2018 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2018 | Page 19

Chase Brexton Health Care is a wonderful organization that offers services such as
Primary Care, OB/GYN, LGBT Health Resource Center, Behavioral Health, and Case
Management. As a POWER Project intern in the Case Management and Outreach
Department, I had the opportunity to collaborate with social workers to develop
a plan that addresses a patient’s health, transportation, and financial needs and to
work with medical providers to increase retention of patients living with HIV. POW-
ER stands for Protecting Ourselves With Every Resource and the clinic offers walk-in
HIV testing and preventative counseling, including pre-exposure and post-expo-
sure treatment.
Before starting this internship, I was quite unsure of where I would fit in, especially
because I would only be here for a few months. However, from the very first day,
I have been surrounded by amazing individuals who taught me the ins and outs
of case management and who constantly pushed me to overcome my fears and
supported me despite my mistakes. One of my goals this summer was to learn how
to best provide support for people living with HIV. From interacting with patients in
the clinic to participating in outreach events, I have been able to build relationships
with community members and hear about their experiences. I have learned that
there is still a stigma towards people living with HIV and making an extra effort to
help the patient feel comfortable, such as asking what their preferred pronouns are,
can contribute to a better experience.
It is hard for me to put in words just how incredible my experience has been this
summer. I am especially thankful to the POWER team for welcoming me so gra-
ciously and showing me what it means to be compassionate and dedicated to your
work. Their passion to help the community has inspired me to stay in Baltimore
even longer and I aspire to be as loving and resilient in the future.
Community Partner: Chase Brexton - POWER Project
Intern: Ananya Sarkar
Site Supervisor: Krupa Mehta
What is Chase Brexton?
Our mission is to provide compassionate, quality health care that honors diver-
sity, inspires wellness, and improves our communities.
• Assessed patients’ health, trans-
portation, and insurance needs and
developed a case management plan
• Increased patient retention by out-
reaching to HIV+ patients due for
labs
• Collaborated with Case Managers to
interpret rapid HIV test results
• Tabled at community outreach
events and provided information
about the services and counseling
offered at Chase Brexton
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