How I help my patients find better health at home
Fatima Kourouma’s reflections on seven years as an AIRnyc Community Health Worker
I recently visited an elderly couple here in the Bronx. Both in their 70’s. They were very sick. Chronic asthma. High blood pressure. Diabetes. Life is difficult for them. They’re starting to have trouble remembering things, like appointments and medications, even with calendar reminders or insulin chill packs or medication organizers. Sometimes they don’t have enough money for food or transportation. They just can’t keep it all together.
This is a very familiar situation to any Community Health Worker. We know what to do to help. It was clear to me that the couple could not handle their living situation by themselves. They needed a home health aide who could be there every day.
I asked for their health insurance card and called the number on the back. The plan told me they couldn’t help the couple in this way, so they directed me to long-term Medicare. The couple qualified for services that help them with medication, transportation, and even grocery shopping.
The thing is, the couple could never have done this on their own. It took me more than two hours per call to get this done. Talking with the health plan. Talking to the local hospital. Saying the right things. But today, this couple is getting what they need to stay as healthy as they can. They called me back the other day to thank me and bless me for making these connections for them. I was very touched by this. It’s why I do what I do.
Community Health Workers take the time to listen and understand. We speak their language. Not just the actual language, like French, Susu, or Mandingo, but we speak in a familiar way. We live in the same neighborhoods. Eat the same food. I come from Guinea in West Africa and I know that sometimes it’s hard to know who to trust or what services are available in the community that they can benefit from when you’re in a new country, especially when you have health needs. I create that connection and trust. In the process, I’m not just helping people in the short term with that particular appointment or medication instructions, I am changing their overall relationship with healthcare.
Most of my work takes place in apartments. Take asthma, for example. A lot of patients don’t think that asthma is severe. They don’t realize you can be hospitalized for days or even die from it. When I go into an apartment, I often know within a few minutes what the asthma triggers are. I walk into the bathroom and see that half of the wall and ceiling are covered in mold. There are holes for mice. Food is on the counter, attracting roaches. People are busy and can’t always address all the problems themselves.
Patients need AIRnyc. They are facing so many challenging conditions in their daily lives, and there are so many things that I can do for these patients to help ease that burden. Little things like cleaning with natural products, repainting and plugging holes can make a difference. Other times, we help with bigger issues: identifying public advocates, finding lawyers, contacting the landlord, doing whatever we can do to make sure that they don’t get sicker living in terrible conditions. I like to think that our work helps people find their voice when it comes to health, understanding their rights and learning how to ask for help when they need it.
This work is my passion. I hear from my patients who say, “Fatima, I’m counting on you! Without you, I don’t know what I would be doing.” And I feel like, “Oh my, this patient’s life is on me.” Because, you know she doesn’t have a support system. You know that without me, without AIRnyc, she would be alone. That is my motivation to work, for being in these tough conditions. I know I’m making a difference.
