MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract:
Both African American and Hispanic women face a disproportionate amount of pregnancy-related and women’s health-related morbidities and mortalities compared to non-Hispanic white women. Health disparities can be defined as preventable differences in the burden of disease, leading to health inequities that harm minority and low-income populations. The Pregnancy Aid Center (PAC), a non-profit and community-based women’s health clinic in PG County, Maryland, works to mitigate the disparities in maternal and child health. In this guide, I discuss the expectations of a volunteer at the PAC, along with the knowledge that she should be familiar with before beginning the volunteer position. I explore information about HIPAA, OSHA, Title X, and Medicaid. In addition, I present details on the various federal and state programs in place and used by the PAC in order to assist low-income women, who have either Medicaid or no insurance at all. I also use the guide to address the different women’s health services the clinic offers, including prenatal care, family planning, STI screening and treatment, cancer screening, and a program for teens to prevent repeat pregnancies. Lastly, I touch on the ways that the clinic itself goes above and beyond in their quest to reduce disparities by offering their patients free diapers, clothing, food, and even car seats. The guide not only allows volunteers, including myself, to understand the context including health disparities in maternal and child health, but also other aspects of this clinic’s work.

WC= 239

Reader’s profile: I imagine a reader skeptical that a volunteer needs to complete such extensive preparation simply to begin a volunteer position. They may doubt the need to become familiar the function of the clinic, along with the state and federal programs that reduce health disparities. The reader would rather begin the volunteering with the bare minimum knowledge and learn as she goes.

Reader’s response: There’s a famous quote about how an individual gets out of something what he or she puts in. If one plans to do the bare minimum for any role, internship, or experience, he or she will likely leave feeling unfulfilled and as if it were a waste of time. If I try to prepare ahead of time, maybe I will get more out of the volunteering experience than I had imagined I would. Also, perhaps being knowledgeable about the expectations my supervisors have for me and the information I will need to know will assist me in gaining more responsibility at the PAC. If my supervisors are impressed, perhaps they will give me more direct patient-related tasks rather than just filing paperwork and inputting data into a computer. Not only would this knowledge help me gain more responsibility, but would also help me to more effectively interact with patients.

Revised thesis: A volunteer at the Pregnancy Aid Center should begin the experience well-prepared and knowledgeable about the function of the clinic what is expected of a volunteer.

Voice: Informal and personable; the voice will remain the same throughout the document because the audience is primarily myself

Citation: Formal APA; there will be citations throughout the document, but mostly in the section on the state and federal programs that volunteers should be aware of.

R, good plan.

Last item, should you help the reader be aware of religious or sectarian concerns here? For the Center's stance but also about serving all clients. Best if you refer to the training you will undergo with them, but you will want your reader to be aware.

Ask me.