Welcome to “Paying it Forward,” a monthly interview series made possible by Piedmont Health. In this series, we hear from the folks at Piedmont about the importance of community health centers – and why they chose a career in community health.
This month, Aaron welcomes physician Dr. Evan Ashkin and behavioral health consultant Mary Tayloe. They work with the Formerly Incarcerated Transition program (FIT for short), providing health services to individuals returning to society after incarceration.
“Unfortunately when people are released from incarceration, they oftentimes struggle with many aspects of putting their lives together, and health falls off the radar,” says Ashkin. “The FIT program is about hiring people that are formerly incarcerated, training them as community health workers, and then putting them in places like Piedmont. So we have a FIT clinic (there), where we take care of people recently released.”
Ashkin launched the FIT program in Durham in 2017. Since then, FIT has served more than 1,000 people across nine counties.
“I love working with our patients,” says Tayloe, who’s been with Piedmont Health for five years. “When folks are coming out of incarceration, they don’t have a lot of resources. They might not have a place to live, no family or friends in the area. And being able to lock in, listen to a patient’s story, listen to what they need, is really rewarding. (You) might be the only person that they’ve really talked to today, and you can feel that.”
Ashkin concurs. “I can talk about one young woman that we’ve worked with for a number of years, who’s had many, many challenges,” he says. “A lot of women, coming out of incarceration, really struggle with family reunification – and (she) just came in and was so excited to tell us that she was going to be getting one of her children back. It was just really a beautiful moment for her, and it’s going to be a wonderful thing to have that family reunited.”
Ashkin and Tayloe both say they love working with Piedmont Health Services, which offers a wide variety of physical and mental services for anyone who walks in the door.
“I’m based at UNC, (but) my heart really lies in community health,” Ashkin says, “Piedmont (takes) care of a lot of our marginalized and minoritized patients, and that’s sort of been a focus of my career… Everyone is welcome (at Piedmont), regardless of where they’re from or what language they speak. We are there to serve them.”
97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news and local voices in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck chats with government officials, UNC scholars, business and nonprofit leaders, area musicians, and others in our community as they share their thoughts, their experience, and their expertise on the central issues of today. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s conversations – and tune in to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” at 7:30 a.m. on 97.9 The Hill to hear those conversations live.
Listen:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe:
Related Stories
‹
Reflections: Chamber, Piedmont CEOs Create Affordable Health ServicesAaron Nelson, executive director of the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill and Carrboro, wanted to help people who could not afford, or qualify for, personal health care. He went to Piedmont Health Services CEO Brian Toomey, a renowned innovator in the community health care field, and together they created a plan where people could […]
Reflections: Board Director With 42 Years in Health Care Lauds Piedmont SeniorCareEdna Mark joined the Piedmont Health Services Board of Directors after four decades in health care. As a child, Edna received medical care at the Union Ridge Community Health Center in Alamance County, which was later renamed the Scott Community Health Center for her family doctor Floyd Scott. She was inspired by Dr. Scott to […]
Reflections: Piedmont Health Director Has Important, Rewarding JobDr. Abbie DeVries is a 2002 graduate of the UNC School of Medicine who did her residency at Brown University. Since 2009, she has been in a leadership role with Piedmont Health Services, a large, multi-site Federally-qualified community health center organization based in Chapel Hill. She began at a local site, moved up to site […]
Reflections: Piedmont Health CEO Sees Growth and Offers GuidanceBrian Toomey, CEO of Piedmont Health Services, believes the country needs a concerted effort to abide by the safety protocols laid out by health experts in order to contain the coronavirus, stop the spread of COVID-19 cases and ease the burden on hospitals and medical centers to be able to treat those who do get […]
Reflections: Lab Director For 35 Years Has Cut Costs, Improved EfficiencyLaboratory director Sudha Rathie has been with Piedmont Health Services for 35 years and has increased the number of labs from three to 12 — each at a PHS community health center for maximum efficiency in getting test results back to patients. She started the very day she interviewed for the job with Piedmont medical director Ned […]
Reflections: Veteran Pharmacy Director Carl Taylor Keeps Drug Costs Down and Service Up For PatientsCarl Taylor, Piedmont Health’s Director of Pharmacy, has expanded the program from three pharmacies to eight in his 19 years on the job. A strong advocate for reaching out to Congress, Taylor helped secure the federal 340B program that results in patients paying a fraction of what drugs cost at traditional pharmacies. https://chapelboroaudio.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/May/08/PIEDMONT%20HEALTH_340B%20REFLECTIONS%20%28RS%29.mp3 Piedmont Health […]
Reflections: Local Dentist Loves Serving People Looking for Quality Dental CareKatrina Mattision-Chalwe, dental director at Piedmont Health, return to her native Orange County after dental school in Nashville, Tenn., to find her dream job. “I was born and raised here and just wanting to help people,” she said. “So, I always knew I was going to come back home.” She calls working at PHS a “dream […]
'Paying It Forward' with Piedmont Health's Aubrey WomackAaron welcomes Piedmont Health dietitian Aubrey Womack to discuss how to eat healthy - and how to get your kids to do the same.
'Paying It Forward' and Celebrating PACE, with Piedmont Health's Nicole Brown and Johnnie DouglasIn honor of National PACE Month, Aaron chats with a physical therapist and a participant in Piedmont Health's PACE program.
'Paying It Forward' with Evan Ashkin and Mary TayloeAaron welcomes Piedmont Health's Evan Ashkin and Mary Tayloe, who work with the Formerly Incarcerated Transition program.
›
