Melissa Gentry — empathy stories

I was a child welfare worker at the Department of Human Resources. Before that I did elderly services: I adopted 36 elderly people in the community and I would go everyday and visit with them to see what their needs were. Then I would coordinate the services in the community.

It was a wonderful ten years of my life. They had so many stories to tell; their stories would go all the way back to the Civil War days. It filled a void in my life. It is my favorite thing I've ever done.

Now I do Medicaid certification for pregnant women and children. I spend all day trying to determine if they can qualify to get full Medicaid coverage. My job is satisfying. Anybody that needs health insurance that doesn't have it should come see me.

I feel so inadequate, so frustrated that things are like they are. That's why I like trying so hard all day long to help people and then I go home, but you get in a rut. You're trying to do everything you can do... but we're not a group. I think in order to have a well rounded life you need to have different people and all ages around you. You can learn so much from a baby, a teenager, a young adult, parents, and grandparents.

I think that it makes us healthy individuals to be connected to all walks of life. Uplifting power is possible if we get together in groups and learn about each other. Everybody’s got a hidden talent, we can offer them to the community. I have a lot to learn about quilting and arts and crafts. So many people around here have the talent and probably don't even realize that other people want to know about it. Once it's started and other people see the look on everybody's face at the feeling of accomplishment I think the camaraderie will be contagious. If you could just get people together who really wanted to see it happen...

Melissa Gentry

Medicaid Eligibility Specialist, Alabama Medicaid Agency

Greensboro, Alabama

Outsidein. A Community Space for Hale County.