Schweitzer Fellows Put Health Project Into Action at East Oakland Clinic

Five Samuel Merritt University (SMU) nursing students celebrated Neighborhood Empowerment Day on June 25 at the Roots Community Health Center in East Oakland by providing information on how to prevent and treat chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma.

The students — Carmen Craven, Ewana Cheng, Vay Hoang, Rahwa Haile and Helen Woldai — all study in SMU’s Entry Level Master of Science in Nursing program and also serve as Ambassadors for the University. 

The free health and resource fair was an opportunity for the students to reach out to the community’s black residents, who tend to experience disproportionately higher rates of hypertension, diabetes and other serious medical conditions. (Pictured at right, from L to R: Students Cheng, Hoang, Woldai and Haile)

“It’s a community I’ve always been interested in working with and have a passion for,” said Woldai, a registered nurse who is specializing in case management.

Woldai and Haile spent the day recruiting participants for a series of workshops they will teach at the Roots Community Health Center on International Boulevard every other Thursday over the next year, beginning July 7, on topics including nutrition, heart health, and sexual education.  

Their plan for addressing the healthcare needs of black families in Oakland won Haile and Woldai the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF), which immerses a select group of graduate students in yearlong projects that address the health needs of underserved communities.

“We both want to work in a healthcare setting that cares for the underserved,” said Haile, who was born and raised in Oakland. “We are the face of the health disparities that exist today and we want to resolve them by working as partners with patients. Patients now feel like subordinates in healthcare because they aren’t regarded as equals.”

Both women said they chose the Roots Community Health Center for their fellowship project because it matched their values.

“They prioritize the needs of the community above all else,” said Haile, who is studying at SMU to become a family nurse practitioner. “The care they provide is culturally competent and inclusive.”

In addition to their workshops, Haile and Woldai will hold office hours at Roots on Thursday afternoons to answer health-related questions as well as train the clinic’s patient navigators to carry on the wellness workshops after their project is over. (Pictured at right, from L to R: Students Craven and Woldai)

Key to their success, according to the two nurses, is the mentorship they are receiving from the Roots staff, SMU Assistant Professor Alyssa O’Brien, and one another. They plan to apply what they learn from their fellowship project to jobs in community healthcare following graduation.

“It really takes a village,” said Haile. “There’s power in numbers.”