At Action Wellness, our volunteers, staff, and board members are the lifeblood of our organization. Their dedication, passion, and commitment to our mission help fuel the incredible work we do every day. This month in our Action Heroes series, we sat down with Assistant Director of Client Service Syreeta V, who leads our Perinatal and Housing programs in our Market Street office!

AW: How long have you been working at Action Wellness and how did you first hear about the agency?

Syreeta: “I’ve been an employee of Action Wellness for twenty-one years in August. A dear friend of mine was an intern-turned-employee of then ActionAIDS. I have always worked in human service and had always been an advocate for people who needed support in the community. When the opportunity presented itself, I applied for a vacant Housing Specialist and a Prison Case Manager position. The Housing Coordinator called me for an interview and I was hired as a Housing Specialist to work out our Arch Street location.”

AW: As a previous Board member of OHS, how has that experience helped impact your work at Action Wellness?

Syreeta: “Being on the Roadmap to Homes board provided me with the opportunity to advocate for housing for people living with HIV. Housing is a human right and having watched my clients struggle with the shelter system with definitions of homelessness, which didn’t always fit their circumstances or when they have housing and due to the lack of affordable housing these things made me want to keep the concerns of our community on the table. The Board included providers from various systems that have helped our clients in most of our Direct Services Programs, in varying capacities.”

AW: Tell us some more about the programs you oversee – what are they?

Syreeta: “I oversee our Housing programs, including our transitional, rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing programs. Affordable housing continues to be the most unmet need of our clients. Housing insecurity continues to plague or city and our clients.

I also oversee our Perinatal programs. With the maternal health crisis being detrimental to birthing persons in this country it is even more important to make sure that our clients have the support and resources  needed to have healthy pregnancies, postpartum period and babies. These programs mean, so much to me because physical and mental health outcomes are often impacted by social determinants of health. If housing is not secure or if someone can’t feed their children it is difficult to focus on treatment adherence.”

AW: What are some lesser known aspects of the Action Wellness Perinatal Care Program that people might not know about?

Syreeta: “I don’t think people know that perinatal care goes beyond 6-8 weeks postpartum. We can keep our clients with the Perinatal program for three years. Studies show that some birthing persons continue to experience postpartum depression symptom for months and sometimes years after birth. We also have secured funding with the Juliet Viola Kniffen Foundation to provide lactation support for clients who want to breast/chest feed. Clients who are undetectable can safely provide their babies with their own milk, without fear of transmitting HIV onto their baby.”

AW: What is one of your favorite memories of working at Action Wellness?

Syreeta: “My favorite memories were serving as an ambassador for the Food Truck round ups for DOFL. It was an awesome community event. It bought our clients, staff, partners and families together. DOFL continues to be an amazing event. Seeing so many people in our community including the vendors working hard for a great cause and selling out of their food and treats, on a sunny spring day has been amazing.”

AW: What is the most satisfying part of working with your staff at 3600 Market St?

Syreeta: “Seeing staff who really care about the well-being of our clients and each other often leaves me speechless. To see the teams working together for the greater need of their clients is priceless. I can walk past an office and see a client meeting with their Case Manager, while their Assistant Case Manager is keeping their children occupied and at the same time a coordinator grabbing diapers or food from our perinatal pantry. All working together, so the client can have their needs meet. When we get donations staff from all of the teams in the office help out, because they know we are greater together. I really appreciate and feel privileged to work with them.”