Claire Gardner: North Shore Health Project

The staff as well as the clients of the North Shore Health Project have been so welcoming to me and are excited that I am joining their team for the summer. The Health Project is an agency that works to promote wellness and healthy living for individuals with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. They do this by providing support services through case management as well as holistic healing opportunities and weekly support groups. From day one I have been interacting and forming relationships with the clients during our joint client and staff lunches every Monday and Wednesday. The stories the clients have shared and the relationships I have formed already have been eye-opening.

One of my main projects at the Health Project is to organize and facilitate the support groups each Wednesday. Each week there is a different support group rotating between Game Night, Hepatitis C support group, HIV support group, and a Women’s Group. I bring discussion questions to help stir conversation as well as provide answers and insight to questions from the previous week regarding laws and legislature that pertains to their experiences. This allows me to research topics I am unfamiliar with and gain knowledge from that research. I enjoy taking part in the support groups because it allows me to connect with the clients and understand their stories. The support groups are a fun and relaxing environment that allow the clients to comfortably engage with one another and share what is on their mind.

Almost a decade ago, the Health Project published “20 Years, 20 Voices”, a book that celebrated their 20th anniversary by sharing the fascinating life stories of their clients. In 2018, the Health Project will be celebrating their 30th anniversary and would like to celebrate in a similar manner. As part of this project, I will be interviewing clients throughout the summer to collect information and stories to be shared. This will really allow me to connect with the clients and learn from their experiences and stories. I look forward to meeting clients I haven’t gotten the chance to talk to yet as well as learn more about the ones I have already met.

Recently, the Health Project opened a new program called ONESTOP Harm Reduction Center. With the current opioid epidemic we are facing, ONESTOP provides services and education to prevent overdoses, stop the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C and improve the health of active opioid users in each step of their recovery. They also provide free testing for HIV, Hepatitis C and STDs. One day a week I spend my time at ONESTOP helping with outreach and education. The two other staff members and myself go to local shelters, food pantries, and safe spaces to present our mission and educate those on overdose prevention.

What I like most about interning at the Health Project is that I get to fully interact with the community around me. Just in the short two and a half weeks I have been here, the interactions I have with community members have been extremely impactful and have already been a beneficial experience for me. Interning for the Health Project has given me a step into the public health side of medicine that I hope to pursue in my future. I am grateful for this experience and feel as though the experiences I have gained and continue to gain will help me in my future career goals.