Students work as volunteers and interns at Phoenix Allies for Community Health, providing medical care to low-income patients
Photo by Marilyn Baez
| Decency
Marilyn Baez, senior life sciences at ASU and board member at Phoenix Allies for Community Health, reads papers at the Phoenix Allies for Community Health Clinic in Phoenix on an unknown date.
From Reagan Priest | 07/22/2021 4:47 PM
Pre-health students at ASU take an opportunity through a voluntary health clinic to help underserved communities and discover their goals in the field.
Phoenix Allies for Community Health is a non-profit, volunteer-run clinic that provides free medical care to the medically marginalized in the Phoenix area. According to Mikayla Isosaki, co-director of clinical operations, about 25 ASU students are interning or volunteering with PACH during any semester to help patients.
Nargish Patwoary, a freshman bachelor’s degree studying biology, started at the clinic as a bachelor’s student in 2019 to help with public relations. In the same year she was promoted to the clinic’s board of directors as a board member.
Patwoary said the organization’s base was a perfect place for them to grow and stand up for members of the community.
“The fact that they see potential in ASU students who are just regular volunteers, who wanted to take the initiative and put them on the board is a pretty big deal,” said Patwoary.
She currently serves as the secretary to the board and continues to help with public relations to expand the clinic. Patwoary is supported on the board by another ASU student, Marilyn Baez, who succeeded Patwoary as a general board member.
Baez, a senior studying life sciences, started working at PACH as an interpreter and writer and was promoted to board member when she took responsibility for the clinic’s pantry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have taken the position of forming an alliance with St. Mary’s Food Bank so we can get donations from them every Friday,” said Baez. “It wasn’t until then that I was asked to become a board member so that I could be more involved in clinical decisions.”
A 2020 report by the Arizona Department of Health identified 23 primary care areas in Maricopa County as medically underserved areas, including Mesa West and Central, Scottsdale South and Tempe North. Most of the patients who come to PACH have low incomes, do not speak English, and require health education and medical care.
These patients helped Patwoary and Baez learn more about their goals as future doctors.
“I’ve learned that our patients are really strong people, they are resilient people, but I think we also need to know that we shouldn’t feel sorry for them,” said Patwoary. “If anything, we should empathize with them and recognize that there is a barrier and an axis of systemic oppression there.”
Although PACH saw a decline in volunteers and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinic is now slowly returning to face-to-face appointments and offering COVID-19 vaccines for his patients and plans to expand the clinic operations.
Baez said moving back to in-person appointments has improved patient care as many prefer face-to-face interactions over the phone.
Patwoary is working on a partnership between PACH and the UA College of Medicine in downtown Phoenix to attract medical volunteer students to run the clinic, research, and care for asylum seekers.
“Hopefully this will turn into this long-term, tangible partnership with UA that will increase our capacity to conduct our current operations,” said Patwoary. “We could be open longer as we are currently only open three days a week, so we could extend the day a little longer or open on a different day.”
Isosaki, an ASU alumna, said PACH’s unique opportunities and learning environment highlight the clinic as a volunteer experience for health care students. Patwoary and Baez have taken these opportunities and encourage others to do the same.
“I feel like when people get involved in larger clinics or paid positions, people lose track of things, but volunteering is important, it builds the character,” said Baez. “You are literally investing your time in a community that needs your help.”
Reach the reporter at [email protected] and follow @reaganspriest on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
Continue to support student journalism by making a donation to The State Press today.
Comments are closed.