Douglas Wells
  • Barnesville, PA

Douglas Wells of Barnesville, second-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, founds advocacy group for people with disabilities

2017 Oct 31

Douglas Wells of Barnesville, a second-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, has founded the Community Healthcare Advocacy Team for Individuals with Disabilities (CHATID).

Imagine approaching a receptionist's desk that's so high you can't see over it. Or arriving for a cancer screening only to confuse staff because they are not sure how to properly lift you from your wheelchair. Or being deaf and having interpretive services that don't speak the sign language to which you are accustomed, rendering the service virtually useless. These are challenges people with disabilities face in our community every day. They comprise the largest minority group that anyone can join at any time, yet far too few of their neighbors comprehend the difficulties they encounter.

Doug said these barriers unacceptable -- especially when they are encountered in healthcare. Because his father copes with multiple sclerosis (MS), Doug has firsthand knowledge of some of the difficulties people with disabilities face. That's why he founded CHATID.

CHATID is an advocate for improving the quality of healthcare for everyone with disabilities by expanding accessibility, effectively coordinating and making healthcare workers aware of community-based resources, and improving the efficacy of medical staff to communicate with and care for individuals with disabilities. CHATID's goal is to provide these patients with both knowledge of their healthcare rights and resources to ensure health equity, and to help physicians to understand how to best to provide equal care for all using the knowledge and resources provided.

Doug says his group is inspired by the Community Campus Partnership for Health (CCPH). Established in 1997, CCPH is a nonprofit membership organization that promotes health equity and social justice through partnerships between communities and academic institutions.