what
are you doing for others?”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
P A G E 5
Thank You!
Engaging Books
“In the Time of the But-terflies” by Julia Alvarez (fiction)
“The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction)
“Writing Down the
Bones” by Natalie Gold-berg (non-fiction)
“Drumming got
everybody together
on the same level.
We were ONE
group. That was
the most excellent
thing that hap-
pened during
orientation.”
~AMUU member
We would like to highlight two non-profit agencies who donated significant time during Orientation Week. The Cultural Competency
training provided by the Human Rights Education Center of Utah prepared AmeriCorps members to go out into the community
and work with diverse populations in respectful and compassionate ways.
Rhythms of Life generously provided AMUU members with the opportunity to come together in collaboration, in self expression and in
group celebration, with a session of African Drumming led by owner Mike Liston.
The following businesses and individuals also contributed greatly to the success of Orientation Week: Anna Farnsworth, Sally Patrick,
Rita Ballesteros, Lorna Koci, Emma Chacon, Kevin McCulley, Milton Birbridge, Spencer Cannon, Erik Perez, Marc Babitz MD, Emily Carl-
son, Harmon’s, Chipotle, Soup Kitchen, and Einstein’s Bagels.
Dave Black recently joined AmeriCorps to
work with the Moab Free Health Clinic. The
clinic will soon be moving into their own
building, and Dave will be instrumental in all
aspects of moving the operation and opening
the new clinic.
This isn’t Bek Brochtrup’s first time serving as an
AmeriCorps volunteer; but it is the first time we’ve
been lucky enough to work with her. Bek will be serv-
ing at the Seekhaven Family Crisis and Resource Cen-
ter, which provides services for victims of domestic
violence and homeless people in the Moab community.
New Faces in the Field: Dave and Bek
Our newest members bring to AmeriCorps a diverse set of skills and a
“get it done” attitude. Welcome aboard!
“Rhythm is a universal language, allowing dialog among us at the most basic creative level. Drum-ming together cuts through racial , cultural and gender differences to the core of who we are as human beings” - Arthur Hull
P A G E 6
Letter From the Field
December 31, 2009
As an AmeriCorps member, I committed to getting things done and the last few months have been filled with doing just
that. While my host site looks to me to complete the duties of dental care coordinator, I have noticed that I spend a
large portion of my day doing whatever it takes to make Community Health Connect function and serve my
community, whether or not they have a dental need. That is what AmeriCorps is all about - seeing a need and finding or
creating a solution, even if it's not your "job". I have found such great satisfaction in my AmeriCorps service thus far as
each day I watch people leave my office with a smile on their face, knowing that they've found someone who cares
about them and with a renewed sense of hope in whatever situation they may find themselves in. My service to this
point has proved to be not only invaluable to those I am serving, but also to me in my own life. I find myself blessed
with an added measure of patience and charity, truly caring for those around me. While definitely not something I
would currently categorize as a strength of mine, I am learning to be more open minded and less judgmental as I serve
clients from a variety of circumstances, backgrounds, and cultures - getting to know them and their concerns instead of
assuming anything. While exhausted at the end of the day, I am happy and satisfied, knowing that I have done good in
the world and brought joy to someone else.
In the last few months, I have spoken with tons of people, each one impacting my life to a certain degree. There are a
couple of people who have, I believe, really defined my service the last few months. The first one is Ms. M, who came
into the office one afternoon in a complete panic. A few months earlier, she had been diagnosed with stage 3 breast
cancer and, through the generous donations of several doctors and the hospital, was receiving the life-saving
chemotherapy that she so desperately needed. However, during this time she began to develop an infection in her
mouth. Such an infection is never a good thing, especially left untreated, but for Ms. M, this was life threatening due to
her compromised and weakened immune system. With absolutely no insurance and no hope of scraping together
enough money to pay for a visit to the dentist, she came into Community Health Connect to see if there was anything
that we could do to help. Due to the extreme need in our community, the waiting list to see a dentist is generally
6 months. By the time Ms. M's turn came to see a dentist, there was a great possibility that she would be dead. After a
few minutes on the phone explaining the situation to an incredible dentist, Dr. D agreed to take Ms. M as a new patient.
Happily, Ms. M is receiving the dental care that she so desperately needed and because of the generosity of Dr. D and
several dental labs in Utah County, she is receiving all of the care and dental appliances free of charge to her.
Another client who has really left an impact on my life is Mr. P. In the last month, he has taught me and helped me so
much more than I have helped him. He came into the office at 5:45 on a Thursday afternoon. Everyone, including me,
was closing up for the weekend. When he told the girl at the front desk that he had some dental questions, I probably
rolled my eyes, slightly irritated that he would come in just as we were closing. My irritation only increased as we
talked. With slurred vision, inability to put together a coherent sentence, and droopy eyelids, I quickly assumed that he
was another strung out druggie looking for a handout. It wasn't long, however, before I was put in my place and
sufficiently humbled. The longer we talked, the more Mr. P shared with me about his life. A college graduate, with an
MBA no less, Mr. P was a husband and father of 3 small children. He had his own successful business and life seemed
to be perfect. One day, while at work, Mr. P suffered a severe seizure causing him to fall from the ladder he was on.
The resulting injuries would have been bad enough, but in addition Mr. P learned that he had a rare and severe
seizure disorder causing him to have several seizures throughout the day, many of them extremely serious. He has
lost his business, his independence, and each seizure is causing him to lose use of more and more parts of his brain -
explaining the slurred vision, droopy eyelids, and difficulty forming sentences. Mr. P came to us looking for help
with several root canals and happily we have found a dentist willing to help him out.
AmeriCorps is about getting things done, not about letting red tape, language, prejudices, assumptions, or
difficulties get in the way. As I continue in my service at Community Health Connect, I commit to do whatever
it takes to better serve my community including developing greater compassion and the courage necessary to be
innovative in my service.
Respectfully,
Rachel