Community Rotation Log
Date: 4/13/2015-4/17/2015
Location: William F. Ryan Community Health Center
Activities: Compiled outreach materials; observed prenatal discussion group; read policy & procedure manual; took down March bulletin board & collected materials for April bulletin board; observed recertification sessions; updated outreach binder; assembled prenatal nutrition educational tool kit; called participants for appointment reminders; gathered recipes; called facilities as part of outreach project; watched educational video on breastfeeding; read educational materials on breastfeeding
Comments: As this was my first week, I familiarized myself with the policies and procedures of the facility. This proved very helpful as I noticed a breach of the policy and procedure manual in a prenatal nutrition educational tool kit that was being produced for clients; we were able to correct the issue before its distribution. I found the office very inviting as it is decorated well for parents and children. I was asked to take down the March bulletin board which focused on the National Nutrition Month theme- "bite into a healthy lifestyle" and I am currently working on putting up the April bulletin board- "what's in season this spring?" Since the state is coming for a site visit next week I have been asked to organize, update, and improve the WIC outreach binder, which contains logs of outreach activities from year to year. I contacted many schools, day cares, and other facilities to set up appointments to discuss possible outreach opportunities. As I do not know much about the WIC program, observing individual and group sessions has been a great learning experience. The breastfeeding counselor provided me with many resources to learn about breastfeeding as I will be working with her closely.
Learning Objectives Met: CRD 1.3, CRD 1.4, CRD 1.5, CRD 2.1, CRD 2.2, CRD 2.5, CRD 2.8, CRD 2.9, CRD 2.10, CRD 2.11, CRD 3.2, CRD 3.6, CRD 4.1, CRD 4.5
Hours: 40
Date: 4/20/2015-4/24/3015
Location: William F. Ryan Community Health Center
Activities: Observed HNU (health and nutrition update) session; updated outreach binder; contacted possible sites for outreach activities; put up April bulletin board; updated follow-up weights of prenatal cohort; participated in AmeriCorps' Children's Health Fair; assembled prenatal nutrition educational tool kit; read educational materials on breastfeeding; compiled materials for screen-free week
Comments: As the State was scheduled to visit this facility there was much work to be done this week to prepare. I spent most of my time updating the outreach binder which contains logs of outreach activities performed and strategies for the future. I contacted schools, day cares, and head start programs that I will visit during my rotation to promote WIC and its workshops. After I put up the April bulletin board in the WIC waiting room (just in time for the State's arrival), the Chief Behavioral Health Officer at the Ryan Center liked it so much she asked if I could put the same bulletin board up on her floor (which I did). The theme for the bulletin board was "what's in season this spring?" I selected pictures of fruits and vegetables that are currently in season and posted information on how to select them, how to store them, and their nutrition benefits. As this health center is predominantly Spanish speaking participants- the information on the bulletin board was translated into Spanish as well. The Special Projects Manager at WIC received a grant to study the impact of nutrition education on prenatal woman and their weight gain during preganacy. She designed a toolkit to be distributed to prenatals that includes nutrition information and a food journal- I am helping to assemble these. As part of the outreach initiative I took part in the Americorps Children's Health Fair by distributing educational materials on healthy eating (MyPyramid & MyPlate), summer snacks & activities ideas, and playing "wheel of fortune" with nutrition questions. Whether the child got the question correct or not they received a price after I took that opportunity to educate them. I also passed out apples- which the children were excited to eat. There was also an asthma screening test and a face painter at the fair- it was a great turnout despite having to move the fair inside due to inclement weather. May 4-10th is screen-free week; I have been asked to partner with AmeriCorps to create an event centered around turning off the TV and living life!
Learning Objectives Met: CRD 1.4, CRD 2.1, CRD 2.2, CRD 2.4, CRD 2.5, CRD 2.8, CRD 2.9, CRD 2.10, CRD 2.11, CRD 3.2, CRD 3.3, CRD 3.4, CRD 3.5, CRD 4.5
Hours: 40
Date: 4/27/2015-5/1/2015
Location: William F. Ryan Community Health Center
Activities: Prepared WIC pamphlets and flyers for distribution; researched Dia del Nino for celebration; observed breastfeeding session; prepared 'screen-free week' booklet; read breastfeeding educational material; celebrated Dia del Nino
Comments: I prepared WIC pamphlets and flyers in both English and Spanish for distribution to outreach sites I have contacted to promote WIC and its services. Dia del Nino (Dia del Libro) is a global celebration of children and literacy; at WIC we decorated the office for the 'party', provided snacks (ants on a log), coloring books, a make your own book activity, a librarian was also present for story time and to sign up children for library cards; unfortunately the face painter (which was a hit at the Children's Health Fair) did not show up. I also promoted our event next week- 'screen-free week' by handing out pledge cards to parents that stated they would limit the amount of screen time their children are allowed during this one week. Observing the breastfeeding session was a great learning experience. I was able to speak to a mother currently breastfeeding about the challenges she faces as well as the rewards- the use of a breastfeeding pump was also demonstrated.
Learning Objectives Met: CRD 1.2, CRD 1.3, CRD 1.4, CRD 2.1, CRD 2.2, CRD 2.4, CRD 2.5, CRD 2.8, CRD 2.9, CRD 2.10, CRD 3.2, CRD 3.3, CRD 3.5, CRD 4.5
Hours: 40
Date: 5/4/2015-5/8/2015
Location: William F. Ryan Community Health Center
Activities: Organized 'screen-free week'; prepared Mother's Day cards; read educational breastfeeding material; observed certification session; updated weights of prenatal cohort; assembled prenatal toolkits; reviewed powerpoint for child nutrition workshop; updated iron handout; prepared outreach schedule; observed breastfeeding peer counselor session; prepared outreach materials
Comments: This week was 'screen-free week'; I turned off the TV in the waiting room and posted signs about the event. I prepared educational materials including a fact sheet, a family guide to a great screen-free week, bringing family meals back, 10 steps to screen-proof our homes, 101 screen-free activities, strategies to reduce television viewing in your home, and a quiz on how much TV your chilren really watch. I also continued handing out pledge cards to parents that stated they would limit the amount of screen time their children are allowed this week. Some parents were not open to this idea as their responses indicated that their children are limited in their TV watching or that without TV their child would not be entertained. A face painter came one day, which drew a lot of children from the other departments to our table which also had coloring books and a make your own book activity. Since the departments are so close together at the Ryan Center, I feel it would have been more effective to turn off all the Tvs in all the waiting rooms (i.e. pediatrics, women's health, etc.). We started handing out Mother's Day cards this week with fruit and vegetable puns on them which went over well for Valentine's Day. The breastfeeding coordinator has been providing me with some great resources to learn more about the benefits and challenges of breastfeeding. As I only know very little about this subject this information is invaluable as I explore a career as an international board certified lactation consultant. Observing a breastfeeding peer counselor session was also very interesting. During my last week here I was asked to accompany an RD to a child nutrition workshop so I reviewed the powerpoint on hand to determine the quality and points to be discussed. I updated a handout on the importance of eating iron rich foods during pregnancy and childhood. It listed the symptoms of anemia, iron rich foods, the benefit of combining vitamin C rich foods with iron rich foods, and menu examples. Over the next 2 weeks I have scheduled times to visit the outreach sites I contacted to promote WIC and its ervices. Learning Objectives Met: CRD 1.3, CRD 1.4, CRD 2.1, CRD 2.2, CRD 2.3, CRD 2.5, CRD 2.8, CRD 3.2, CRD 3.3, CRD 3.5, CRD 4.5
Hours: 40
Date: 5/11/2015-5/15/2015
Location: William F. Ryan Community Health Center
Activities: Assembled prenatal toolkits; prepared summer bulletin board materials; read educational breastfeeding material; organized and ran 'kids playdate'; carried out outreach strategies
Comments: As there is limited space in the office I have been assembling prenatal toolkits as space becomes available to store them. I have assembled over 100 to date. Although my rotation ends before summer begins I have been asked to prepare materials for the bulletin board 'what's in season this summer' which describes fruits and vegetables in season during the summer months and information on how to select and store them, as well as their nutritional benefits. 'Kids playdate' is a program that promotes physical activity and healthy eating while parents attend their appointments at WIC. While I prepared several games for this two hour program I found it difficult at times because there were kids of all ages in attendance and the difficulty level of the games were not appropriate for everyone. Unforunately, there was not enough children to seperate them into two groups based on age but there should be a more efficient way to run this program that would benefit all the children who come. I visited several of the outreach sites I had contacted in the preceding weeks to promote WIC; hopefully these sites will host WIC workshops on child nutrition, breastfeeding, or other related topics in the future.
Learning Objectives Met: CRD 1.3, CRD 1.4, CRD 1.5, CRD 2.1, CRD 2.2, CRD 2.5, CRD 2.8, CRD 2.9, CRD 2.10, CRD 2.11, CRD 3.2, CRD 3.3, CRD 4.5
Hours: 24
Date: 5/18/2015-5/22/2015
Location: William F. Ryan Community Health Center
Activities: Prepared materials for summer bulletin boards; carried out outreach strategies; observed prenatal discussion group; attended staff meeting; updated outreach binder; updated prenatal cohort study data; presented workshop on child nutrition; assembled prenatal toolkits
Comments: As this was my last week, I tried to visit as many outreach sites as possible to promote WIC and setup future workshops. Overall I think the outreach went well; some sites were eager to discuss partnerships etc. while others were not as enthusiastic but accepted the promotional materials. Observing the prenatal discussion group was a great learning experience that demonstrated the need for excellent counseling skills and ability to facilitate group discussions throughout the nutrition field. I am glad that I was able to attend a staff meeting here; it showed me the flexibility workers exhibit in order to provide the greatest services to its participants. The rapport I have witnessed between the staff and WIC participants is both impressive and inspiring. Fidelis (NYS health insurance coverage) asked WIC to present a nutrition workshop to parents at a Catholc elementary school in Harlem. It was agreed that I would present on building a healthy meal and answer any nutrition-related questions that may arise. Upon arrival I learned that the attendees did not speak English so a representative from Fidelis translated. The workshop went over very well, there was much engagement with the parents and I discovered a passion for teaching that I did not know I possessed. I enjoyed this rotation the most and I plan to start my job search in the community sector.
Learning Objectives Met: CRD 1.2, CRD 1.3, CRD 1.4, CRD 1.5, CRD 2.1, CRD 2.2, CRD 2.3, CRD 2.4, CRD 2.5, CRD 2.8, CRD 2.9, CRD 2.10, CRD 2.11, CRD 3.2, CRD 3.3, CRD 3.4, CRD 4.5
Hours: 40
Total Hours Completed: 224