Inside the Clinic: The Positivity Edition
Each week, our Executive Director, Anne-Lise Quinn, sends out a Clinic Update to the staff. In an effort to keep our wider community updated about the happenings inside Culmore Clinic, we will be posting an annotated version of this update to our blog each week under the Inside the Clinic tag.
Greetings Community!
Yesterday, I watched many people at the polling station: some looked happy, others not; some were also watching others, and some were not.
People watching is one of my favorite things. I think it’s the curious anthropologist in me. I particularly love watching people doing the same thing and wondering: Are they doing it for the same reason?
I was first made aware that people can do the exact same thing, but for different reasons, when as a student I read a great ethnography about a traveling people in Ireland. I can’t remember all the details (please don’t quote me!), but here’s one of the lasting impressions:
The author/anthropologist was watching a lady get ready to prepare food in her mobile home. When she put on an apron, the anthropologist asked why she was doing that. The lady was surprised and said, “Why does anyone wear an apron?” The anthropologist let it drop for a moment, but then asked the question again: “But why do you wear it?”
The lady turned and replied: “Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s to keep the dirt from my clothes getting onto the food.”
Hmmm….
There is much more to this statement that you might find fascinating – about concepts of cleanliness and uncleanliness in the culture of these fascinating traveling people – but it was truly an intellectual/philosophical epiphany for me. First, because I might never have even thought to ask that question; I wear an apron for a different reason - to keep food from getting on my clothes - so why assume otherwise? Second, because I had rarely thought before then that the motivation or thinking behind a similar cultural value, behavior or action might be different from mine.
I was reminded of this little ethnographic gem when I was at the polling station. People were all doing the same thing – voting – and I could easily have made assumptions about why they were doing it. But as I watched them go in and come out, I wondered if any two of them were actually voting for the very same reasons. Were they voting for a candidate or voting against the other candidates? Were they voting for a personality or a broad political philosophy? Were they voting like everyone else in their family or because they had always voted one way or another? Were they voting because they paid more or less tax under this or that Administration? Were they voting reluctantly but because of a sense of civic duty? Were they voting in hope or in fear? So many reasons why people might vote….
Many of you will have voted yesterday, or earlier; and whom you voted for or why is perhaps known only to you. But if you are reading this email, I absolutely believe that you share with me and others – regardless of political leanings - a common love for the mission of the small, but mighty Culmore Clinic. And for that you get my vote!
I believe you get joy from knowing that working together – and we have to work together! – we are making a difference to the lives of our struggling patients.
I believe you feel happiness when you learn that despite the ravages of the last eight months:
We have scheduled 1,688 provider appointments
Our nurses have made 630 follow-up calls, and
We have facilitated 737 medication pickups and deliveries.
I believe you are comforted when you read that, together with our Marymount nursing students and Mormon missionaries, 122 neighbors who wanted the flu shot got vaccinated (and let me tell you they get pretty darn cold doing this outside right now!); and that 108 new patients have found a medical home with us.
And I just know too that our wonderful volunteer staff – who work so hard together – must have been simply delighted when you got those surprise thank-you notes from our dear Goodwin House supporters, who see what they do and wanted to recognize it!! Yay!!
I wanted to end with a link to a beautiful song, shared by Culmore Clinic’s Bernadette, that I think we can all appreciate at this time.
Stay positive, Everyone!
Anne-Lise