Health Resource Center

Ruby Xia, Summer 2012

The HRC is a nonprofit, nurse-managed mental health clinic located in Cincinnati, OH dedicated to serving homeless and at-risk individuals who are in need of psychiatric, psychosocial, or addictions recovery services and whose needs are not being met by other agencies. The HRC provides mental health services such as diagnostic assessments, pharmacotherapy, counseling and psychotherapy, and psychiatric consultation to over 165 active clients. The HRC workforce consists of a psychiatrist, PhD therapist, Advanced Practice nurses, counselors, counseling and nurse practitioner interns, and volunteers.

As a medical student intern with little knowledge of mental health, my duties revolved around administrative office work. I helped the office manager complete tasks such as organizing charts, calling clients, and tracking billing. I was also privileged to sit in on a number of medication management sessions, led by either the psychiatrist or a nurse practitioner. I learned how the clinic helps clients with their medications by providing prescriptions and devising ways to make it affordable. Having never been exposed to mental health care, I received a taste of how clients feel on a daily basis and the challenges they face. I also learned about common mental health diagnoses and their indicated medications.

Through my internship experience at the HRC, I learned a great deal about Cincinnati’s uninsured/indigent population and the lack of mental health services for such a population. Mental health services have received numerous funding cuts in recent times, causing many agencies and organizations to decline uninsured patients. The HRC tries its best to take on all these clients; however, appointment slots are limited. Thus, my project with the HRC, was centered around aiding in the creation of a client incentive program.