By Rhonda Seltz — October 11, 2022
My co-worker Jessica Conley, a fellow Navigator, asked me to help with a joint outreach effort with her church. Recent municipal policy changes in Bristol, Tennessee forced homeless individuals and families on the Tennessee side to move across the state line to the Virginia side. Many of these folks congregate in Bristol, Virginia’s Cumberland Park, which is also next to the public library.
Jessica had scheduled appointments with ten people who had agreed to come to the church’s weekly stop at Cumberland Park. She asked if I could help with SNAP and Medicaid applications.
When I arrived at the park, Jessica explained that none of the people she had planned to meet who were living in and around the park showed up for their appointments. I was not surprised or disappointed as I know that it is a monumental task for folks who are transient and just trying to survive to be able to follow through on well-intentioned commitments.
Instead of doing a bunch of paperwork, I was able to join Jessica, “Preacher Man” Stephen, and other dedicated church members as they pulled red wagons full of snacks, water, cupcakes, dental kits, and other hygiene products through the park and surrounding city streets and alleys.
No judging, no religion pushing … just “How can we help?”
Jessica saw a couple of young people intently playing games on their phones and guided our group over to them. (“We always stay together as a group,” she said.) One of them mentioned that they were interested in transgender resources and waited for a judgmental response that never came. Instead, Jessica softly replied that her church has several members from the LGBTQ community, and that Medicaid will cover most medical services and she can work with them to locate providers.
As we continued to stroll through the park and surrounding areas where many of those without permanent homes usually resided, Jessica looked for certain individuals with whom she had spoken in the past. She expressed genuine concern about the ones she could not locate. She knew their names and stories.
This was real grassroots outreach.
Unfortunately, not everyone appreciated their outreach.
She was told by a local law enforcement officer to “Stop feeding the strays” and was threatened with a citation.
Spunky Jessica boldly challenged the officer by asking him to provide the citation code. When the officer could not produce a code, Jessica asked, “How can you write a citation if you do not have the code to cite?”
The officer, obviously embarrassed, mumbled, “Consider this a warning …”
After recounting this story to other Enroll Virginia staff, Jessica mentioned that she was concerned she may get arrested and lose her job.
“Are you kidding?” Deepak Madala, Director of Enroll Virginia, said. “Jay [Speer, VPLC Executive Director] wouldn’t fire you, he would give you a promotion!”
Yep, love working for VPLC! Jessica, you keep going girrrrl!
Rhonda Seltz has been a health care advocate for more than 40 years. In her current position as an Enroll Virginia Navigator, she assists Southwest Virginians with how to apply for and utilize Medicaid, FAMIS, and the federal insurance Marketplace programs. Rhonda is also known for her work with local, regional, and statewide partners identifying and addressing unmet health care needs throughout the region.