BY TRISTA HAVNER

PHOTOS BY TAMARA REED MILLER

Featured in vol 7, issue 3: healing

Admittedly, it can be daunting to set up an interview with a complete stranger in hopes that I can glean enough about who they are, their nuances, to do their story justice. Two hours is hardly enough to capture the essence of who someone truly is. But time and time again, I find myself being captivated by the women that I interview, and I continue to leave their spaces feeling as if I have entered into a real place of knowing. Sabrina Blue was certainly no different. When I arrived in her office on the second floor of the Helping Hands of Tennessee clinic, I watched as she, quite literally, sped around the space outlining changes and additions to a contractor who was doing his best to keep up. I would later understand this to be a metaphor of how she lives her life — fast, measured, with purpose.

Sabrina Blue was born in Frankfurt, Germany, but was raised in rural Georgia by parents who were full time ministers interested in church planting — and they did just that. They started a small church, meeting in homes and later moving into a cafeteria to meet the needs of their growing congregation. The values of service and true belief, the kind that leads people to build whole ministries to uplift and dignify others, were instilled in Sabrina by her parents, and ultimately would be the foundation for her own vocation and calling. When I asked how she felt her parents and her childhood most impacted the trajectory of her life, she explained that she was most grateful for her parents’ ability to live authentically, but also for the exposure they gave her to diversity. Witnessing different racial and cultural and socio-economic experiences led her to shed preconceived notions and to view the world through the lens of acceptance and advocacy, eventually leading her to Jackson, Tennessee to start a non-profit.

Sabrina moved around before landing in South Carolina, where she founded and grew two 24-hour daycare centers. She would eventually sell that business and move into the role of insurance broker in 2010. She realized as she served her clients that there was so much of the business that they did not know or understand, leading them to miss out on coverage opportunities and benefits, simply due to lack of exposure. She became passionate about identifying and addressing barriers to service in insurance coverage and educating her clients, but felt the pull to do more, so she began to ask and pray for guidance on what her next step should be. She explained that, one night, she clearly felt in her spirit that God was asking her what SHE would do if she could do anything. She knew, in that moment, that she would start a non-profit, but had little idea how that would look or who she would serve. As she explored what she already knew about disparities in the healthcare industry and coverage opportunities, the pieces began to fall into place. She really dug into Medicare education and quickly found that her clients had coverage options and benefits but no place to use them. There were very few clinics who would accept their coverages, and as her frustration mounted, a moment of clarity led her to the idea of opening a clinic that would serve all clients, regardless of their insurance status. In December of 2016, she moved to Jackson, Tennessee, and in early January, she launched Helping Hands of Tennessee.

What started rather organically in 2017 has grown into a full-fledged clinic focused on making an impact on the community by improving overall quality of life and by providing healthcare options that are affordable and holistic. Sabrina understood that dental care was paramount for overall health in the community, so she set out to marry dental and medical care under one roof. Patients had to have medical clearance in order to be treated by a dental clinic, and finding clinics to serve both needs was tedious and often fruitless. And, if I learned anything about Sabrina in our time together, it is that she refuses to let an obstacle be an obstacle. If the problem was so great that the underserved in our community were going without care, she would create a space to care for them of her own.

Helping Hands of Tennessee takes new patients, gives them a medical checkup so that they can have clearance to receive dental care, and then serves their dental needs in the same building. And this has been transformative. Sabrina understands medical insurance and its intricacies, so she is able to remove the barriers to service. Patients are treated, regardless of insurance status, based on grants and sponsorships (i.e. the Direct Relief International, the Tennessee Charitable Care Network, the Department of Health), and can pay on a sliding scale based on income. She has streamlined the entire process for her patients, and they can receive all of the treatment they need in one building by professionals in both the medical and dental field. And beyond that, she is educating her clients to understand their coverage so that they can gain their own access for future needs. She has brought in a New York based non-profit, Seedco, to offer education and guidance for her clients to enroll in and optimize their insurance options. Sabrina has ensured that all barriers to service have been removed, that patients’ individual and holistic needs are met and that they are empowered to exercise their options for their benefit. Extending a hand to our community and holding them up so that they may eventually stand for themselves and reciprocate that care is the purest form of service. Caring enough to empower is often tiresome and difficult, but the byproducts are lasting and beautiful.

The next part of conversation moved into what lies ahead for Helping Hands of Tennessee, and as we discussed all of the amazing progress, Sabrina’s eyes told me so much more than her words. This is a woman who is planning for the final step while the first step is happening. She has ideas and plans and leans into them until they are fully realized. As she was explaining all of the amazing programs starting, she got increasingly more animated and more passionate. Her voice became more confident and sure. Sabrina Blue is not her work, but she is about it. And it was infectious. I found myself being pulled into the intricacies of her plans, and I felt captivated by her energy. I listened intently as she explained that the meeting that I walked in on, with her contractor, was to build out the second floor of their building to welcome a campus site for the Concorde dental program, which will be a pilot program in which students can train to become dental assistants, hygienists and massage therapists right here in Jackson. Helping Hands of Tennessee will also be welcoming the Royal Health Administration program, which offers an in-house apprenticeship program for students sixteen and older to learn how to be a dental lab technician in a twelve week, paid-to-learn program. These are opportunities for people in our own community to learn skills that will impact all of us. Because empowerment, both personally and professionally, is a catalyst for communal advancement.

As we wrapped up our conversation, I wanted to be sure I did not gloss over the hard and necessary aspects of the work Sabrina is doing to get to the feel-good details, the parts that readers want to hear and celebrate. Because I know that this kind of work is fueled by the labor of a lot of hands, I wanted to be sure to give attention to the ways that we, as Jacksonians, could help Sabrina and her team continue to provide this service to our community. I asked her to suggest some tangible ways that individuals could provide aid. Because Helping Hands of Tennessee is a non-profit, donations are always appreciated. Any and all funds received go directly to the program to provide supplies for the clinics and impact our neighbors on a personal level.

Sabrina also suggested that volunteering time is critical. The program could always use help from people with experience in administration and accounting, and people who can offer big picture advice for the future of the program would help build a diverse vision. But ultimately, awareness is key. We cannot effectively serve if we do not purposely learn. We have to live with eyes and ears open to the discrepancies in our community and step in the gaps to meet needs. We all benefit from a whole and healthy community. Sabrina Blue knows that and has been building a bridge for the last four years to ensure that no one gets left behind. Her work is not charity, it is empowerment. It is instilling confidence in the most basic of ways, through a healthy smile and oral health, that will lead to life change. A smile opens up doors that were previously closed and gives power to those who once felt powerless. She is advocating for and educating our neighbors so that they can go into our community with a renewed sense of health and wholeness and worth. That is work that should excite and motivate us to give whatever resources we can offer.

I have been reflecting on my time with Sabrina for the last few days. And, as a woman, I have learned the absolute necessity of spending time with other women who let you peer into their greatness. That is exactly what she allowed me to do in our time together. I cannot possibly commit myself fully to the work that she is doing, but I can see the vision she is casting and that fuels my own work and vision for our community. And in case you have not noticed, Jackson is full of women with rich and robust and ambitious plans for the betterment of this community. For the whole of this community. In days when I have felt defeated or outdone with hoping for change, I can stand on the shoulders of these women that I have met along the way and remember that I am not alone. I am honored to add Sabrina Blue to that ever-growing list of neighbors who are leaning into the hard work, never shying away, and making life better and more meaningful here.

Trista Havner is a born and raised Jackson girl, a mom, wife, and small business owner. She and her husband, Charlie, have a charming local family business and are passionate about the history there. Trista can be found putting together frames in her family’s shop or lettering anything that will hold still. Her love for home grows daily, and she is passionate about being an agent of growth and positive change in her beloved Hub City.

Featured