Health Resource Center

Chris Hoersting, Summer 2011

Health Resource Center is a small mental health clinic that serves the indigent and homeless mentally ill of Cincinnati. When I started working there at the beginning of the summer, it was very clear that despite problems with underfunding and lack of support from other community organizations, the counselors and nurses at HRC are truly passionate about their work. I did the best I could working in the office to help them see as many patients as possible; besides my help for the summer, they have no dedicated support staff and have to spend valuable time on paperwork and phone calls. This wasn’t always the case, since before HRC moved into its current location about a year ago they had a much bigger staff that offered medical services as well as mental health. Funding problems caused them to downsize to their current staff, and though they are trying to hire an office manager, they are struggling to see as many people as possible for whom they can provide help. My education this summer centered basically around the fact that there just aren’t many services in Cincinnati for the mentally ill without insurance or the ability to afford help. Almost every day I would field calls from people requesting help from our clinic, and since HRC was unable to take on new clients over the summer, all I could tell them was to wait a couple months and call back. Working in a supporting role was almost as enlightening, as I learned a little bit more about what it takes to get patients in and out of the clinic. I know that the lessons I learned this summer will be invaluable in my future career.