Philadelphia FIGHT Y-HEP Adolescent and Young Adult Health Center
Title: Bridging the Gaps in Upper Darby
Student Interns:
Luke Horton
University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
Academic Preceptor:
Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP
University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
Community Preceptor:
Kate Cerrone, MSN, CRNP
Philadelphia FIGHT Y-HEP
Leah Scherzer, MD
Philadelphia FIGHT Y-HEP
Community Site:
Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers are a group of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) whose mission is to increase access to high-quality comprehensive primary care to all patients, regardless of background, beliefs, insurance status, or ability to pay. The Y-HEP Adolescent and Young Adult Health Center provides services to adolescents and young adults (aged 13 to 26), which include primary care, reproductive health services, integrated behavioral health, PrEP, and medical case management.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps intern assessed and compiled a list of bilingual resources in the Upper Darby region, including food pantries, community centers, library services, maternity services, health resources, and immigration services. The intern created a spreadsheet and handouts of these resources and visited a few in person to better understand their services and build a stronger network of care between those resources and Philadelphia FIGHT. In addition to this main project, the intern created a brochure on managing pain caused by ankle monitors to affirm and support these patients. This brochure has become a community resource among other clinics at Philadelphia FIGHT and with groups working with those detained by ICE or who are incarcerated. Because many patients fear leaving home due to the political climate, the intern also created a document of fun indoor activities for children, including story read-alongs, exercises, dances, games, and crafts. Finally, the intern helped preserve institutional memory by creating a compiled folder to be shared with the next intern.
Reflections
I came into BTG ready to be challenged about my ideas of the healthcare system, which I had only known as a patient or through academics. The critiques of burnt-out workers, condescending doctors, and systemic oppression made me angry and scared, but I knew demystifying this field would help me become a better social worker and educator. Philadelphia FIGHT showed me how healthcare can be truly accessible, making me question why more clinics aren’t structured this way. As an FQHC, they see everyone regardless of insurance, use a sliding scale, and employ bilingual case managers to connect patients with benefits. The staff are trauma-informed and nonjudgmental, never turning patients away but instead meeting families where they are. One pediatrician even vaccinated a 7-year-old for the first time after years of patiently building trust with the mother. I saw parallels between attacks on healthcare and on education, which helped me feel less alone. Additionally, we advocated for immigrant families facing injustices due to increased ICE activity and detainment. My own projects were macro-level: I built a resource spreadsheet for Upper Darby, vetted organizations by phone and in person, and found that everyone wanted to ‘keep the conversation going.’ This collaborative, mission-driven nonprofit work gave me a concrete vision for my dream of creating a cohesive resource network for Philadelphia’s Asian American community. Working in pediatrics gave me a unique perspective on working with youth that I never saw as an educator, allowing me to work holistically to support the family within their ecosystem.
Luke Horton
Partners
