Going into my internship at the Montgomery County Health Department (MCHD), I thought it was going to be boring compared to my last internship at the Allen County Department of Health. Crawfordsville is a small town so I expected small things from the internship, but I couldn’t be farther from the truth! I got to learn how a health department operated and I witnessed big things coming to the department. The MCHD is on track to receive about a half million dollars in 2024 and double that in 2025. This funding means the department can pay its workers higher wages, they can hire more staff, and old/new programs can be funded adequately! Prior to this fund, the MCHD was only receiving a little under $60,000 and any other funds they needed were only attainable through grants. The department also only has 9 staff members meaning they can get overwhelmed. Hearing about the lack of funding and staffing for something as important as public health frustrated me because shouldn’t everyone be entitled to being healthy? The health department offers important services such as covid tests, Narcan canisters, and free vaccines. These programs the department offers are helpful to those who can’t afford it which helps bring a sense of equality in health for everyone. During my time at the MCHD, I got plenty of experience on the job. In vital records, I was able to make birth certificates and death certificates which helped my people skills since I had to interact with the person. Water analysis also showed me how to conduct water tests to check if water from a certain place was safe enough to drink or swim in. Next, I was able to learn about vector control which is basically mosquito trapping. The other intern and I would go around Montgomery County and set up traps that had a disgusting odor to attract mosquitos. Our group would then come back the next day and collect the mosquitos, freeze them, count them, and send them to a lab to test for any transferable diseases. Another thing we got to do was observe vaccinations with the nurse of the department and we also got to conduct Covid tests! Lastly, we got to do was inspect houses and restaurants. Most of the time, inspections go smoothly. However, some experiences were rough. Seeing this part of the department made me question where I eat and how I consider “fit” for habitation. Now don’t let that scare you as my Supervisor, Adrienne Northcutt, stated, “A lot of people assume that places unfit for human habitation are just because of lazy people. I’ll admit, maybe 10 percent of that is true however, 90 percent of the time these people just aren’t aware that they’re making mistakes. As a department, we’re not here to kick people out of their homes or business, but rather educate them on how to keep their homes/businesses up to code.” I think this quote stuck with me the most because as a Wabash gentleman, I stand by living humanely. I had my own mini projects keeping me busy in between all the previous activities. I have made some graphics for the department’s social media, I have written a few articles for the Journal Review here in town, I have worked on organizing data for overdoses here in Montgomery County, and I have made a report justifying why this department needs an
epidemiologist (a disease/illness detective). I got to be on the radio, I got to shut down the KFC in town, and sat through multiple meetings that revolved around affairs of the county. Despite being in such a small town, I’m convinced I can make a huge impact in the community. My work environment has set me up for success and I couldn’t be anymore thankful, but I’ll try! I would like to thank my supervisor Diamond Teague for hiring me for this position, the other Wabash Interns for making this experience fun as well as productive, the GHI for organizing and offering this opportunity, and lastly Wabash College and its Alumni for funding
and providing housing for this internship. I strongly would recommend this internship to someone who plans on going into the medical field or plans on going into public health because it exposes you to the multiple aspects of health such as mental, physical, and environmental health. This internship also helps you open your eyes to another aspect of health that isn’t just a doctor’s office. I plan to go into the medical field in the future and this internship has helped me understand that perspective and circumstance can be a huge factor in health and a problem isn’t always just a straightforward answer. The knowledge and experience I have gained from this internship will definitely help me with judgment in the future when helping my future patients.
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