Why Should I Join Health Leads?
Who We Are
Health Leads is a non-profit that mobilizes the nation’s undergraduates to provide high-impact services to low-income families and, in the process, to transform our healthcare system into one that is more effective and more just. To learn more about our work, our vision, and more, visit www.healthleadsusa.org.
Health Leads believes that undergraduates have what it takes to make real change – for individual families and for our country’s healthcare system. We are always seeking passionate, committed, social justice-minded students to join our movement.
The Health Leads Model
Operating in clinics and hospitals, Health Leads uses a family’s visit as an opportunity to address the non-medical issues that have an impact on health. Volunteers talk with families at the desk about their resource needs and connect them with appropriate services related to food, housing, health insurance, childcare, adult education, job
accessing resources and to provide further assistance – easing the frustration of
bureaucratic systems, language barriers, and administrative errors that often obstruct families’ access to services.
Our Health Leads Chicago Locations
Chicago Family Health Center
Located at 91st and Exchange Ave, the Chicago Family Health Center (CFHC) is a
Federally Qualified Health Center that provides primary care, dental services, and social support programs to residents of the far south and southeast portions of
Chicago. Last year, CFHC received 19,600 patients, with 96 percent of the patients at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. All shift times listed below include travel time by Metra train from Hyde Park to South Chicago and back. Transportation will be subsidized by Health Leads.
Shifts:
Monday-Friday 9:30AM-1PM and 1:30PM -5 PM Spanish-speaking volunteers needed!
LaRabida Children’s Hospital
Located at 65th and the Lake, LaRabida is the country’s only hospital exclusively for
children with chronic medical conditions or those who have been abused or neglected. All shift times listed below include travel time on the shuttle which runs between the University of Chicago Medical Center and LaRabida.
Shifts:
Tuesdays from 12pm-4pm.
Fridays from 8am-11am, and from 12pm-4pm
What It Takes
All Health Leads volunteers bring great commitment, creativity, tenacity, and humility to their work with families. And, as members of a volunteer community on their
campus, they continuously reflect on this work and develop their programs to achieve greater impact. Every volunteer in Health Leads:
Commits to dedicate a minimum of 7 hours a week.
Fulfills all program expectations. This includes participation in all training sessions (a prerequisite to serving for the academic year) and personal, client-centered engagement in all program activities as outlined in the application and
Participates in weekly Reflection Sessions and periodic campus events with fellow volunteers, to share best practices, discuss the intersection of health and poverty, learn from faculty and community members, develop new initiatives, and support each other in growing as leaders for change.
Contributes to the development of the Health Leads programs and vision in whatever ways s/he is most interested in, whether it be engineering a program improvement, spearheading a campus event, or something we haven’t even thought of yet.
Breakdown of the Volunteer’s Weekly Time Commitment
Shift: 4 hours a week.
Shifts are approximately 4 hours long including travel time. A shift includes being at the Health Leads Desk and helping new clients as well as reaching out to patients in waiting rooms who may be interested in joining our program. Reflection Session: 1 1/2 hours a week.
Volunteers meet together to both support the work done at the Health Leads Desk and to discuss larger issues of social justice and health disparities. Reflection Sessions are mandatory, and are held on campus in the evenings. Summer
Reflection Sessions will take on Monday evenings, 6:00-7:30pm. Location is yet to be determined.
Follow-Up with Patients: 1 hour a week.
In addition to your shift at the Health Leads Desk, you should be following up with your existing clients by calling them at least once every week.
The Application Process
Applications
Applications are due Saturday, May 12th no later than midnight. Applications should be submitted via email to [email protected]
All applicants will be required to complete a brief online demographic survey. This survey will not bear any weight with regards to the application decision, but is simply a means of data collection for Health Leads.
Applicants who are selected to advance will be contacted via email by 5 PM on Sunday, May 13th with the details of their interview.
Interviews
Interviews will be conducted by Health Lead’s student leaders and staff, and will last approximately one half hour. If you are selected for an interview, it will be scheduled between: Monday, May 14th – Thursday, May 17th
Final Decisions
Health Leads will notify applicants of acceptances by: Friday, May 18th at midnight We hope that you accept our offer! All applicants offered a volunteer position must reply to the offer by: Saturday, May 19th at midnight
Training Dates
If you decide to volunteer with Health Leads, please note that you will be required to attend training on campus on both of the following dates:
Saturday, June 16th, from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM Sunday, June 17th, from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
You will also be required to complete a series of online training power points and quizzes (via Chalk) by the first day of training. These will serve to teach you the rudimentary basics of the resource landscape in Chicago.
Summer Shifting Dates
Shifts will run from Monday, June 18th through Friday, August 24th. Volunteers also
have the option of extending their summer involvement with Health Leads through September.
Please note that you will need to provide a copy of your immunization record,
including one tuberculosis (TB) test, in order to volunteer with Health Leads. TB tests and copies of your immunization records are available for free from the Student Care
