I spent the first 19 years of my life living in Camp Verde, Arizona which, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services, is a rural HPSA -
Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area. To ensure we were all healthy my mother greatly relied on the county health clinic and mobile clinics that offered free vaccinations and reduced cost health screenings. The most significant and challenging disadvantage I faced was our family’s socioeconomic status; my father made roughly 14,000-30,000 dollars a year supporting his four boys and wife. Food stamps, reduced lunch and unemployment benefits ensured that we were all fed and had shelter. My parents divorced and by 14 I was working after school and on the weekends to pay my mother rent. One