Patient Stories: Janine, the AmeriCorps VISTA

Janine was a HAVEN AmeriCorps VISTA from 2015 - 2017 and used Bridgercare for her healthcare needs during her time in Bozeman. This is her story.

I moved to Bozeman in January 2015 from Long Island, New York to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA at HAVEN. HAVEN is Gallatin County’s domestic violence organization, a resource for individuals affected by intimate partner violence and sex trafficking. During my 2.5 years there I participated in capacity-building activities such as volunteer recruitment, fundraising, and community outreach.

Upon arriving in Montana, I needed to find new healthcare professionals and I was quickly informed about Bridgercare from a coworker. I visited Bridgercare many times for a range of reproductive healthcare services and always found my experience to be marked by compassion, competence, and high standards of care.

During a HAVEN staff meeting, we had a representative from Bridgercare come to speak about the various birth control options that they could provide to the women we worked with. This was extremely informative to me and when I decided to get the birth control implant, Bridgercare made the process quick and easy.

I was also lucky enough to witness the outreach and education Bridgercare provides to teens by supporting the HAVEN/Bridgercare team during the peer education retreat in Summer 2016. It was a privilege to observe teens becoming empowered by having important discussions around reproductive health and healthy relationships.

I am so grateful that Bridgercare makes healthcare empowering and accessible and is also sharing its knowledge with the community. They are truly a unique and outstanding service.

Currently, I am traveling while working in New Zealand. This year I have been fortunate enough to also visit the Philippines, Australia, China, Tonga, and Italy.  Next year, I will be attending the University of Bristol in England to study for my LLM law degree in Health, Law, and Society. I am most looking forward to completing my degree and standing alongside organizations like HAVEN and Bridgercare to make the world a better place.