Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The Healthy Project is hosted by Corey Dion Lewis, Clinical Health Coach fora safety net hospital. Because of his experience working directly with patients in underserved communities, Corey felt the need to speak up address the issues, and provide solutions to improve the healthcare experience for the ones that need it the most. The Healthy Project Podcast addresses topics related to health equity, prevention, diversity, and literacy for healthcare professionals addressing today's and tomorrow's biggest challenges. Thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and industry experts share their approaches to transforming healthcare into something meaningful and lasting.
00:00
Who? Hello, everybody. Thank you for being here at the Healthy Project podcast. I am your host, Cory Dion Lewis. I have a wonderful person with me. And I say this a lot, I only interview wonderful people. But when we connected, when was that? That was like it was several months ago. It was several months ago. And I just remember. Being there.
00:28
and hearing about the services and the things and the population you serve, and just saying to myself, I think I even said it out loud, why doesn't anybody know about this? Right, right. You know what I mean? So I'm so grateful to have Alison Simmons here with me today. Alison, thank you so much. Before we get into our conversation, can you tell the people a little bit about yourself, what you do? What gets you up in the morning? Ah.
00:58
tell you, first I'll tell you what gets me up in the morning is is hope. You know the belief that what is can be different. You know the belief that people have an opportunity to you know to heal. You know in my space it really is about healing and recovery and so hope is a big part of that. You know and so
01:25
That's what gets me up in the morning in terms of just every day.
01:30
But I am the founder and the executive director for the central Iowa trauma recovery center. Uh, we are located just south of water works park in Des Moines. Uh, we became operational in February, 2020, really right before the pandemic hit. And so, you know, when you talk about why don't people know that was kind of one of the, the big issues for us is that everything just shut down, everything, everything was in the community. And so.
02:00
We have been serving survivors of violent crime, and we specialize in doing that. So we're a mix of clinicians and advanced victim service professionals to work with homicide survivors, people who've experienced violent physical crimes and sexual assault and things of that nature. And we just provide them with compassionate care.
02:30
You know, we help them navigate the criminal justice system. That's one of the things that we do. But we also really have a very intentional focus on helping them on their journey to be well. It is something that we are very passionate about, our whole team. It is a...
I will tell you, what gets me up in the morning is a sense of hope about the ability to be the difference for many people who are often not helped. One of the things that we say in our space is the most harmed are often the least helped.
03:39
And so we really want to change that. That's what the Trauma Recovery Center is about. So that's what gets me up in the morning, the ability to actually be the difference for people who are wounded and deserve to have comprehensive mental health services as they try to heal. So that's what gets me up in the morning. Yes, what motivated you to start this organization? Yeah, well, I will tell you,
04:09
In my other life, I was a consultant, working with a lot of companies, state agencies, individuals who just wanted to change their careers, professionals, executives, who wanted to do something different with their lives. And so part of my work was with the attorney general's office, their crime victim assistance division.
04:34
and I was a consultant for them. And their director at that time went to California and saw this really comprehensive model of care for survivors of violent crime. And she came back, she just said, this is something that Iowa doesn't have, but Iowa needs this. And so we met, we had lunch, and she laid it out on the table
05:04
to do this here in Iowa but I don't know how to do it. Will you help me do it?" And at that time, I was really looking for something that really fed my soul. I just needed something. I was very good at my job. I was very comfortable at my job, but it didn't fulfill me. I knew that there was something more. And when I learned and researched what this model was about, I just said, this is
05:33
how human beings should be treated and cared for when they're wounded, when they're harmed. You know, and that's going to look different for everybody, but I just felt like, you know, we rush people through the process of healing. Three days bereavement is what you get. Right. And there's a loss. And that's crazy. That's just insane that that is an acceptable practice.
06:03
that they was like, you know what, it's probably take you about three days to get over something. Like, we're gonna give you these three days right quick. That is so bizarre. It was insane. And when you think about people who've been victimized, it's not just laws, people who've been victimized, they're, you know, that's just an assault against, you know, our sensibility. It's an egregious offense to harm someone physically. And, you know, people don't think about that. You know, for somebody
06:33
It's just a barbaric act to be hit, you know. And so one of the things that we did was we just said, you know, we're going to take some time.
06:45
We put some time together to plan out a three year plan of what we were gonna do and starting the center. And it's been incredible. It is just been, it is the honor of my life to do what I do every day. Wow. And the space is awesome. I've been in the space. It's such a cool space.
07:09
there's, I remember there was this room where this is just very, you could just feel like it's a, it's a place for peace. It's just like very therapeutic. Absolutely. Um, so I really, really appreciated that. I was on your website and I was looking at, you know, your mission statement on the mission statement. You mentioned the utilization of culturally responsive evidence based practices. Um, and so how do these practices enhance the recovery process for survivors of trauma and violence?
07:39
When people have been victimized, you know, first of all, I'll say we take our survivors where they're at. You know, sometimes, you know, we have this perception of an individual who's been harmed, you know.
07:56
You have to personalize that. You have to make their care very individualized, very tailored. One of the things that we do is we do a comprehensive assessment with survivors. We can do bedside clinical evaluations and assessments to really determine what's going on with this individual. Now, the trauma happened to them. The victimization happened to them. But there are other pieces that may be necessary to really help this person get to a space of recovery.
08:26
And so we assess that on a regular basis. And so then once we get that information, we're able to develop a plan of care for that individual. And so when we talk about evidence-based practices, we're talking about psychotherapy, we have two psychologists and two licensed mental health counselors who provide clinical care for those individuals that we work with. And we also have a
08:56
care coordinator who facilitates all the services and supports that that individual may need as part of their own unique journey to heal. It could be that you know perhaps because of this person being assaulted maybe they lost their job or they lost their housing you know and so therapy doesn't matter if those needs aren't met.
09:22
Yeah, you have to get people ready to go through the turn to the journey of addressing their trauma. Right. You said something I want to touch on that a little bit more because you said something that I think can resonate not only with the work that you do, but the work that I do, the work that other people do, is meeting individuals where they are at. And that is so important because
09:51
It's almost like we have this as a...
09:56
a helper or someone who wants to help, I know what you need. Yes. Right, I know what you need, just do A, B, and C. But they're like, I ain't even ready for A, B, and C yet. Like, what's going on? You know what I mean? And that's why the assessment process, there's a self-reported component of that, which is that life stabilization that we're looking at. How unstable is this person's life? And it's their own view of that, not ours.
10:26
do the clinical evaluation and the mental status exams, all of those different pieces that really look at the trauma that they've experienced, whether it's PTSD, maybe they're suffering from depression or anxiety. So then we get into that. But we do that other piece first. We do the life stability component first, so that we can obviously get them to a place of safety, if that's an issue for them. Get their housing in place if they need that.
10:56
And so we utilize a sort of outreach to do that. Sometimes people get a lot of information on the front end But people are still in shock and so they're not hearing what you're saying you're just talking and so it's really important to slow that down a little bit and Give them a time to reflect on what their needs really are From their own perspective so that we can put some things in place and we can do that with them We partner with them to do that
11:26
somewhere. We, you know, for some of our clients, first of all, say that we serve poke and the eight surrounding counties. And so our staff will go to Marshalltown. They'll go to Boone. They'll go to Ames. They will hit the road because, you know, therapy doesn't need to happen in an office. Right. Sometimes people can't do that. You know, they're not. They don't, they have a transportation barrier. Yeah. Transportation, even the stigma around being in the office. Yes. And so we will
11:56
So for some clients who may be senior, we may get them a laptop so that they can participate in telehealth if that's what they want to do. So we really try to remove barriers to care so that then we can begin focus on really what happened to them and how do we move them past that. Well yeah, and I think that's so great because, like you said, and I can only assume, like when someone goes through that experience, they're not, they,
12:25
their mind isn't thinking about.
12:28
everything and you had said like hey people lose like the aftermath of a traumatic experience. Well if you lose your job, you lose your job then you lose your home. Yeah. Lose your home. Like people aren't thinking about some of these things so it's nice to have somebody to kind of help lead you and guide you. Yes. That is thinking about that for you on your on your behalf. Yes and so we do um first of all there's a crime that's taken place so we have to help them navigate that
12:58
It's not just the life stabilization components, but we're also looking at what happened to them. We share their rights as a survivor of crime. Most people don't know. I think it's one in four victims actually do get help. Like that just doesn't make sense. And there's so many dollars that go underutilized because people aren't aware that there's crime
13:28
Wait, there's crime victim compensation? Yes. Really? Yes. When you've been a victim of a crime, there are resources that you can be reimbursed for. Now, it doesn't cover everything, but it's an opportunity to, for example, if you missed work, to get that covered. We help people with, unfortunately, when there's a crime, there's an aftermath.
13:58
aftermath of that physically in the space, you know. And so we work with crime scene cleanup to help with that, particularly in cases of homicide. It can be thousands of dollars to get those things handled. And people can't, you know, let that go. They have to like, oh, I need to get this handled so then I can kind of deal with the grieving process that I need to deal with, getting them through the funeral. You know, so that is part of what we do, you know.
14:28
We help them navigate just the basic things that happen when there's been a crime. Right, can we go further into the healing and recovery journey for somebody? And so we already spoke about meeting people where they're at. Yes. Right after victimization, could you describe just what it looks like, and this doesn't have to be like a specific person, but just kind of give us like an idea of what this looks like in practice
14:58
this initial crucial stage of healing? Sure. Well, when they come in, like I said, we alternate clinical care coordination, the care coordination component, with therapy. So they're not just coming into therapy every week.
15:16
because one of the things that we have to do, because treatment is lasting for up to a year, we have to maintain that stability so that they can focus on treating the traumatic event that occurred. So what does happen is the care coordinator will do an initial assessment. We meet weekly as a full team, and that's our clinical staff and our care coordination staff. And we, staff referrals that we may receive from the community,
15:46
law enforcement, it may be a social service provider. We get other referrals from other mental health counselors as well.
15:57
you know, because there's a different type of treatment that needs to take place with survivors of crime. Right. You know, and it's a different skill set. I'll say that. And so what we do is we staff those individuals, um, on a weekly basis. And, um, what happens after that referral if they're accepted into the program, cause there is a degree of eligibility, you know, our w because we're short term, we want to focus on recent, uh, crime, uh, within say the last two to three years,
16:27
we try to focus on that because we don't want to begin services for someone who really is needing long-term therapy. Right. And so that's really not what we do. In some cases, we'll take them and then we'll transfer them to another therapist for more long-term care. Right. You know, what we do, it's not designed to see a mass number of people. It really is comprehensive. So when we do those assessments, we do the evaluations, say they've been diagnosed with
16:57
you know, a major depressive disorder or something to that effect.
17:04
the therapist and the care coordinator will develop a plan of care for that client and they'll develop it in partnership with the client. And so the client has to agree to all of this, you know, it's really their journey. And so what happens is they will alternate sessions and one of the things that we do is we do an evaluation after every eighth
17:34
every therapy session, we will do that. Because it's a very structured process to be able to address what's going on with that particular individual. Some clients may not need to have 16 sessions and we typically look at 16 to 24 sessions as our target, but not every client needs that and not everybody needs that. If they're in PTSD, maybe they need some EMDR and they're working with them
18:03
term for that individual, but it really varies. It is, it's hard to say what it will look like for every individual person, because if they are low income, there's going to be more support required on our end. And so we do have what we call client assistance funds to help clients with that. We can perhaps pay the deposit if they need to relocate, or get
18:33
you know cameras if safety is an issue for them you know security cameras yeah things like that so that's part of that life stability piece but that journey to heal and recover is really a unique experience
18:50
Sometimes when clients come in, they were already suffering from conditions that happened long before they were victimized And they just weren't addressed so that could come up in the assessment process So we have to deal with not just treating the trauma, but maybe somebody has a borderline personality disorder So and now you're a victim of a crime So we have to address that piece of you and then also the trauma that you experience So it's going to vary Right
19:20
Who's walking through the door? Yeah, we meet them where they're at and then just build a plan of care from that. Right, when I hear about survivors of trauma, even now that we're talking, Allison, even the practitioners that are helping, right? I think about the resilience.
19:49
of that. Huge, huge, huge. And in your experience, what are some key factors that contribute to resilience and recovery in individuals who have experienced severe trauma or loss? I'll say this too. That is part of the model.
20:08
It's not just a holistic bottle of care for survivors, but it is also for the helper, the team, the people that are providing the services. If you think about it now, so many people are resigning, law enforcement, teachers, nurses, lawyers, people are exhausted. And so resilience is huge. And one of the things that we look at that closely
20:38
an individual who is not prepared to be the best version of themselves in front of a patient or client because a survivor will hold back if they feel like what they're saying is too heavy for you to hold as a practitioner and that is critical they have to be able to let it out and if they can't do that because you haven't dealt with your stuff that's very difficult
21:08
That's very, very difficult. And as a professional, that's that would be problematic. So resilience is huge. Yeah. I how do you. What is that process like? You know, like, like. Well, there are pieces that is.
21:29
There's a workplace process. There's an organizational culture that should be in place for people who work with traumatized people every day. Right. Wellness is part of our philosophy. It's embedded in our policies and our procedures. It's not just something that we talk about. Wellness is part of everyone's work day. People have paid time to step away from their desk and just be, deal with you.
21:59
You know, I believe that you can create a space that feels restorative and still do hard work and get the most out of that individual. People are more productive when they feel like you value them as a person and not a product. That's just the reality of it. And it's also something that we have to practice.
22:29
to get them to a place where they're not so focused, where they're able to really see their successes even in this journey of a traumatic experience because they're more than their trauma. Their lives are more than their trauma and they have to believe that. So resilience and the ability to persevere through adversity is significant. It is huge in our line of work.
22:59
can hold on to it for themselves. Because that is, you know, that's important. Right. And so in terms of practice, you know, really, again, policies and procedures, number one. That just has to be in place. Yeah. Organizationally. And.
23:21
Sometimes people just say self-care. Well, what does that mean? What does that mean? Yeah. And to me, it's one more thing. If you're a busy person, it's just one more thing that you have to do. And so you building it into the workday gives your team permission to just be human and take care of themselves. And so we have a meditation and massage room that is available for our clients, obviously, and for our staff,
23:51
care of themselves. Julie gave me permission she said I could come whenever I want. Yes! Absolutely. If you see me knock on that door. Yeah, yeah. You know our clients have the ability to engage, we have a licensed massage therapist so our clients can get, can experience that on a weekly basis as they're you know coming through the process of their care and treatment. We provide therapeutic support services because not everybody you know,
24:21
You just never know what someone's thing is that makes them feel good and feel hopeful. You know, so, you know, maybe they want to, art is their thing. You know, maybe drawing and journaling is important to them. So we have all of those options available for individuals, you know, in our space. And we find other, more advanced folks who may be an artist who can work with them. And we just call that innovative therapeutic support.
24:51
for the client based on whatever it is that gives them joy. Yeah, that's so cool. I can only imagine that running an organization that has such a...
25:08
I like to say that people who do things like you do, they're Avengers, right? Avengers tackle, they tackle the biggest bad guys in the world. And this is one of those things. But with that, even though it's rewarding, there are challenges. Yes, it is. You know what I mean? And what, how do you...
25:30
deal with that? I know there's some unpredictability with the role. Yes. Right? How do you deal with understanding you're tackling something so big and how do you deal with some of those challenges of that? Yeah. You know, this is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. The most rewarding, but one of the hardest things I've ever done.
25:59
And there are barriers, you know, being a woman of color in this space, you know, is challenging. It is, it's difficult. Not insurmountable, but it's difficult. And that's a piece that I carry with me every day. You know, people receive information from various players in the system, you know.
26:27
you know, maybe they receive information better from my, my program director than myself, you know, um, they're gatekeepers, you know, sometimes when you're doing something new and different, there is the belief that you're, you're going, you're trying to change what everybody's doing. No, we're trying to increase access. We're trying to increase, um, you know, the services for individuals who are not getting them, you know? Um, and so it is,
26:57
difficult. I'm a person of faith and I carry that with me in all things and I believe that this is just fundamentally the right thing to do as a fellow human.
27:14
You know, we are, there's a sense of brokenness that's happening in our society right now. People are on edge, people are hurting and they don't know why they're hurting. There's a lot of unaddressed trauma that exists out here now. And when you think about individuals who've been victimized, it's just a deeper level of pain. And you know, we're trying to address that. And so I get up every day knowing that this matters.
27:44
somebody what we're doing. Somebody needs us to show up today. Right. And really inspiring our team to reconnect with their why every day, you know? People got, you've gotta believe in what you're doing. I can't imagine a job where I just show up, you know, and just there, I'm just a body. Right, clock in, clock out. But I don't believe in what I'm doing.
28:14
And I hire people who care about our mission, who are invested in our mission, and realize that it's about the person in front of them. It's the person who walks through the door. Right. And so it is difficult. You know, there is bias that exists in some of our heavily entrenched systems. It's an unfortunate thing, but I really, I try not to focus on that. You know?
28:44
I try to focus on what's possible rather than some of the barriers that exist for me in doing this because I feel like if we keep doing good work the people who need us will find us and you know we've had this conversation about gatekeepers to healing and you know that's a real thing that's real and it makes me sad to be honest as a I would never withhold something from someone
29:14
as whole as they could be. Yeah. And sometimes people do that and they don't realize that they're doing that. And it cost you nothing to connect this person to a place of wholeness. Man. It cost you nothing. Yeah. I wasn't going to go there, but I really, you brought it up. It's heartbreaking. Yeah. Gatekeepers to healing. Yeah. Can you talk about that a little bit further? Yes.
29:44
understand the definition of gatekeeping. Yes. But in your world, what does that look like? You know, not making the referral, you know. You know, literally all people have to do is give us a phone number and say to the person that we're going to call. That's it. And nobody gets a bill.
30:08
the client doesn't have to pay for anything. When the pandemic was happening, it was interesting to me because, you know, crime was still happening, you know. And we were talking about, everybody was talking about mental health and this and that, and I think it's important. I think it's necessary, obviously. But it was difficult for them to include, you know, our organization in that. That was challenging because...
30:36
You know, there was no money to be made off of that. We're free. We're not going through insurance. People can just come and get it. But if somebody can make a dollar off that individual.
30:49
I mean, I don't want to go there, but that's just the reality. That's that's the reality. Sad. That's the reality. And because sometimes, you know, for some individuals that copay is prohibited for them to access that. Go into therapy every week. If you're going at 50, $60, I don't know what the copay is right now for some individuals, but it, it can be costly, you know? Yeah. But even if it is just $10, that's $10.
31:19
To me, it could mean differently for somebody else. 100%. You mean that could be food for the day or gas in their gas tank. Yes. So whatever the cost is, it's a cost for somebody. Yes. And I'll say this, I wanna make sure that I'm clear about this because there have been incredible organizations who...
31:44
have partnered with us to help us not just serve survivors, but also serve the people who work with survivors. Because you have to do both things at the same time. It's kind of like I think about people who work with children. And you do all, you sew all of this into a young person and then they go home to a dysfunctional environment. You know, I think about our work with our staff who work with our clients, you know, I expect a high level of care from everybody.
32:14
who works within our organization. That's we, excellence is the standard. But the staff are my clients. And so I need to equip them to be the best version of themselves so that they can sew into those people who walk through our doors or call us for help because survivors are counting on us to get it right. Right. And so that's important piece.
32:44
piece of this is I don't think sometimes it's it's people do it knowingly you know sometimes people just do what they do and you know they don't want to change you know we're used to just sending folks to this place but why right and we get them the sad part is there are referrals that we get maybe two or three referrals later because they're not helped in that environment
33:14
Survivors and individuals need all of the services that are out here to be made known to them. You know, sometimes, you know, it's a communication issue, you know, changing protocols, you know, whether it's with law enforcement, you know, hey, I'm going to, you know, we have this list that we've traditionally used, but we're gonna add this organization because they can actually do provide free mental health support to survivors immediately. Like, they don't have to wait.
33:43
six months to see a practitioner. That's insane to me. Yeah. And then by the time they get to us, everything, the bottom has fallen out because they haven't been helped.
33:59
You know, yeah, they went to court, they did all these things. And I'm not saying that that's not important because it is incredibly important. Right. But that other piece of of true recovery, you know.
34:14
That is put on the back burner. And by the time they come to us, when we get a referral too late, it's heartbreaking to see because maybe they lost their job, their housing, maybe they're homeless now because they were so affected by what happened to them that they weren't able to function. We have homicide clients who have been victimized to the degree that they, within two months they lost their job.
34:44
lost their housing because it was just devastating to them. Right. And we didn't get the referral until very late in the process. And so well after victimization, months after victimization had happened. And so then it's kind of like, well, we've done all we can do. Let's see if they can help. And that's the referral that we should have got. Right. But because we're able to do those
35:14
assessments, that's not what occurs typically within a traditional victim serving setting, the assessments that we utilize within our organization. I do think that that could be enhanced across the board so that we can get people where they need to be in a more timely manner. Right. I want to touch on something really quick. I want to go back just a little bit because in the beginning, like when I, when I first, when we first were talking.
35:44
When you're talking about trauma services, I immediately, my mind went to physical and sexual assault trauma. But I understand there's, when we're talking, when you're talking about trauma, you work with more than just that population. Or is it, right? Is it just, it's not just physical or sexual assault. There's maybe some other things that you guys work with. You know.
36:11
The types of crimes that are overlooked in terms of people needing help and support after it's occurred, assaults, homicide, sadly, you know. That is an area of need. When people have been victimized, it is, we serve every...
36:38
every type of crime where it's considered a violent crime, that would be sexual assault, human trafficking, gun violence, obviously homicide, domestic violence. We've had a whole host of clients that fall within that range. We will look at things on a case-by-case basis. It can vary.
37:08
do is really those more acute, intensive crimes. Right, right. I just wanted to make that known because you never know what somebody who's listening, what they may know someone going through or maybe going through themselves. So I just wanted to make sure if someone's listening or watching, oh, that's not my friend or that's not me. I want to make sure everybody knows that potentially they could utilize these services. Oh, absolutely.
37:38
realize that happened to me. You know and then we'll come and seek us as a as a client. Wow. Because as professionals he just that's somebody else that's not me and it is you know. That's a crime you know X Y & Z is a crime and they just didn't realize it but we sometimes don't see ourselves in people who've been
38:08
you know Perry had what it happened in a small rural community and you just think that's never going to happen in a small rural community but it is happening in communities across this country you know yeah and um and I do say this that you know there are there is a just a host of unaddressed trauma there's just so much unaddressed trauma in in our community and I think it's really
38:38
in our families, in our communities. Sometimes we know in our own families, somebody who's not well, and who's struggling with something. And to not ignore that, we can't ignore those things. I remember growing up, my parents, my siblings would say, hey, recognize that this person is dealing with some things.
39:08
And back in the day, they would just say, stay away from so much. Yeah. So stay away. Yeah. But my thing is, why isn't that person getting some help? Why are we getting that individual some help before the bottom falls out? Right. I understand having people stay out your business. But there's sometimes business needs to be put out there so we can help people. Because what we hear, we didn't know we'd do that, or they'd do that.
39:34
But you knew that something wasn't okay. Yeah. And I think that we have a responsibility to engage and not allow that wound to fester.
39:48
You know, yeah, no, that's real. People are affected. You know, there there is in that particular incident, how many people were affected is just incredible teachers, friends of, you know, the victims, school personnel, the community at large, because the principal Yeah, lost his life tragically as well.
40:18
It is.
40:21
We've just got to do better as a society to have hard conversations when we need to. And, you know, we can't predict certain things from happening. We can't predict or prevent all things. But there are things that we can do. You know, violent crime is happening in 2020.
40:51
Was it 58% of violent crime was happening in a home, in a residence? Residents. And 60% had a relationship. Known or family member, some sort of direct connection with the perpetrator. Wow. You know?
41:13
We've got to dig deeper to deal with that. So that says to me that our social networks, there's something askew there, there's something off there. Something's not healthy in that space. And so...
41:28
having conversations about where we connect and align ourselves. We've got to encourage people to look for healthy relationships. Encourage people to look for healthy. Yes. Everybody wants all the different things. Healthy should be one of them. Mentally healthy. You should be looking for that in a significant other.
41:58
or whatever because there's a lot of toxicity out here. Yes. Oh man. No, that's really, really good. So let me ask you this question. Um, what does, um, if we're, if you're able to look into the future, what does a happy, healthy and mentally well black black community or community in general, what does that look like to you?
42:28
it.
42:30
You know, it looks like honest, authentic conversations about who we are, what we're capable of. You know, there are stigmas that we need to address that just aren't helpful to us as a population of people. And I...
42:58
I'm a big believer that there needs to be a shift in just thinking overall. I mean, we've talked a little bit about vicarious trauma and resilience, but we're so focused on what's negative and not what's possible. Everybody talks about...
43:19
all these different health conditions that may affect. And there's no doubt that there are disparities that are real for all of us. But we have to begin talking about what healthy looks like.
43:31
rather than all of the things that can happen. Right. And, you know, and I just want to just say this, just as a little side comment. We spend a lot of time in our work dealing with vicarious trauma. People who burn out, they have compassion, fatigue, all of the different things, because they're so focused on identifying themselves with the trauma of survivors, the trauma of their clients, but not recognizing the victories
44:01
that are also part of that experience. Right. Because that's what's going to keep them together, and not staying stuck on focusing on the pathology of trauma, but the potential of what that person's life can be, what they can experience in a healthy space. We've just gotta shift that a little bit. But healthy for our families is honest community.
44:31
honest conversations. We need to have those in our community. I just don't think we do that enough. In our household, talking with our children about wellness, making it part of the day, you know, I think that, you know, we just
44:50
There are some things that we used to do well when our family's systems were more intact, but our families look very different now. But it doesn't mean that those things aren't possible. And we just need to have conversations about that. We need to do more parent education. We need to provide more supports for parents. One of the biggest things that I think has affected, I will say,
45:20
Black families in general is the issue of fathers, you know not having fathers present To the degree that they can be you know, right? and That's a whole other thing I believe that in this is just my own core believe that
45:49
Men are a medically underserved population.
45:52
They are, technically. In the eyes of the government, they are. Medically underserved. Yes, yes. Men don't just engage health services. Oh, yeah. They don't. They gotta wait till the toe falls off and all of that. And so, shifting that, I used to be part of an organization where it was very focused on women's health. And I thought, well, why are we just talking about women's health?
46:22
Why aren't we talking about men's health?
46:25
Why aren't we talking about, you know, if you're talking about even like in reproductive health, there was such a focus on what women are doing and access to this, this, this, but what about men? Aren't they part of that equation? Men have to be seen as, as a being in their own right in terms of what their own health needs are and they're not. We just don't use that in our verbiage, you know, and that is a problem. You know, I used to do a lot of outreach programs.
46:55
to Target Men specifically because I believe that that was going to contribute to the health and well-being of the family system. Right, right. Dealing with that will be the snowball to improve. Oh, it's huge. Yeah. It's huge. There's so much research that talks about just the actual presence of dad in the home and having that healthy relationship with his children and whether they're together
47:25
or not having a strong co-parenting plan in place is just going to add so much right to the health and well-being of that family unit as a whole. Makes sense to me. Yeah. I mean it's just, that's just the truth. Yeah. There's a lot of research behind that too. Awesome.
47:50
Allison, I want to be mindful of your time. Thank you so much for being here and providing my audience with this educational lesson. Let us know more about your organization. For those that want to learn more about your organization, what you're at, where you're at, more about what you do, where can they connect with you at? Where can they find you? Well, we are on the web.
48:19
We are the Central Iowa Trauma Recovery Center, and it's just www. and Iowa is spelled out. So we have services available. People can actually fill out just a very simple contact form, and we can reach out to them and have a one-on-one meeting to talk about the services that are available and whether or not it would fit for them. And they can just call.
48:49
available and ready to assist people where they're at. Awesome. Well, again, I'll make sure I have all of that in the description of the episode. Um, but again, thank you so much for your time and everybody. Thank you for listening and watching the healthy project podcast. I'll highlight you next time. Thank you.