Written by: Jennifer G. Izaguirre Martinez
“Baltimore City Health Department, this is Jennifer speaking. How may I assist you?”
“Buenos días. Español por favor.”
A vast majority of the phone calls directed to the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) begin in this way, with a request for accessibility. Some patients are looking for urgent dental care, pap smears, or STD testing, all of which are services offered by various clinics within the health department. Yet, many of the calls I answered this summer were inquiries that pertained to the health of local Baltimore City children. Parents wanted to learn more about the BCHD’s TIKE Clinic.
Our TIKE Clinic
TIKE stands for To Immunize Kids Everywhere. This service provides all the recommended vaccines for children ages 2 months to 18 years of age. Our knowledgeable community health nurses administer vaccines that protect children from diseases like polio and varicella, at no cost to uninsured and underinsured families. By prompting children’s immune systems to produce antibodies, the program constitutes a facet of an ambitious plan to eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases in Baltimore City children. As a Honduran student who is majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology, the goals of the Immunization Program not only aligned with my interests in biology and healthcare advocacy, but they also coincided with my culture.
A Diverse Community
During my time as a Clinical Assistant Intern at the BCHD’s Immunization Program, I have had the privilege of speaking with families from Venezuela, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Nicaragua, and many other countries. Like most of the patients and families I encountered, I have two last names, speak Spanish as my first language, and grew up with a strong sense of family and community. Although these commonalities may seem of little consequence to some, they matter when a child needs access to health services in a new country. The sheer number of relieved sighs that I have heard from fathers and mothers is overwhelming. I can still see their brows unfurrowing and their gentle smiles beginning to form at the edge of their lips when they realize I speak the same language as them.
Having multilingual workers in clinical settings is essential to promoting equitable access to healthcare, especially in diverse communities like Baltimore. Speaking Spanish and English allowed me to communicate with patients and nurses alike, bridging their connection. I could translate a mother’s concern about her son’s allergies, answer questions about the possible side effects of a shot, walk families through consent forms, and request immunization records from a child’s country of birth. Care could be provided promptly thanks to the transcultural cooperation among many wonderful individuals in our clinic. A diverse workforce benefits the community, and the Immunization Program is a testament to that.
Bringing Our TIKE Clinic to You
Part of the inner workings of any clinic is the paperwork and mass preparation that goes on behind the scenes. Maryland uses a database called ImmuNet to store records of the vaccines given to children in the state. As the Immunization Program’s Intern, I was able to access this database to cross-reference hundreds of elementary schooler’s immunization histories before the next school year began. I’d ensure kids were up to date on their vaccinations, call families, and keep track of the number of vaccines we needed to order for our back-to-school clinics, events where we would go out into the community. These clinics were massive endeavors undertaken by the Immunization Program staff so that vaccines could be brought out to families, increasing accessibility.
During one such school clinic, we packed up our vaccines in a hefty electric cooler and traveled to Fallstaff Elementary/Middle School. I was filled with anticipation as I saw the project came to fruition before me with vaccines administered left and right. Flurries of children and parents approached as I answered questions in the school’s auditorium, introduced families to their nurses, explained the vaccination process, and complimented kids for being so brave as they received their shots. Many of our courageous patients held their mom’s hand, but some of the smallest would also bring in a teddy bear to sit beside them.
Takeaways
Overall, this experience has given me a greater insight and appreciation for the tasks and people involved in providing healthcare services. From storing vaccines at the appropriate temperature to updating and merging patient records, the work and workers are indispensable.
The children that come into the TIKE clinic deserve the best care we can give them. That is why I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this program. I saw children make new friends in the waiting room, become excited when they receive a post-vaccination snack, and be cradled in their parent’s lap as they get a shot for school. Baltimorean families flocked to our clinic throughout the summer. By the time they left, their children were equipped with free notebooks and crayons, a half-pint carton of milk, and a strengthened immune system, ready to take on the next school year.
——
Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank all the individuals at the Immunization Program for welcoming me into the clinic, answering my incessant questions, and giving me the opportunity to be a part of their work as they serve our community. I also want to thank our mentors at the Life Design Lab for their guidance and encouragement.
