First Step Home

Megan Wilson, Summer 2018

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to intern at First Step Home this summer. Our main project was to create and teach curricula on nutrition, exercise, HIV and Hepatitis C. We created a series of six workshops on nutrition, another series of six workshops on exercise, and a series of four learning labs on HIV and Hepatitis C. We taught them to the residential clients, and then adapted the nutrition and exercise classes for the intensive outpatient clients. Also, because the clients change pretty often, I began reteaching the first few workshops on the weekends, so new clients could learn what they missed. We also had the opportunity to facilitate some exercise including yoga, cardio, and resistance training.

In addition to our main project, we had the opportunity to fulfill various roles. We had the opportunity to spend time working in the medication room where we observed the clients take their medications. We spent some time shadowing two of the therapists. I also had the opportunity to work in the childcare facility on Sundays and I got to meet the clients' families and friends as they visited on the weekends. We created many informational signs to hang around the building about common medical myths, apps that will track your physical activity, and medication information. We helped with two quality assurance projects and made a map of Cincinnati that shows the radius that First Step Home will provide transportation within to help with referrals to other healthcare providers.

Most importantly, we had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the clients at First Step Home. The clients were so open and willing to tell us about their lives, and I am amazed by their ability to overcome challenges and their dedication to recovery. In medical school, we learn a lot about the addiction crisis, but we don't get the complete picture because we aren't really talking to the people who have experienced addiction themselves. We also don't really talk about all the complex aspects of addiction or how it is intertwined with poverty, trauma, and mental illness. Putting faces and life stories to the disease that we are learning about is so important for truly understanding. My absolute favorite part of my internship was getting to know the women at First Step Home and I wish that everyone had a chance to work with these wonderful women.