Deborah Fisher: ARTIFACTS
Advanced Grassroots MCH Leadership Training
2022 Published Article: "Medical debt knocked me down the ladder" Indiana Capitol Chronicle
ARTIFACT 1: Triple Focus
ARTIFACT 2: WIX Website
ARTIFACT 3: TED Talk
ARTIFACT 4: PowerPoint
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2022 Published Article: "Medical debt knocked me down the ladder" [Commentary, Deborah Fisher]
https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2022/10/18/medical-debt-knocked-me-down-the-ladder/
The article documents how medical debt related to NICU bills devastated the family's financial standing.
ARTIFACT 1: Triple Focus
What is Triple Focus? When it is said that a grassroots leader has “focus” It typically refers to a person having a focus in one area. But is that enough? What about the rest of the areas that need attention? Leaders need strengths in three areas of focus: self (inner), people (other), and system (outer) awareness. Inner focus attunes us to our emotions and intuitions, guiding values and better decisions. Other focus attaches our connections to the people in our lives. And outer focus lets us navigate the larger world, Goleman (2014). Also, to assist in keeping an eye on the triple focus, the tools and information are organized around the three connecting parts—you and your skills, the effectiveness of your organization, and the issues or community you want to influence W.K. Kellogg Foundation (1930).
One new skill that I wanted to focus on and develop during the first 5 weeks of Advanced Grassroots Leadership Training was to search out my strengths and weaknesses to develop skills to be able to share my ideas and life experiences. My major goal for this skill development was to be able to use what I have learned to assist in promoting effective community change.
Some of the practical ways to integrate my new skills as part of my grassroots work and offer my support was to take these steps:
a.Choose an area that I felt I could be effective. I chose to speak to others about the lack of dental services provided to teen recipients who receive Medicaid, and have experienced a dental emergency, using my grandson’s experience as an example.
b.Completing research on the specific problem.
c.Knowing who my audience would be.
OBJECTIVE MET: On January 14, I presented at Prosperity Indiana with LaToya and Tia on “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Critical Conversations” – “Undoing Structural Racism”—My part of the presentation was on “Health Disparities” and the presentation explored the stigma teens face when they are recipients of Medicaid and experience a dental emergency.
ARTIFACT 2: WIX Website
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The URL to My WIX: http://ddfisher6.wix.com/website
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Although not completed, I enjoyed being creative and thinking about some of the things I would like to include in a website when ready to expand this skill. I would like to continue working on my WiX Website because I did not realize that I could add the different tabs until I read the notes that you wrote for Tia. I do appreciate having this wonderful learning experience. 😊
ARTIFACT 3 and 4: TED Talk/PowerPoint (Grassroots Maternal and Child Health Leaders Showcase).
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My TEDTalk/ Presentation is entitled “Let’s SUM IT UP!” and consists of everything that I learned in the Advanced Grassroots MCH Leadership Class. It contains such things as: Our First Learning Experience, Recognizing Our Strengths, Setting Up My WIX Website, What is Triple Focus? What is Rhetoric? My Golden Circle, What is VMOSA? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Hope Becomes My Dream “The Stars Will Shine”, and Words of Encouragement.
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This PowerPoint will be a reminder that I have influential tools available when advocating, reaching out to other constituents, stakeholders in the community, as well as policy makers.
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My TEDTalk
My TEDTalk PowerPoint
Prosperity Indiana- Speech Before PowerPoint Presentation
Hello and welcome! We are here today to discuss the impact of structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism and some of the pathways linking these actions to poor health as well as the depleted social well-being of people of color.
I plan to reveal some of these examples through one of my own personal stories and outline a policy agenda to help address these pathways to help you become a vital voice in eliminating structural racism because each and everyone of us has a part to play in establishing a uniform society. We must all work together to accomplish change.
Today I wish to share a story that will create for you a window into racism and its connection to poor dental health.
My Story
I am a grandmother caring for her 16-year-old grandchild. My grandson was one who exhibited a great love for playing basketball. At the age of 13, he had an accident on his bicycle. The front of his bicycle came apart and he hit the ground face-first. He suffered tremendous damage to his face and lost all of his front teeth both on the top and on the bottom. His injuries were in places not covered by a bicycle helmet. The doctors in the ER were able to stitch the areas of his face that were torn.
The Hospital Release
My grandson was hospitalized as a result of his accident. Upon his release, I was given a referral to take him to the Children’s Dental Clinic. I was told that since he had an accident and injuries to his mouth was nothing that he was born with no services could be provided. I called several dental offices and was told such things as, “he has years to grow and the dental care he needed could not be provided for him because he had Medicaid, and as he got older maybe he could be considered for services. I felt so let down and sorry that this happened to him. Ultimately, there was nothing I could do to help him feel better. Because my grandson has Medicaid, I decided to contact Medicaid directly. Medicaid responded with a denial letter. I was informed that upon their evaluation, my grandson had at least eight teeth in the back of his mouth that would allow him to chew. Medicaid also, informed me that any services that would be provided would be considered cosmetic surgery. At this point, my first thought was if my grandchild were white would we be going through this? I was furious! How many parents or grandparents would want their child or grandchild to go to school with his/her front teeth missing? Mind you, He was about to enter his first year in high school. My grandson had already developed a mental complex about the scars on his face and his missing front teeth. I worried about him possibly facing teen bullying because now days this is a growing concern within our society.
The Angels
Thank God, a couple of angels stepped in. His former elementary school coach and social worker put their heads together and decided they had to handle this situation. The social worker has a neighbor that is a dentist. He got together with some of his colleagues and they developed a plan and fixed my grandson’s teeth. I am grateful to all of the individuals who participated in this whole ordeal.
The Problem
Now that you have heard my story, we will venture into an on-going problem within our society (racism).
I have learned that racism is a social construct that was created by the members of majority based on perceived physical characteristics such as the color of our skin. In the US, for over 400 years, the white majority has established Structural (social actions or norms), Institutional (practices within organization), and Interpersonal racism (negative interactions among people). These different expressions of racism (structural, institutional, and interpersonal) contribute to socioeconomical, psychological, and environmental actions that contribute to disparities in the health status and outcomes for all people of color.
