Member Profile: Women's Health Advocate

The Community Healthcorps team at IFH has 15 full time members. Each month we profile one or two of them so you can get to know the members and their role a little better!

This month, meet Jess!

Name: Jess
Position: Women’s Health Patient Advocate (Repro Health Superstar!)

Brief bio: I graduated from SUNY Brockport in ‘07 with a BS in Gender Studies & Psychology. I am a big fan of any vegetarian meal involving avocado, writing letters & making art while listening to music (most recently, jazz), a good stretch, a good night’s sleep, and good, good company. I’m always ready to participate in radical feminist discourse/debate over a cup of tea. Someone once called me a “shy extrovert” - they were right on.

What is your hometown?
I grew up in Rochester, NY: Upstate land of lilacs, lake-affect snow, and a very unique sense of pride & kinship I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

What is the best part about living in NYC?
I’m going to be a cliché new NYC’r and say that every part is the best part. It has been a dream of mine for quite awhile to move here, and Brooklyn is exactly where I belong right now. I feel privileged & grateful just to be here. The mass transit system and the ability to get takeout at 4am aren’t too shabby, either.

What is your favorite place in the city?
The Brooklyn flea market. Prospect Park. Bluestockings bookstore. The MoMA. My neighborhood. Anywhere that serves prix fixe brunch. The Q train when it goes over the bridge, preferably at sunrise or sunset.

Where do you work and what kind of tasks do you do each day?
I work with the Reproductive Health Access Project at the Institute on E 16th St. I assist with developing health education materials, event planning, and tracking IUD data. I am also a support person (doula) for women undergoing procedures at our clinic.

What is your favorite part of the job?
Reproductive justice is a passion of mine, so I think the entire job is my favorite thing. I really do love interacting with patients, though. I get to meet new people every day and hear all about their lives. It’s pretty rad. Also, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of co-workers.


What is the most difficult part of what you do? When a patient is experiencing discomfort during a procedure, it can be so emotionally challenging to see them in pain. Knowing it is my responsibility to help comfort them and try to ease their fears can be daunting at times, but it’s definitely a rewarding job that I feel great doing.

Why do you enjoy being a Healthcorps member?
I feel like the work I do is important and useful, and Healthcorps is such a well-organized program. I always feel like I can get any questions answered, concerns heard, and feedback I need with no problem. Additionally, I have felt like part of a family from the first minute I met everyone in our Healthcorps group. We make such a great team!

What do you want to be when you grow up?
I just want to learn as much as I can & gain as many skills as possible, whether or not they are relevant to the work I’m doing. (Most recently, I have been taking a course in beekeeping.) …In the grown-up work world, though, I would really like to be a counselor/mentor or outreach worker for LGBTQ youth. (And maybe do some freelance writing on the side?) …Whatever I do, wherever I end up, I really just hope I can have pet chickens someday.