One of the things that has been the most interesting to me here at Lawndale has been hearing different views on contraception. I came into this very skeptical. I'm very pro-contraception and many doctors at the clinic are not. I'm not quite so sure how I feel about contraception anymore. Here's why.
Many people would say this (like I used to): sure, abstinence is the best thing, but if people are going to have sex anyway, they should at least not be getting pregnant. Or: sure, try to be abstinent, but maybe you should be a birth control anyway just in case you screw up.
Here are some things you should know about the population that the clinic serves. It is probably 95% hispanic and african american and both of these cultures tend to be very religious. If you ask a patient here if they believe in Jesus, almost all will say yes. As my friend Justin said, "It's like: fried chicken, apple pie, and baby Jesus."
We had a conversation about this with Dr. Wayne Detmer whom I very much respect. He used to give out contraception to anyone who wanted it, but for the past year, he's only been giving it to married couples.
Here's why: he says,
"If a patient tells me that they believe in Jesus, I say something along the lines of, 'Well what do you think Jesus would think about you having sex with this person?' (in a non-judgemental, simply curious, tone of voice). And the patients say, 'I know what I'm doing is wrong'.
What Dr. Detmer has struggled with is the question of the fellow Christian. If this patient is saying that they believe in Jesus and that what they're doing is wrong, he's not just dealing with a patient, but with a fellow Christian. And is it wrong for him to endorse the sin of his fellow believer?
Here's the part that really gets me. Many of these girls have never been told that not having sex is an option. You ask them, "Is this the kind of guy you seeing yourself ending up with?" Their reaction is usually a resounding no. And you say, "Is this really what you want to be doing? Is it making you happy?" Not quite so resounding, but also usually a no. And when they hear that they don't have to have sex, the looks on their faces are shocking. Because it seems to plain to me- of course you don't have to have sex. But this is news to them.
Here's the kicker for me. One of the doctors said to us, "If I tell these young girls that they don't have to have sex, that their lives will be less complicated, that they don't want to get STDs, ect, and I say, 'I really think you should try abstinence' and then I give her the birth control anyway, just in case, the message I'm sending is, 'I think you should try to be abstinent, but I don't really believe you can." Wow, I just keep thinking about that. And I'm still not sure what I think.
Many of the patients here need someone to believe in them much more than they need birth control. I just can't get that thought out of my head. If you preach abstinence but continue to give birth control, you're sending the message that you don't believe abstinence is possible. That you don't believe your patients can be abstinent. That's what everyone has always told them. Someone needs to believe in them.
This is probably rambling, but I'm still trying to make sense of it in my head which is why it probably doesn't make sense here. Anyone have any thoughts? I'm open.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
i am sooo bad!
Wow, I am so sorry for how horrible I've been able keeping up with my blog since I've been in Chicago. Let me give you two excuses: 1. Our days are sooo long and exhausting and 2. I have been pretty sick this week which adds to the exhaustion.
I am struggling with sinus problems which are affecting my asthma and all of this is not helped by the poor air quality here in Chicago, the necessity of sleeping with the windows open, and living with cats. I don't really feel like I can skip out on things at the clinic so I just try to get a lot of rest while I'm home.
I didn't let my sickness stop me from going out with some of the group on our Wednesday off. We went downtown and got off the train at Millennium Park. For those of you who know Chicago well, you will realize that what I'm about to say is absolutely crazy. From that point, the group decided that they wanted to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo (which for the record is nicer than the Indy Zoo and free as opposed to $13). And they wanted to walk! I knew it was far but I had no idea how far. It took us over and hour to get there! But we got a great walking tour of the city. After the zoo, half the group went home but three of us stayed around for the free concert. It was excellent! There are free concerts in Millennium Park every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday during the summer. Chicago is so much fun!
On the non-medical side, we have been having great discussions about racial reconciliation during our conference times and we are all making great bonds with the kids that we're mentoring. Hopefully this Sunday, I'll be going with Mayra to her church and then out for some authentic Mexican food in our neighborhood, Little Village.
We have our second health fair tomorrow and hopefully it will be as successful as the first!
Oh yes, and I registered for my grad school classes at IUPUI. I'm getting a master of science degree there this year.
Hopefully it won't be so long before I write again! Thanks for not loosing faith!
I am struggling with sinus problems which are affecting my asthma and all of this is not helped by the poor air quality here in Chicago, the necessity of sleeping with the windows open, and living with cats. I don't really feel like I can skip out on things at the clinic so I just try to get a lot of rest while I'm home.
I didn't let my sickness stop me from going out with some of the group on our Wednesday off. We went downtown and got off the train at Millennium Park. For those of you who know Chicago well, you will realize that what I'm about to say is absolutely crazy. From that point, the group decided that they wanted to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo (which for the record is nicer than the Indy Zoo and free as opposed to $13). And they wanted to walk! I knew it was far but I had no idea how far. It took us over and hour to get there! But we got a great walking tour of the city. After the zoo, half the group went home but three of us stayed around for the free concert. It was excellent! There are free concerts in Millennium Park every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday during the summer. Chicago is so much fun!
The whole team at one of our group dinners (here at Dae and Esther's house)
The night before, on Tuesday, I had promised Shane that I would go to Borders on Michigan Ave to get Floyd Landis' book signed for him. It was definitely worth it because I got to have my picture taken with Floyd. He's a really nice guy. In case you don't know, Landis is the guy who won the Tour de France last year and was accused of doping.
Me and Floyd Landis. On a side note: I did not see him put his arm around any other fans.
The project is going well. Our home visits are going much better- we had zero "no shows" this week and made lots of appointments for patients to see their doctors. We felt like we actually accomplished something this week. At our health fair last Saturday, we did over 150 blood pressure and blood glucose screenings! This is really a great step in encouraging people to seek routine medical care.
Our home visit teams
The Chicas: Linda and Jenna
The Hawks: Gabe and Mahate
The Ninjas: Justin and Ibukun
The Canes: Chase and Jess
Some pictures from our first health fair at a local grocery store
On the non-medical side, we have been having great discussions about racial reconciliation during our conference times and we are all making great bonds with the kids that we're mentoring. Hopefully this Sunday, I'll be going with Mayra to her church and then out for some authentic Mexican food in our neighborhood, Little Village.
We have our second health fair tomorrow and hopefully it will be as successful as the first!
Oh yes, and I registered for my grad school classes at IUPUI. I'm getting a master of science degree there this year.
Hopefully it won't be so long before I write again! Thanks for not loosing faith!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
a few observations
There were a few things from my day that I wanted to write down:
1. I find it interesting that in the neighborhood where I'm living, the only regular kind of store is Target- the most expensive store of its kind. And it has a Starbucks. Not complaining, just observing.
2. I'm sitting in the kitchen with the balcony door open because it's hot and there is very loud music in Spanish. But it's kind of summery and festive:) I think I like it.
3. What goes around comes around: As I was wheeling my cart of groceries out to my car today a girl probably about my age said, "Excuse me, can I ask you a favor?" I said sure and she told me that her car was sitting at the gas station of the store (Food-for-Less) completely out of gas and her debit card wasn't working. She asked if I would give her 2 or 3 dollars to put a little gas in her car to get back home, adding that she was so embarrassed. I had some cash on me that I gave to her, she thanked me and we parted ways. After I loaded my groceries, I also needed gas so I pulled into the station. As I was filling my tank, the lady at the pump next to me said, "Would you like one of these coupons for 10 cents off per gallon? I have several of them." I couldn't believe it. I had just helped someone pay for their gas and now someone was helping me pay for mine. I say this because I think this is one of the most important lessons that Lawndale has to offer. The people at the clinic may be giving up things to work there, but when you give of yourself in faith (no matter how big or small), you will never be empty. Your cup will overflow.
1. I find it interesting that in the neighborhood where I'm living, the only regular kind of store is Target- the most expensive store of its kind. And it has a Starbucks. Not complaining, just observing.
2. I'm sitting in the kitchen with the balcony door open because it's hot and there is very loud music in Spanish. But it's kind of summery and festive:) I think I like it.
3. What goes around comes around: As I was wheeling my cart of groceries out to my car today a girl probably about my age said, "Excuse me, can I ask you a favor?" I said sure and she told me that her car was sitting at the gas station of the store (Food-for-Less) completely out of gas and her debit card wasn't working. She asked if I would give her 2 or 3 dollars to put a little gas in her car to get back home, adding that she was so embarrassed. I had some cash on me that I gave to her, she thanked me and we parted ways. After I loaded my groceries, I also needed gas so I pulled into the station. As I was filling my tank, the lady at the pump next to me said, "Would you like one of these coupons for 10 cents off per gallon? I have several of them." I couldn't believe it. I had just helped someone pay for their gas and now someone was helping me pay for mine. I say this because I think this is one of the most important lessons that Lawndale has to offer. The people at the clinic may be giving up things to work there, but when you give of yourself in faith (no matter how big or small), you will never be empty. Your cup will overflow.
where has all my time gone?!
I can't believe it's been a week since my last post! Time is really flying here in Chicago. We've been busy with work and a little bit of fun as well:)
This past weekend we went to Taste of Chicago which was fun, but don't worry, the Indiana State Fair is better! Taste of Chicago works like this: a bunch of local restaurants set up booths along Columbus and there are booths where you buy tickets. Then at each food booth, you can buy normal portions for so many tickets, or each booth has a "taste" portion for fewer tickets. We all got a bunch of different things are shared them. Of course I had to get a Chicago style hotdog even though I've tasted them before. I LOVE hotdogs! After the Taste, we went to see Ratatouille. Very cute. I recommend it.
While I'm talking about fun things, we also went to Chicago's big fireworks last night. They do theirs on the 3rd for some reason. The fireworks were amazing, although I've never been in such a huge crowd before. We took public transportation and while it was crowded and a bit uncomfortable, it was very easy- I love a good public transportation system. We have the day off every Wednesday and even though we've only been officially working for 2 days I was definitely ready for a lazy day.
Every morning we have a conference on something. On Mondays we have an hour of time with the highschool kids that we're mentoring. This past Monday was our first chance to really get to talk to them and it went very well. They're excited about spending time with us and although we feel inadequate to be mentors, I think that a lot of positive things will come out of this part of the project. The girl that I'm mentoring is Mayra. She is a great girl with a very positive outlook on life, but her life isn't easy. I would really appreciate your specific prayers for the time that Mayra and I spend together, and that in some way, I would be able to give her what she needs right now.
We also had another conference on Monday where we talked about the pros and cons of being a doctor in the inner city. The guy who led the conference has published a paper about a study that he did on this topic. It was a great conference.
Also on Mondays and Thursdays in the afternoons we shadow different providers at the clinic. This past Monday I was with a male nurse practitioner seeing Family Medicine patients. It wasn't anything terribly exciting, except that it's exciting to see that people are getting their basic health needs met in an affordable and caring setting as opposed to going to the ER. I did get to speak to one patient in Spanish and it was a great encouragement to keep practicing because people really appreciate a kind word in their own language.
Mondays and Thursdays are also the days that we get to have dinner at the home of someone who works in the clinic. This Monday it was the CFO/COO of the clinic. He lives in the neighborhood in a beautifully remodeled house. That's one of my favorite parts about the clinic at Lawndale- so many of the providers live right in the neighborhood and when their patients know that, it really deepens that relationship. I think this has been one of the most important parts of Lawndale's success. This guy's kids go to magnet schools with kids from the neighborhood and play on the same baseball teams. Children are often one of the biggest reasons that people don't live in the neighborhood, but this family really has a great faith that this is where they're supposed to be and that they will be taken care of. I asked them if they had ever had any scary experiences and the father said that while they were remodeling the house was broken into almost every night but that once they moved in 2 years ago, that hadn't happened. "I'm sure we'll get broken into someday," he said calmly, "It's just the reality of the situation." But the people on the block know and trust this family, and that goes a long way.
We had our first home visits yesterday and my team had kind of a frustrating day. But since this post is already long and since it was only the first day I'm going to wait until Friday after our second home visits to write about that.
More soon (and pictures!)
This past weekend we went to Taste of Chicago which was fun, but don't worry, the Indiana State Fair is better! Taste of Chicago works like this: a bunch of local restaurants set up booths along Columbus and there are booths where you buy tickets. Then at each food booth, you can buy normal portions for so many tickets, or each booth has a "taste" portion for fewer tickets. We all got a bunch of different things are shared them. Of course I had to get a Chicago style hotdog even though I've tasted them before. I LOVE hotdogs! After the Taste, we went to see Ratatouille. Very cute. I recommend it.
While I'm talking about fun things, we also went to Chicago's big fireworks last night. They do theirs on the 3rd for some reason. The fireworks were amazing, although I've never been in such a huge crowd before. We took public transportation and while it was crowded and a bit uncomfortable, it was very easy- I love a good public transportation system. We have the day off every Wednesday and even though we've only been officially working for 2 days I was definitely ready for a lazy day.
Every morning we have a conference on something. On Mondays we have an hour of time with the highschool kids that we're mentoring. This past Monday was our first chance to really get to talk to them and it went very well. They're excited about spending time with us and although we feel inadequate to be mentors, I think that a lot of positive things will come out of this part of the project. The girl that I'm mentoring is Mayra. She is a great girl with a very positive outlook on life, but her life isn't easy. I would really appreciate your specific prayers for the time that Mayra and I spend together, and that in some way, I would be able to give her what she needs right now.
We also had another conference on Monday where we talked about the pros and cons of being a doctor in the inner city. The guy who led the conference has published a paper about a study that he did on this topic. It was a great conference.
Also on Mondays and Thursdays in the afternoons we shadow different providers at the clinic. This past Monday I was with a male nurse practitioner seeing Family Medicine patients. It wasn't anything terribly exciting, except that it's exciting to see that people are getting their basic health needs met in an affordable and caring setting as opposed to going to the ER. I did get to speak to one patient in Spanish and it was a great encouragement to keep practicing because people really appreciate a kind word in their own language.
Mondays and Thursdays are also the days that we get to have dinner at the home of someone who works in the clinic. This Monday it was the CFO/COO of the clinic. He lives in the neighborhood in a beautifully remodeled house. That's one of my favorite parts about the clinic at Lawndale- so many of the providers live right in the neighborhood and when their patients know that, it really deepens that relationship. I think this has been one of the most important parts of Lawndale's success. This guy's kids go to magnet schools with kids from the neighborhood and play on the same baseball teams. Children are often one of the biggest reasons that people don't live in the neighborhood, but this family really has a great faith that this is where they're supposed to be and that they will be taken care of. I asked them if they had ever had any scary experiences and the father said that while they were remodeling the house was broken into almost every night but that once they moved in 2 years ago, that hadn't happened. "I'm sure we'll get broken into someday," he said calmly, "It's just the reality of the situation." But the people on the block know and trust this family, and that goes a long way.
We had our first home visits yesterday and my team had kind of a frustrating day. But since this post is already long and since it was only the first day I'm going to wait until Friday after our second home visits to write about that.
More soon (and pictures!)
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