As HeartCorps service member Ayden Keslar offered blood pressure checks at a Gillette, Wyoming soup kitchen, she noticed a stressed-out mother tending to her baby and teenage child.
Ayden invited the mom to take a seat and listened attentively as she shared how tough it was to carve out time to take care of herself with diet and exercise. This mother dropped by the Council of Community Services annual Day of Hope event, a community gathering which draws individuals experiencing homelessness or other difficulties and connects them to available community services.
Ayden screened the woman for high blood pressure, saw the elevated levels, and promptly started her on a free treatment plan to improve her physical and mental wellbeing.
“I really saw us making an impact, and it felt very good to have her just take that sigh of relief and know that someone cares for her, someone is there, and we will get her help,” Ayden said.
HeartCorps member Ayden Keslar
Ayden was no stranger to healthcare when she joined the HeartCorps program in November 2023, working out of the Salvation Army Gillette Service Center. She had spent years as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and the HeartCorps position seemed like the perfect opportunity to work closely with clients and promote healthy habits. The American Heart Association operates the AmeriCorps program, HeartCorps.
“It was sort of everything that I had been missing, but it was a brand-new challenge for me,” she said.
Ayden thinks she might eventually go back to being a CNA, and if she does, she’ll return to the profession with new knowledge and experience from her time working in rural public health.
She’s well aware of the challenges faced by residents of rural communities, where the need for transportation often is an impediment to obtaining needed care.
“Rural communities are very cut off from the critical specialist care,” Ayden said. “A lot of people have to travel far away, whether it’s in-state or out-of-state.
The American Heart Association operates the Americorps program, HeartCorps. Read more HeartCorps stories here.