Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Salley.
Hi Tim, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, my name is Tim Salley, Program Director for ECHO (Enhancing Community Health Outcomes). I was born and raised here in Savannah, Georgia. After high school, I enlisted in the United States Air Force, in which I served five deployments in support of Operations Iraqi & Enduring Freedom. After completing my enlistment, I enrolled at Savannah Technical College, where I received my diploma in practical nursing. I spent the pandemic completing a bachelor’s degree in health administration as well as earning a Master of Public Health degree from Georgia Southern University. I have had the privilege of working for local agencies such as the Chatham County Health Department & Savannah Chatham County Public School System, affording me a deep understanding of the health needs of our community.
Community health issues affecting Savannah are a frequent discussion at my family’s dinner table, especially during the coronavirus outbreak. We, as a family, saw and felt in real time the global effects of the pandemic here locally. We personally experienced the loss of loved ones both near and far. We knew we wanted to help our community but did not know where to start. After seeing the alarming disparities in death rates by race, it was made more than clear to us the need for improved access to quality healthcare among Black people in America. Understanding that the individuals most susceptible to death by COVID were Black, with pre-existing conditions, with little to no health insurance helped us in defining our target population. I shared with my family that we could have been better suited for the pandemic had we done more to improve the determinate of health factors that diminish access to healthcare within our Savannah community.
This realization prompted a call to action. Now, I serve Savannah alongside my three amazing sons: Jaylon, Joshua, and Jeremiah Salley. We are all healthcare professionals, and together we formed SCREEN TEAM E.C.H.O.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have had our share of struggles in lessening the barriers that limit access to health care within our community. Unfortunately, every individual has their own set of issues that are unique to them.
Although today we have successfully screened more than 1000 people, in the beginning, we spent several days screening little to no one due to a lack of trust. It took months to establish a rapport with those we serve, but with consistency, we were able to create a level of confidence, resulting in productive work relationships as well as friendships.
An additional dilemma is that the homeless within our community are an overly transient population. This challenge disrupts the continuity of care we hope to establish with these individuals. Although we may not see them as frequently as others we serve in the community, we work hardest to educate and raise their awareness of free healthcare resources available to them.
We also share the frustrations of those we serve and their lack of being heard. This is especially present among our elderly population. We educate them on their Patient Rights and help them formulate questions and concerns relevant to their health needs when speaking to their healthcare providers.
Finally, as Black men, we understand that we are clearly underrepresented in the nursing career field. We have experienced skepticism, stereotypes, and forms of prejudices. Sadly, this has not been given by those we serve but instead by those we serve alongside. Ignorance will not discourage the work we are doing. If anything, it will strengthen our efforts. We understand the weight of responsibility we carry when helping our community and intend to continue our endeavors despite the struggles we may face.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about E.C.H.O.: Enhancing Community Health Outcomes?
ECHO’s (Enhancing Community Health Outcomes) mission is to improve the health of our community, starting with our most vulnerable population, underinsured and uninsured individuals. Our purpose is to increase the awareness of health concerns affecting our community while caring for and providing basic services to individuals with little to no access to health care. We accomplish this by providing free healthcare screenings and education resources, including blood pressure and glucose readings, body mass index measurements, EKG readings, health education, continuity of care services, health & hygiene resources, and CPR/Stop the Bleeding Training (Red Cross). Since August 2021, we are proud to have screened more than 1000 people within the Greater Savannah Area. We discovered hypertension to be the most prevalent preexisting condition within our community. We focused on improving the blood pressure of those we screened. This resulted in an overall improvement of collective blood pressure within a 6-month period. We will continue to raise awareness of the importance of knowing your health status, be it pre-existing conditions or conditions that you may be predisposed to. COVID-19 has taught us that now more than ever is the time to prepare.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Our greatest risk as a team when engaging a marginalized community having little to no access to health care is that often the individuals within that community are either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with mental health disorders. Simply put, this can be dangerous and requires a level of awareness and sensitivity when caring for the individual.
As equally important as a risk would be our own mental health. The experiences that individuals share with us can and, more times than not, be disheartening and mentally taxing. We have learned to pray before, during, and after while working.
Another risk would be that we would not be as effective as we hoped. We fully understand the shock value of a Black father-son ensemble of healthcare professionals. Although this may be cool to some, it is our hope that we inspire those we touch to become more involved with their healthcare.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/screenteamecho
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/screenteamecho
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/screenteamecho
