By Anisah D. & Michael K., President and Vice President of Healthy Right
Healthy Right is a youth-led not-for-profit organization located in Northern New Jersey that envisions a society with reduced health care rates that allows all youth to get the healthcare they need. Here is their petition to expand health care access to youth in New Jersey.
Healthy Right truly engages with its community in order to spread awareness of a disparate healthcare system, with a focus on the areas of mental health and substance abuse. On Saturday, November 16, Healthy Right attended and hosted a portion of the Mayor’s Wellness Fair.
Through conversation with the audience, Healthy Right came to the consensus that the healthcare system has deprived ordinary people of drug abuse and mental health needs within the medical system, which needs to be reformed with the sole goal of benefiting the public.
Originally invited by the community health clinician of Jefferson Township, New Jersey, Healthy Right jumped at the opportunity to raise awareness at a local senior center. This event allowed members of Healthy Right to connect with those living in Jefferson Township, and learn of their hardships associated with mental health and substance abuse.
One of the major fruits of this event was hearing the story of Susan Woomer. Though she is a young individual, she suffered major hardships in the past but overcame them with a dedication to her cause and by accepting help from her family as well as medical professionals. Her story greatly resonated with Healthy Right, making the organization as a whole focus more on gathering real-life stories, as opposed to just unmeaningful statistics.
The event as a whole included a presentation from Healthy Right, educating an audience comprised of some youth and representatives of fellow organizations that are committed to similar missions, such as those from Hope One and the Saint Clare’s Medical System. Healthy Right’s presentation brought light to startling statistics and the harmful effects of substance abuse and mental health disorders. Through conversation with the audience, Healthy Right came to the consensus that the healthcare system has deprived ordinary people of drug abuse and mental health needs within the medical system, which needs to be reformed with the sole goal of benefiting the public.
Ultimately, many people were captivated by Healthy Right’s presence. Though only represented by a few teenagers—Anisah Daniel, Michael Keller, Rachel Coombs, Seher Anwar, Kareena Khubchandani, Mahibah Ahmed, and Alia Daniel—the audience began to recognize how large of an impact the youth can make. This has sparked much momentum in the activism of Healthy Right, especially in local communities.