Community Health Education Program
Community Health Education Program (CHEP) is a volunteer program through Crossroad Health Center looking to recruit new volunteers starting in Spring 2019. This program currently runs women’s health classes at a local high school and plans to begin offering men’s health classes as well. We are looking for students who are passionate about health education from any background, such as pre-health professions, public health, nursing, education, or social work.
 
The women’s health classes began about two years ago and have since become more comprehensive. A team of volunteers coordinates dates for sessions with counselors at a local set of high schools at the beginning of each academic semester. On average, there are about two sessions a month each about three hours long. Volunteers lead a discussion based seminar about anatomy, birth control, STIs, relationships, stress and mental health, and various other topics. Following the presentation and discussion, students take an exam. If passed, the session and exam fulfills their health class credit. Additional meetings take place regularly amongst the team, with the counselors and other community members, and Crossroad Health Center staff.
 
Our mission is to provide service-based, experiential learning for students in the Cincinnati community. This is achieved by partnering with leaders in education and healthcare as a way to empower students to be changemakers in their own community through solidarity with the poor.  ​

Commitment
The expectations of those selected for this program is to maintain and grow what already exists while introducing new actionable ideas for community health outreach in Cincinnati. Volunteers are dedicated, enthusiastic, and enjoy making this program a priority.
​

Requirements 
 An excellent applicant can meet the following requirements:
  • Commit a minimum of 8-10 hours per month
  • Commit to CHEP from March 2019-May 2020
  • Available on weekday afternoons
  • Strong communication and organizational skills
  • Comfortable talking about difficult topics
  • Enjoys working with teenagers
  • Transportation to and from events
  • Conduct themselves professionally
  • Reliable (especially important because we are working out in the community)

Application
 Application to the Community Health Education Program is a competitive process and consists of the following: 

1) Online Application​
  • The Online Application will be opened and closed according to the schedule listed below. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we cannot consider late online applications. 
  • The Online Application consists of:
    • Basic Application Information
    • Essay #1: Why is it important to educate others about stigmatized topics such as sexual health? 250 word maximum, single-spaced.
    • Essay #2: Describe a time when you took initiative to solve a problem. 250 word maximum, single-spaced.  
    • Essay #3: What experiences have you had working with people from backgrounds different from your own? How would you approach working with them? ​250 word maximum, single-spaced.
    • Professional Resume: 2 page maximum 
2)  Interview at Crossroad Health Center
  • After an initial evaluation of the online applications, eligible applicants will be invited to interview. Applicants will be interviewed by the program coordinator and current team members. 

Questions regarding application to the Community Health Education Program may be directed to crossroad.chep@gmail.com. 
Application Cycle Calendar
 Applications for students interested in interning March 2019-May 2020 will open on ??? and close on ???. Interviews will be held on ???. Please visit this page during that time frame to access the application!
History
The Crossroad Volunteer Internship Program was founded in January 2013 by Kyle Vath, Alex Pennekamp, and a group of seven premedical students. 
​The idea for this program was championed by Alex Pennekamp, a pre-medical student and medical assistant at Crossroad. His vision was to create an experience where students in the Cincinnati community could learn about primary care medicine, witness health disparities in their own communities first-hand, and work to be a part of the solution. Alex is now a student at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. When asked what his Crossroad experience meant to him, as well as what he hopes other students will gain from the program, this is what he had to say:
Crossroad Health Center exposed me to a type of Medicine that premedical and medical students rarely see: care of the neediest, most marginalized and socioeconomically depressed patients. This early exposure to inner-city primary care has certainly changed the trajectory of both my professional aspirations and my view of society in general. The reality and frustration that huge gaps in medical care exist were balanced by one idea: caring can make a difference. Without my experience at Crossroad interacting directly with patients as a premedical student, I would not have the framework and interest in working with underserved populations that I have now. I am infinitely grateful that in joining the Crossroad family, I have a group of professional contacts that have helped me understand the importance of compassionate care, spirituality and selflessness in practice.
Alex Pennekamp, 2013