Escaping Cold, Capturing Health
Chandra Behr
1st Year Master of Health Informatics Student
In less than two weeks, 11 other students and I will be escaping the cold and heading to San Antonio, Texas! Our team will be conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment in Bexar County. It focuses on the East and West sides of the community and has three components: focus groups, surveys, and neighborhood scans. I did not know what a neighborhood scan was before this project, so I am excited to try it!
In light of the current climate, our upcoming trip to San Antonio carries profound significance and responsibility. Our team is going at a time where there is a lot of fear and uncertainty. Recently, there have been threats to cut scientific research, contentious debates surrounding immigration policies, and systematic rollback of programs aimed at fostering diversity and inclusion. I am curious how the Bexar community is responding to this news. Navigating these issues will be challenging, but our instructors, Sade and Laur, have provided great support and guidance to prepare us!
It is an honor to be a part of this team and do this project. I am excited to be working with the South Central Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and CI-NOW to collect impactful data that will improve health outcomes for the people of Bexar County. Given the time we are in, it is especially important to perform our work with care and purpose. I have never done anything like this before, so I definitely have some nerves, but I am looking forward to every challenge and chance to improve the health and well-being of this community!