Over the course of the past few weeks I have been working closely with nurses who run the Adult Health Clinic. This clinic, which was first started in 1975, is run by two main nurses who rotate through the eight community sites in Lorain County. The clinic is free of charge for residents age 55 and over. As we've worked on developing and implementing an intervention for this population group, we have also gotten to know many of the clients.
A lot of these clients are regulars of the clinic, having been in attendance for over ten, twenty years. And a lot of them choose to come to the clinic in addition to their physician visits. Here they can receive foot care, immunizations, screenings, lab work, and general health checks concerning chronic conditions and medications. If one thing has stood out to me during my interactions with the older adults, it is that many do not know the name of the medications they are taking and why. There is a huge educational need here.
Outside of the adult health clinics I have also been able to participate in community classes and visits. One such class was a breastfeeding support class offered at Elyria Memorial Hospital. After our postpartum rotation I expected the class to be just that, a class where content was covered and maybe some time with a lactation specialist who could help each mother individually. However, the class was more of a support group. All the women would come in with their babies. The babies would be stripped down to a clean diaper and weighed. The women would then all breastfeed together and towards the end they would weigh the babies again to determine intake.
Although this was a good opportunity for the mothers to ensure that their children were getting enough milk, it was obvious that it was more of a social gathering. All these women were able to come together while taking care of their babies without any uncomfortable stares from strangers or lulls in conversation because all the women were in the same place in their lives. The "class" is available for any mother-baby duo, no matter residency, free of charge.
By participating in the Adult Health Clinic and going to classes and visits throughout the community, I have discovered many opportunities that are available within the community for people in need. Although the Lorain County Health Department aims to protect the health and safety of the public, as healthcare workers outside the health department we should utilize them because although their main mission is to provide public health services, they are a great resource in terms of assistance for individuals.
Showing posts with label Lorain County Health Department. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lorain County Health Department. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Lorain County Home Visits
More than anything, my capstone experience at the Lorain County Health Department has taught me the importance of health promotion and disease prevention. Working in the hospital, we become accustomed to treating disease in order to bring people back to a healthy state. However, this is a mere glance into the patient journey. The home is where most people fight to overcome barriers in the hopes of maintaining their health.
Over the course of the past four weeks I have been on multiple home visits. Most of these visits are run through a program called the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps. This Ohio program looks to financially aid families who qualify for diagnostics, treatment, or service coordination. During annual visits, health department nurses go out to children's homes to assess their progress, received medical care, family environment, and current needs.
My first visit was to a little girl who suffers from a newly discovered condition known as POTS - postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. This condition's main manifestation is orthostatic intolerance causing lightheadedness and fainting. Symptoms began for this young girl when she was five years old and it took the family three years to finally receive a diagnosis. Because she is prone to fainting, she must be observed at all times. (For instance, she was once going down a swing-set slide when she fainted and fell down the slide and broke her ankle.) Although her condition has required multiple hospital admissions for pain management, broken bones, and general sickness, her most important medical care is home maintenance which allows her to go to school and make new friends; she just wants to be a normal kid.
In the hospital we often fail to recognize that the patient's journey outside the hospital walls is just as important, if not more so, than the short-term care provided within. As future nurses we will make discharge plans and perform discharge teaching. However, most nurses are never directly involved in the actual care process after discharge; they don't understand the importance or the educational need for home health maintenance. This experience has taught me just how important it is to focus on life at home and home care when dealing with hospitalized patients. Although we have an obligation to perform hospital duties, we need to understand that this environment is only temporary. Teaching patients the necessary tools to prevent readmission and maintain their health at home is most definitely a better strategy for long-term patient success.
Over the course of the past four weeks I have been on multiple home visits. Most of these visits are run through a program called the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps. This Ohio program looks to financially aid families who qualify for diagnostics, treatment, or service coordination. During annual visits, health department nurses go out to children's homes to assess their progress, received medical care, family environment, and current needs.
My first visit was to a little girl who suffers from a newly discovered condition known as POTS - postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. This condition's main manifestation is orthostatic intolerance causing lightheadedness and fainting. Symptoms began for this young girl when she was five years old and it took the family three years to finally receive a diagnosis. Because she is prone to fainting, she must be observed at all times. (For instance, she was once going down a swing-set slide when she fainted and fell down the slide and broke her ankle.) Although her condition has required multiple hospital admissions for pain management, broken bones, and general sickness, her most important medical care is home maintenance which allows her to go to school and make new friends; she just wants to be a normal kid.
In the hospital we often fail to recognize that the patient's journey outside the hospital walls is just as important, if not more so, than the short-term care provided within. As future nurses we will make discharge plans and perform discharge teaching. However, most nurses are never directly involved in the actual care process after discharge; they don't understand the importance or the educational need for home health maintenance. This experience has taught me just how important it is to focus on life at home and home care when dealing with hospitalized patients. Although we have an obligation to perform hospital duties, we need to understand that this environment is only temporary. Teaching patients the necessary tools to prevent readmission and maintain their health at home is most definitely a better strategy for long-term patient success.
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