The Cooperative, Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative
Title: The Role of Family Health in Community Care
Student Interns:
Mariam Mohsin
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Academic Preceptor:
Mara Gordon, MD
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Anthony Rostain, MD, MA
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Community Preceptor:
Maya Shenoy, MPH, NCNTT
Program Manager (Tobacco)
Community Site:
The Cooperative aims to support family health via maternal-fetal and newborn care throughout South Jersey, as well as provide resources for children of varying ages. Its Breathe Strong division focuses on tobacco cessation and pediatric asthma care and includes options for management and treatment, along with educational resources. Using evidence-based and harm reduction techniques, the program reaches a wide range of individuals and directs families toward healthier futures.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student intern’s main deliverables centered on spacer education. Although clinically underutilized, spacers are an important tool for pediatric asthma management. Through the creation of a presentation about asthma care, the intern introduced the topic of spacers and subsequently expanded on it in a one-pager to be distributed in primary care and pediatric clinics. The intern also expanded the topic of smoking cessation by creating an informative flier.
Reflections
“BTG CHIP has broadened my horizons and allowed me to better interact and learn from the community. It has also taught me about needs that are specific to the Camden/Philadelphia area, which I was not aware of previously. These lessons can be applied to many urban areas that I hope to serve in the future. This includes the importance of nutrition on heart health and the accessibility of nutrition to those without stable food sources. Furthermore, I became aware of the barriers to care for those without permanent addresses. This factor makes it more difficult for them to receive both prescription and over-the-counter medications and equipment, especially as many of these items now are mail-away orders. I aim to help alleviate these disparities in the future during my healthcare education and career. Through BTG CHIP, I am able to make more concrete goals when implementing change and finding short- term solutions when working towards long-term change.”
Mariam Mohsin