Promoting Healthy Habits Through Education for Women in Addiction Recovery
Madeline Michel UCCOM MS2
Urban Health Project, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, First Step Home
Introduction: First Step Home is an addiction recovery facility in Cincinnati serving women with substance use disorders. They provide treatment and housing for pregnant and non pregnant women and their children. Their mission is to empower clients with the skills to succeed in their recovery and provide a nurturing environment for their children. First Step Home offers services such as group and individual therapy, medication management, an employment program, and recovery groups (Alcoholics Anonymous & Narcotics Anonymous). Each summer, First Step Home welcomes an intern from the Urban Health Project to support the medical team. Urban Health Project’s mission is to immerse medical students into a service-oriented experience working with underserved populations in the local community.
Methods: The responsibilities of my summer internship position included assisting the medical staff, facilitating small group sessions with the clients, and creating a sustainable project to benefit the community. During the first two weeks, I interviewed staff and clients to identify health topics pertinent to this population’s needs and interests. Using that information, I created handouts on a variety of health topics to be used by the medical staff for patient education. Information was gathered from CDC.gov and summarized in a single page format.
Results: The health education handouts covered topics that address specific needs for this patient population. Those included dental health, sleep hygiene, healthy beverage choices, daily exercise, and constipation prevention. This project met the goal of benefitting the community in a sustainable way.
Conclusion: This partnership between Urban Health Project and First Step Home facilitates a valuable learning experience for medical students while making a positive impact on the community. My experience at First Step Home introduced me to substance use disorder treatment, furthering my understanding of addiction as a complex chronic disease. Working with this underserved population taught me the importance of treatment programs like First Step Home in supporting people through the challenging recovery process. I intend to use the lessons I learned this summer to be an outspoken advocate for people with substance use disorders.
Contact Information:
Madeline Michel
michelmv@mail.uc.edu
Keywords: addiction, mental health, education, women, service