Hi! My name is Paulina Lopez and I am working at CHCACT this summer, while I complete my Public Health degree at Southern Connecticut State University.

My role at CHCACT is to help enhance patient and family engagement, which is one of the overarching goals of Patient & Family Centered Care Design – part of CHCACT’s Practice Transformation Network initiative. People being involved in their own health care is critical to improving clinical outcomes, and improving people’s lives.

For the past week or so, I have been spending time at Generations Family Health Center, teaching people how to use the Patient Portal to access their own health records. I approach people in waiting rooms and ask if I can set them up on the portal; using a laptop, I help them establish their logins and show them its features. I teach them how to check their health records and lab reports; they can often even request appointments through the portal, which is a convenient way to take care of one’s health!

Paulina Lopez

Patient portals have been available for a number of years, but many people are reluctant to use them, because they do not understand the benefits. I am happy to be able to show them how useful they can be! I am bilingual (English and Spanish), and being able to talk to patients in their preferred language overcomes one of the barriers they face in accessing this important tool. I also have experience as a pharmacy technician at CVS and as a CNA, so I am familiar with working with patients and helping them identify and resolve their needs. I enjoy having the opportunity to give back to my community.

After some time at Generations, I will be working with five other health centers this summer. My goal is to create a guide for each health center to use, with specific ideas for them to continue this work beyond my term.

Have YOU set yourself up on a patient portal?

- Paulina