Today it started off rainy and chilly compared to the sunny and warm days previous. We got the opportunity to sit in on the Mississippi Quality Improvement Initiative II and Learning session III conference. The meeting lasted long and there could be some improvements on how information was relayed and probably even shortened too, but overall noticing the small differences that these people were making in their own areas of Mississippi was very up-lifting. The positive vibes from the progressive outcomes that they were seeing with their own patients and practices all coming together really made all the hard work feel like it was truly paying off. I really hope that those people in that room saw what someone like me, an outsider, did. They have reached a great distance with how much they've achieved so far and the fact that they're all still not even close to being done or improving is inspiring. I wish them all the best of luck and to keep doing what they're doing because IT IS WORKING!!! This type of meeting involved the different "teams" of practices as well as some individuals representing what they and their company had to offer - all in helping the health care system and providing more for their money as well. The whole idea behind this meeting was to learn off one another and teach each other what some may know and others don't - TEAMWORK. That word, it has changed its meaning to me after this trip. I have always been apart of a team for as long as I could remember until very recently. I love soccer and one of the things I miss most besides the obvious playing is being with my team. Sometimes you forget what working together can accomplish. You cannot be successful, at least not long term, if you only have one star player. No, you need it to be a true group effort all together for it to be prosperous. Looking back over the past few days and then seeing all these people make an effort to come to this long meeting just shows how much of a team player everyone was and the impact it was creating. Of course this teamwork with healthcare systems has only recently been popular, so there is still room for improvements, but their benefits were earned and proved to be more efficient and helpful. Another thing I noticed about the dynamics of their team was the client / patient was also a part of it! It needed to benefit the person they were treating and help them not just in the short term - but the long run as well! They wanted them to be better off than when they first entered their arms - living a healthier, happier life. This can be hard to find at times, either because people seem to be too busy or there is too much expected from doctors or the fact that there is so much confusing information out there regarding health most people can feel lost or even helpless.
After lunch we got to tour a gorgeous campus that I think me and my friends instantly fell in love with. Belhaven University was located in a very cute quaint town where the campus was gorgeous and the weather of course was now warm and sunny, showing Mississippi's true beauty for us again. After a tour of the campus we then got to see Dr. Thompson's old college, Tougaloo. Tougaloo college was very tiny but from the history and details Dr. Thompson informed us about, it was a small college with a large impressive impact. Tougaloo is ranked in the top 50 U.S. institutions who have graduates earning their PhD's mostly in the science and engineering academics. If this doesn't impress you enough, there are some U.S. congressmen and state senates who have also attended this college - not to mention our wonderful Dr. Thompson who surpassed out expectations for not only giving us experience in our field of study but also of the culture and community Mississippi has, some things we never even knew Mississippi had to offer!
After a nice stroll around Tougaloo, we drove to teach some nutrition education to an aftercare program. The children were all very enthusiastic and energetic and listened to what we had to say and participated back with questions and examples. Dealing with nutrition and children has always been different, it takes more simpler terms to describe why what we were suggesting was a healthier option that they should give a try next time! The analogy's helped as long as it was something they could all relate to. Most of them understood the importance of not skipping breakfast, but the biggest challenge I saw was the fact that they drank lots of soda and ate a lot of sugary foods. Caffeine is something that should never be consumed if you are younger than 18 and most soda has this, not to mention the sugar content is excessive for any beverage. I can only hope that we made some good reasons for them to reconsider either that sugar-filled cereal or that soda next time and instead replace it with something healthier and better for them. With children it takes multiple times of exposure to something new before they may even decide to try it. Hopefully others will remind them to try new things that are good alternatives to the fast food - processed food industry that seems to surround them. We ended it with playing a "simon says" game where we enacted fruits and vegetables for the actions to be done depending on if simon says so! It was a active game which allowed the kids to let off some energy and focus on the idea of being healthy in a fun interactive form. I really enjoyed working with the kids, they all were sweet and had their funny moments that resulted in there never being a dull moment! Kids are easier to get a response from and when they're confused they'll let you know or at least try and show you if they understand something and you can work on the situation with them from there.
After meeting some really nice employees at the aftercare center who usually volunteered their time to help out, we headed over to Dr. Thompson's to meet her husband and head over to the church for some DDP curriculum. I have never been to a church like this one before, the people there were so welcoming and attentive to what Dr. Thompson's husband had to say. They understood that this was something that was important to learn and that he knew what he was doing. Having faith in the person who is teaching you can make a huge difference rather than having to deal with skepticism where you have to prove yourself and even more so why nutrition is so important and not a problem that will go away easily. It was neat seeing the kids AND the parents interact together towards the DDP class. It was a great influence for the kids watch their parents take the information learned and try and apply it to their real life. This not only makes a better environment for the child by providing healthier options but also in their mannerism towards taking care of themselves and the significance of it. Witnessing Dr. Thompson and her family take apart of making a difference to others in any community setting (I feel like I've seen it all!) just shows the commitment they have on peoples health and making Mississippi improve on their health statistics as well as the people's lives. I really can only hope that I can achieve at least half of the things I've just witnessed these past few days with nutrition and health for others - where ever I may end up working!
After lunch we got to tour a gorgeous campus that I think me and my friends instantly fell in love with. Belhaven University was located in a very cute quaint town where the campus was gorgeous and the weather of course was now warm and sunny, showing Mississippi's true beauty for us again. After a tour of the campus we then got to see Dr. Thompson's old college, Tougaloo. Tougaloo college was very tiny but from the history and details Dr. Thompson informed us about, it was a small college with a large impressive impact. Tougaloo is ranked in the top 50 U.S. institutions who have graduates earning their PhD's mostly in the science and engineering academics. If this doesn't impress you enough, there are some U.S. congressmen and state senates who have also attended this college - not to mention our wonderful Dr. Thompson who surpassed out expectations for not only giving us experience in our field of study but also of the culture and community Mississippi has, some things we never even knew Mississippi had to offer!
After a nice stroll around Tougaloo, we drove to teach some nutrition education to an aftercare program. The children were all very enthusiastic and energetic and listened to what we had to say and participated back with questions and examples. Dealing with nutrition and children has always been different, it takes more simpler terms to describe why what we were suggesting was a healthier option that they should give a try next time! The analogy's helped as long as it was something they could all relate to. Most of them understood the importance of not skipping breakfast, but the biggest challenge I saw was the fact that they drank lots of soda and ate a lot of sugary foods. Caffeine is something that should never be consumed if you are younger than 18 and most soda has this, not to mention the sugar content is excessive for any beverage. I can only hope that we made some good reasons for them to reconsider either that sugar-filled cereal or that soda next time and instead replace it with something healthier and better for them. With children it takes multiple times of exposure to something new before they may even decide to try it. Hopefully others will remind them to try new things that are good alternatives to the fast food - processed food industry that seems to surround them. We ended it with playing a "simon says" game where we enacted fruits and vegetables for the actions to be done depending on if simon says so! It was a active game which allowed the kids to let off some energy and focus on the idea of being healthy in a fun interactive form. I really enjoyed working with the kids, they all were sweet and had their funny moments that resulted in there never being a dull moment! Kids are easier to get a response from and when they're confused they'll let you know or at least try and show you if they understand something and you can work on the situation with them from there.
After meeting some really nice employees at the aftercare center who usually volunteered their time to help out, we headed over to Dr. Thompson's to meet her husband and head over to the church for some DDP curriculum. I have never been to a church like this one before, the people there were so welcoming and attentive to what Dr. Thompson's husband had to say. They understood that this was something that was important to learn and that he knew what he was doing. Having faith in the person who is teaching you can make a huge difference rather than having to deal with skepticism where you have to prove yourself and even more so why nutrition is so important and not a problem that will go away easily. It was neat seeing the kids AND the parents interact together towards the DDP class. It was a great influence for the kids watch their parents take the information learned and try and apply it to their real life. This not only makes a better environment for the child by providing healthier options but also in their mannerism towards taking care of themselves and the significance of it. Witnessing Dr. Thompson and her family take apart of making a difference to others in any community setting (I feel like I've seen it all!) just shows the commitment they have on peoples health and making Mississippi improve on their health statistics as well as the people's lives. I really can only hope that I can achieve at least half of the things I've just witnessed these past few days with nutrition and health for others - where ever I may end up working!