2nd Draft

Aiding Low-Income Families Everywhere

MEDLIFE (Medicine, Education, and Development for Low-Income Families Everywhere), is a medical organization on campus that claims to provide these families with medical, educational, and developmental aid. Comprised of medical professionals and FSU students, they strive to serve these low-income families and supply them with the health care they need. It is also their opinion, that unlike ‘other organizations’ they are a unique group that surpass others in serving these families. Hoping to join this organization, as well as the medical field, it is my goal to determine the credibility of their claims. In order to learn more about this organization, I interviewed Danielle Boyden, the President of MEDLIFE, who gave great insight on the foundations, events, service, and authenticity of her club. MEDLIFE at FSU may believe that they are a unique group that outdoes others in serving low-income families (Student Organizations 2018), but how does this organization actually secure to this achievement?

Low-income families are defined as those who make less than twice the federal poverty line. As of January 2018, a household of six that makes less than $33,740 a year is considered below the poverty guideline (U.S Department of Health and Human Resources). Coming from a small, agricultural home-town, I find it acceptable to believe some families suffer from low-income. The poverty line, which is adjusted each year to accommodate inflation, helps determine if a family qualifies for government benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps, and funds for education. Poverty isn’t always what it is perceived as: families in an underdeveloped country with no home and food. Though it’s still a pressing issue, there are also local families that struggle with this adversary. When looking at these families, you can see they have a house, a working vehicle, and food. However, when it comes to benefits like education and health care, these local low-income families are extremely lacking. Thus, they receive government help to acclimate for the benefits they can’t afford. Regardless of income, all families should have access to something as vital as medical care.

Low income families, because of their annual income, are at risk of becoming unsuccessful because they don’t have enough access to mediums like education. Anna Sillers, a reporter for PBS News, expressed how major of a role education plays within these families. She stated that “86 percent of children of parents with less than a high school degree are likely to live in low-income families, and 67 percent of children from parents with just a high school degree live in low income families” (Sillers). It appears that education is, at times, selective in those it assists, since those who come from higher income families receive education to carry on this trend. This claim is further supported by a report from HB Ferguson that insists that documentation exemplifies that poverty decreases a child’s readiness for school through many different aspects (health, home life, etc.). He claims that “children from low-income families often do not receive the stimulation and do not learn the social skills required to prepare them for school” (Ferguson). These quotes lead speculation that an improper home-life induced by low-incomes generate poor performance in school because of the burden that the children face at home. If these burdens were somehow lessened, it would provide these children with the means to break away from poverty and start a new educational cycle.

As a result, many security programs exist to minimize negative effects such as this. Sherman and Mitchell touch on this by explaining how programs like food stamps resulted in children growing up and having higher graduation rates and lower rates of health problems like heart disease (Sherman and Mitchell). Unfortunately, this cannot be said about children in other countries which have not implemented these types of programs. When I interviewed the President of FSU’s MEDLIFE, she talked about service learning trips they take to other countries. They have mobile clinics that include, “a dentist or two, a gynecologist, a psychiatrist, a toothbrush station for little kids, and an education center.” (Boyden). In these educational centers, MEDLIFE volunteers read to children and teach them basic reading skills. Though, when opposing their efforts, it would be easy to point out how these trips are only helpful for a limited amount of time, as the trips are only a week long. However, by laying down the foundation of education for these families, it allows them to take the next step in pursuing learning and success. All they need is a little assistance and much needed guidance.

MEDLIFE aspires to empower those struggling financially and help them in their fight against poverty. The factors that make up their organization: medicine, education, and development, are all geared towards refining the life of quality for families everywhere. Their website touches on these factors and the reasons why they pursue reform in these areas. According to their website, “there are less than two doctors for each 1,000 people in Latin America due to geographic isolation and lack of transportation” (MEDLIFE). As a result, many families in Latin America leave their communities for better opportunities. This rapid urbanization cultivated multiple issues such as improper sanitation, unhygienic living conditions, and a lack of basic amenities (MEDLIFE). When contemplating the living conditions of these countries, the spread of diseases tends to be a huge threat in these growing cities. When improper sanitation travels, so does disease. One particular example that comes to mind in the spread of Chikungunya in Mexico, a disease spread by mosquitos. Cynthia Flores Mora of World Bank writes about this issue stating that, “experts warned that the spread of this disease would be difficult to control given that it is a relatively new illness, for which Latin Americans have yet to develop the necessary antibodies to fight it” (Mora). This setback, in turn, creates more challenge for healthcare teams in these communities. Though MEDLIFE cannot alleviate issues like these completely, they are able to assist in procedures that save lives. When being interviewed, Danielle spoke about a member of her club who had a brother, Gus, who desperately needed an operation for his brain tumor. They raised money for this family and Gus was given his operation. Danielle beamed as she talked about how happy she felt to fulfill her family’s needs. Light shone in her eyes as she said, “He’s okay now. We got an update. It went well” (Boyden). Gus is merely one example of a life MEDLIFE has touched and improved. MEDLIFE is just one organization, but it’s full of people who want to do good in this world. Their goal is to help people like Gus and see through their procedures to the end. Disease and poverty spread through the world like a wildfire, but because of organizations like MEDLIFE, kindness does, too.