New Orleans nurse practitioner takes on the poor and disabled – Scharmaine Lawson-Baker

The following article was taken from http://www.koffeemag.com/ : This week in Black History, Koffee takes a look through the lens of 6 women, who have impacted our communities, made a difference in the lives around them, and contribute countless hours of volunteering without reward or recognition. We honor Philippa Schuyler, Sissieretta Jones, Dr. Adele D. Allen, Scharmaine Lawson-Baker, Shoshana Johnson, and Pastor Je’Nise Goss.

Scharmaine Lawson-Baker contributed her story: "Holistic Care in the Eye of the Storm," to the book To the Rescue:Healthcare Workers at the Scenes of Disasters.

f it weren’t for Scharmaine Lawson-Baker, some of the elderly, poor and disabled in New Orleans would receive any medical care. She’s willing to make house calls, whether it is to a FEMA trailer, the projects, group homes or assisted living facilities.
Lawson-Baker, DNP, FNP-BC, a nurse practitioner, initiated Advanced Clinical Consultants in 2005 with a mission to provide a house call to every senior or disabled person in New Orleans who is unable to visit their regular primary care physician. In addition, she runs a non-profit clinic two days a week.
Lawson-Baker also created a non-profit, Geriatric Initiatives, that is staffed with volunteers to assist patients/clients with obtaining resources to maintain their housing/residence, address their mental and behavioral health concerns, purchase medications, obtain medical equipment, transit services, scheduling of medical appointments, obtaining food stamps, among other services. Her philosophy is that no one, especially and 85-year-old woman surviving off of $300 per month in Social Security Income should have to decide whether to purchase sanitary needs or buy medication.
Several months after she opened her business, Hurricane Katrina hit, making her services more vital than ever. She visited crumbling houses on abandoned, debris-strewn streets.
“I love everything I do. I enjoy meeting a need. A lot of my patients are in the 9th Ward and lack heath care. Where care is available, there is a long waiting list to see a health care provider. If I didn’t see them, they otherwise probably wouldn’t get care. This is my passion,” says Lawson-Baker.
Today she remains the lone nurse practitioner making house calls, but she one day hopes to be able to add someone part-time assistance. Growing her business is a challenge as her primary source of income comes from Medicaid and Medicare. But, Lawson-Baker, 42, doesn’t do what she does because she’s motivated by money. “I like making a difference.”

Grace Muthumbi -- Beauty and Grace

Q –In your story, Beauty and Grace, you say that you found your calling by accident when introduced to International Medical Corps. Please tell us more about this. What work had you done prior?
Grace: I was an Assistant District public health nurse within the ministry of health before joining the NGO world at Kakuma refugee camp as community outreach manager. These are somewhat managerial positions and sometimes one is detached from the reality and can hardly fathom the amount of human suffering that exits beyond your door.

Q. - What is it about the work at IMC that changed your life?
Grace :I can say that destiny brought me to IMC. My position at IMC really involves direct interaction with the people who are hurting, with great psychosocial and physical needs, majority of which simple interventions can make a big difference. I felt their pain, sometimes overwhelmed by their needs but strengthened by their resilience and the human determination to survive against very difficult circumstances. I have also learnt to appreciate everything that God has given me and has made me to be

Q – Your personal story is one of strength over-coming adversity. You, like the Phoenix, literally ‘rose from the ashes’ and soared. How do you think your own life challenges have helped you in your work?
Grace: Having been able to overcome self stigmatization and self pity and being able to draw from inner strength, to pull myself together and be what today makes am me understand that anyone can make it no matter the disaster. This is what drives me. I have learned that in the people living with HIV/AIDs stigma and discrimination, self pity and hopelessness contributes a lot to their disease progression poor quality of life. For some all they need is someone to throw a lifeline to them sometimes word of encouragement to develop self confidence and they are able to move on normally. Ignoring someone in need is a luxury that I cannot afford. Some of those especially women that have been able to pull through have become pillars of hope to others who are struggling to overcome the HIV related stigma. I would like to see the community create an enabling environment that supports the PLWHAs to lead more productive lives despite their being HIV infected.

Q –Have you had other writing publishing experience other than your story, Beauty and Grace?
Grace: Yes, but the Beauty and Grace is the big one. The first publication I did was published in a local magazine “African woman and child” which highlighted my contribution towards improving the reproductive health of women in Liberia slums –Nairobi. In 2008 April I did a story to “Global health link April 2008 edition” which was a first person account about responding to health needs during a crisis. This was mypersonal account of my efforts to track and address the health and social needs of the TB/HIV infected clients who were internally displaced during the post election violence that hit the country after the disputed presidential elections in 2007.

Q. _ Was your story difficult to write, or did you welcome the opportunity to tell – or both?
Grace: The story was not really difficult to write only that it was difficult to filter what to write. I have gained a lot of experience over the years in the humanitarian world particularly since I joined Internationa Medical Corps (IMC).

Q – You have dedicated your life to fighting HIV-AIDS. In your story, Beauty and Grace, you compare this to being “on the front lines of war. Tell me more about that.
Grace: This is really a frontline. The sub Saharan Africa contributes to 67% of the total global 32 million people living with HIV/AIDs. ( ) Its home to 22 million people living with HIV/AIDs. In Kenya with a HIV prevalence of 6.9% is home to 1.4 million HIV infected people ( KAIS 2007) with pediatric HIV infections being 10% .Since November 1999 when the HIV/AIDs pandemic was declared a national disaster in November 1999 and though progress has been made in efforts to mitigate its effects as the it stabilizes it leaves in its wake devastation, low life expectancy, overstretched health systems, diver stated economy due to loss of live hood and death of economically able individuals, huge number of orphans to be taken care by grandparents or older siblings. Surely one single intervention can never address the gaps created by the pandemic. It requires concerted efforts from the health, social, political, and spiritual fronts as individuals, as a nation and internationally. In war as well as in the fight against HIV/AIDs, time is of essence and every moment counts. For the children there is a generation at risk that requires whatever it takes to save. Children who are the future infected or not needs to be protected. A baby born in Africa , infected or not is likely to die before their second birthday, if the mother dies. We need to preserve the lives of the women as much as possible in order to rescue the children. We need to prolong and improve the quality of their HIV infected women as long as possible in order to prevent children being orphaned early in life.

Q – You have a dream of creating a foundation for women. Speak to us about what this foundation would do for the women of Kenya.
Grace: Oh ! This makes me smile. The foundation has started in a small way to live my dream .Yes men and women are affected by the epidemic but in Africa, “the virus bears the face of a woman.”In Kenya more women9 % are infected compared to 7% in men. Besides the biological make up of a woman, the African woman has no power to negotiate for her reproductive health rights which includes the use of condoms. Poverty, low education, lack of economic empowerment compounds the already complicated situation for the woman. The HIV infected woman has to take care of the sick husband and children even though herself she needs to be taken care of. My foundation will seek to empower the vulnerable women mainly in the rural areas economically through seed money to generate income, provide them reproductive health education as a tool to enable her make informed reproductive health choices. We seek to support the good golden forgotten grand mothers who are struggling to raise their children’s children we hope to help them build a solid economic base through savings and small grants. In Kenya the merry go round is very common among women groups but without money to contribute the poor women are limited and remain so. We hope to change this. Meeting medical needs can be very threatening for the women and we hope to tap into the already existing national hospital insurance fund to help them pay for their medical expenses.

Q - What does the future hold for Grace Muthumbi?
Grace: The future is very bright for Grace Muthumbi. Am planning to do a masters degree in leadership which will give me better negotiation front as I advocate for needs of the marginalized at home and beyond. By establishing the foundation I hope to establish a national and international network of friends who wants to make a difference in the lives of bright HIV orphaned girls with education, hopefully foster families who would support their education in the hope that they will become ambassadors of hope to their generation and give back to those that need help. I definitely want to leave a legacy behind for having made a difference in somebody’s life. I hope to make a significant contribution to the well being of humanity to deserve a Nobel Prize some day. How about that?

Creekside Books & Coffee Host Book Event

Rhona Knox-Prescott will read and discuss her story, Angeles on the Battlefield, at a book event this coming week. This reading is open to the public at no charge and Rhona will be available following to sign books as requested.

Thursday, Nov 12th at 7:00PM

Creeside Books & Coffee

25 Fennell Street

Skaneateles, NY

Rhona Knox Prescott is a NYC girl, having been born and bred there. and has recently retired to Skaneateles, NY. She finished nursing school in Flushing, NY and was commissioned in the US Army in the Nurse Corps. She served for approximately seven years, one of those in Vietnam during the height of the conflict, the Tet offensives of 1967 and 1968. Of her three assignments there, the most challenging was as acting chief nurse of a tent hospital in the Central Highlands. Being quite saturated with "blood nursing", Rhona completed a masters degree and extra classes in clinical social work at the University of Houston, Texas and changed careers.She worked in various settings and eventually became a trauma counsellor/therepist for war veterans, especially those traumamatized in the Vietnam war. She writes for publication now and some of her work has been adapted for stage.Busy as a mom and grandma, life is good. Volunteer work keeps her grounded and happily occupied. Come out on Thursday evening to Creekside Books & Coffee, meet Rhona and hear her amazing story!

Fund Raising Book Events to Honor Our Veterans

Nancy Leigh Harless, co-editor for TO THE RESCUE, will read from and discuss our book at two events during the coming week.

Nov 9th - 630PM
Myers Courtyard
628 Blondeau
Keokuk, IA

Nov 11th, 2:30PM
The Ivy Bake Shoppe
Seventh Street
Fort Madison, IA
Price: $10 and books will be available to buy. All proceeds from these events will go to the Lee County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Perry Prince -- The Day of the Great Wave

Q – Your story, The Day of the Great Wave takes place during the aftermath of the 2004 Asian Tsunami. In what other countries have you served outside the United States? Tell us a little about those experiences.
Perry: In addition to my work in Sri Lanka following the 2004 Asian tsunami, I’ve served during the past twelve years in Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, India, and Uganda. Although each of these experiences has been distinct in terms of the nature and duration of the disaster, as well as the particular features of each culture, all have involved extreme circumstances of loss and personal distress. In contrast to the many years in which I worked as an individual and family counselor in the U.S., the focus of my international work has been primarily at the community level. — Still, since communities are comprised of individuals, the rewards of making a difference and the memories I have of these experiences, always include the personal stories of the people whose lives I’ve shared.
Q –In your story you say "All needed to be heard.” Speak to this need to tell our story and to have it be genuinely heard by another. How does that help with the healing process after a crisis?
Perry: I think “genuinely heard” are the key words, since being a focused and empathic listener is the most important skill for someone doing disaster work to develop— much more than having an arsenal of techniques or interventions. Large scale crises involve great losses and a disruption of everything that people count on to feel secure. Telling the story of such experiences to an understanding person offers an opportunity for sorting out, clarifying, and reflecting on experiences which can be nearly impossible to comprehend. I would also add that while the act of telling one’s story to a caring person is healing for many people, there are people, and possibly cultures, for whom this is not the case. Accepting reticence and restraint about sharing personal details can also be important.
Q – What is it about international humanitarian work that you find most satisfying?
Perry: The simple and truthful answer is that helping people who have been through experiences that range from very difficult to unthinkable is very gratifying. I’d also add that my lifelong interest in social anthropology and ethnographic art has been part of the excitement I feel in learning about people of other cultures, and in taking myself out of my familiar routines to find how to provide useful services to people who are different from myself.
Q – Besides your story, The Day of the Great Wave, have you had other writing/publishing experiences? Do you have any writing projects in the works right now?
Perry: I have been working on a comprehensive plan for rebuilding community among Congolese residents of a refugee camp in Southwest Uganda.
Q – What is next for Perry Prince?
Perry: I hope to have an opportunity to return to Uganda to help implement the ideas I’ve developed for community rebuilding with the many Congolese refugees living there, and to further my understanding of how best to serve that community.

Rhona Know-Prescott -- Angels on the Battlefield

Q – Why did you choose nursing? Was it something you wanted form an early age, or did the choice come later?
Rhona: Nursing chose me. My dream was to become an MD but, our family was not in a position to send me to college, I missed a scholarship by being #3 in my class and nursing school was the only affordable option. Once there though, I knew it was the right place.
Q – In your story, angels on the battlefield, you tell of using creative ways to obtain the much needed medical supplies. Is this story unusual, or does it tell more typically how things ‘get done’ during times of war?
Rhona: Probably not much discussed, "midnight requisitioning" was often the only way to accomplish a mission because the paper plans rarely matched the realty of need in a combat zone.
Q – You served seven years in the military during the Viet Nam war. How did this experience shape your future?
Rhona: Vietnam redefined who I was and am. Once shy and uncertain, nothing after Nam was impossibility. Fear was no longer a word in my vocabulary. If life called, I was and am there. And my children somehow took on the same philosophy.
Q – What was the hardest part for you of your work during the war?
Rhona: Seeing them slip away when I had the know how to save them... but not the equipment... especially when they had those round little whiskerless faces of youngsters.
Q – What is next for Rhona Knox-Prescott? Do you have any further plans for story/article writing?
Rhona: I have a novel, about 1/3 done, sleeping in my computer

Jeffrey C. Goodman,MD -- There is a Way from Heart to Heart

Q – You are a medical doctor. Tell us about your work before your became involved in the international humanitarian arena.
DR Goodman: My wife and I moved to Hawaii after finishing my internship in 1972. I did not take specialty training because general medicine is a calling; an art. Specializing, although more lucrative, was just too limiting. I had a very busy practice delivering babies, performing surgery, family medicine and working in the emergency room at our local hospital. I worked with the emergency ambulance team to upgrade their skills and improve emergency services to Kauai. We replaced the town’s water system because the old system was a health hazard. In 1981, I built the first medical clinic on the north shore, established a pharmacy, and brought in psychologists, social workers, and physical therapy to my home town of Kilauea.
Q –In your story There is a Way from Heart to Heart you tell of your initial calling to go to Afghanistan and also later of your decision to return. What was it about Afghanistan that set it apart from other countries at the time? Does Afghanistan still call to you as it did in 1986?
DR GOODMAN: To be clear: I went to Pakistan to train the medics in 1987. I returned to Pakistan in 1991 to give supplemental training in public health, nutrition, land mine awareness, etc. I went to Afghanistan in Jan. 2002 to establish medical clinics, consult re the reconstruction of a hospital in Kabul and refurbished medical training facilities in Kabul.
I went to Afghanistan in 2002. Why Afghanistan? The people are incredible. They are resilient in adversity, proud despite poverty, and smiling even in hopeless situations. Afghanistan is diverse. It is a patchwork of ethnic origins, languages, religious affiliations and political persuasions. Afghanistan is austere in its beauty. If rocks had value, Afghanistan would be the wealthiest country on the planet.
International relief work is hard on the body, stressful for the mind, and disrupts any type of normal life in the U.S. As for returning to Afghanistan, my heart is there, but at age 64, I don’t think the rest of my body is ready.
Q – What other countries have you worked in outside the United States? Tell us a little about those experiences.
DR GOODMAN: Jan 87 Pakistan -Trained Mujahidin medics for 8 months
1991 Pakistan -worked on Public Health Issues
Jan 2002 - Afghanistan with International Medical corps (IMC) - Established 20 medical clinics in the provinces of Parwan, Wardak and Bamiyan.
April 2003 - Iraq (17days after the war began) to work on an Nasirihya Assessment repairing hospitals, in pediatric oncology in Baghad and evacuated pediatric cancer patients to Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan
Feb. 2004 – Liberia - Trained medical staff and established clinics in camps
Jan 2005 - Indonesia Tsunami -Established medical center in Lamno
Oct 2005 Earthquake in Pakistan – worked in two Camps each with 2500 internally displaced families
June 2006 Lebanon - IDPs in schools and provided medical support
Jan 2008 Kenya - Provided mobile medical clinics Eldoret
Malta 2009 -`Attempt to improve the living conditions for the “boat people” leaving from Libya for Europe and stranded in miserable conditions in Malta
Q – What is it about international humanitarian work that you find most satisfying?
DR Goodman: International humanitarian work is challenging. It is a creative endeavor. When large populations are at risk from violence or natural disasters, the humanitarian relief worker must assess the situation (food water, sanitation, health status, security and housing), identify and prioritize problems, and develop an action plan. Logistics, financial support, and acquiring personnel must be coordinated. The emergency response is a very complex event and requires creative thinking.
Q – Besides your story, There is a Way from Heart to Heart you, have you had other writing/publishing experiences?
DR Goodman: Reader’s Digest had a small article about my work last year.
Q – What is next for Doctor Goodman?
DR Goodman: I have no idea. I would like to build a house on a hill…..a “Vagabond’s House” (Don Blanding, check it out).

YOU ARE INVITED
To a BOOK EVENT
with Dionetta Hudzinski, RN, MN & Clown

October 17th - 2:00PM

Borders Books & Music
1700 Washington Ave
Union Gap, Washington

Chad Ware - Mercy Medical Center Cedar Rapids Flood

Q – Prior to your involvement of the emergency Room Department at Mercy Medical Center due to the Cedar River flooding had you ever been involved in a disaster?
Chad: Yes, I started working in disaster preparedness in 2001. I had always been the emergency department representative to our hospital disaster committee. In 2004 I joined Iowa’s Federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team and responded to Hurricane Katrina, Rita, Ike and also on a Health and Human Services response to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Q –What did you learn from this experience that might be applied to any disaster?
Chad: After the Cedar River flood were any of the disaster plans changed for your hospital? I gained a great knowledge of the Incident Command System and how valuable it can be in unusual events. Not just disasters, we have been able to apply the system to a number of events across our organization.
Q – What do you think are the most important characteristics of an Emergency Room Nurse? Can these same characteristics be applied to disaster workers? In other words how is the work alike? And, how is it different?
Chad: I think Emergency Room Nurses always have to be prepared for the next case that walks or rides through the door. This gives us a unique experience that can be applied to disaster or other unusual events. The ability to adapt to the situation, flexibility, and eagerness to take on the next challenge.
Q – When it was all over what was your families response to your involvement in the evacuation? Do your little girls see daddy as a hero?
Chad: They know I was involved in the evacuation and that I travel a bit more to talk to people about what we learned from the flood but that is all. They are all young and have always been proud that I help people in my job. My wife and I both talk to them about how proud we are to be a part of this community and the culture of the the people here in Iowa. We always try to point out how people came together to help one another. We hope that we can instill as sense of community in them for the future.
Q – What is next for Chad Ware?
Chad: Currently I am having a hard time seeing past pandemic influenza, but I love Mercy Medical Center and feel I have found a home. I hope to always have a place there and can contribute to the success of the organization.

Dionetta Hudzinski -- Clowns to the Rescue

Q – First, let’s clear up a mistake. While ‘editing’ in some missing information from some of the stories of To the Rescue a mistake was made that said you lived in Marston Mills, MS. It is actually Renee Berke (Holding Hands with Clara Barton) who lives in Marston Mills. Tell us where you live. (And please accept my apology for this mistake.)
Dionetta: I live in Yakima WA which is at the opposite end of the country from Massachusetts. But perhaps my Clown is from there, who knows what Diddlie Squat is up to when she is not with me…
Q – I understand you are a nurse. Tell us some of the different healthcare settings you have worked in.
Dionetta: In the past 40 years I have worked in about every healthcare setting, from Acute Medical Surgical units to long term care Nursing homes. I have also worked maternity – labor and delivery and the nursery (in the days when there were Nurseries with 10 or more babies to care for at any given time, I love babies so I opted for the nursery every chance I could, can you believe they paid me to sit and rock and feed babies for 8 hour shifts 11pm – 7am? Of course there where diapers to change and other duties as well but what an awesome job!) I have worked ICU, Emergency Nursing, Home Healthcare and Hospice care…I helped establish a Hospice program in Chehalis WA which I believe is still in operation today. I have also worked with Women recovering from Drug and Alcohol addiction in Seattle WA, worked with the Red Cross in the Pacific Northwest on the traveling blood mobiles which was great fun and gave me the opportunity to see what the great Northwest had to offer. I did a short stint at the Matt Talbot Center in Portland OR where I helped at the Medical dispensary for Homeless men. I currently teach at Washington State University, College of Nursing part time and have my own consulting business Comfort Care Unlimited providing hope, advocacy, education and interventions for pain and palliative care. I also volunteer with Wellness House as a chronic pain education and resource facilitator and for the Alliance of State Pain initiatives and the American Pain Foundation ensuring access to effective and appropriate pain care for all citizens in WA State.
Q – And you are a CLOWN! Tell us how that role began and how you presently are using this talent. Can we expect to see more of Diddly Squat in the future? Will there be more stories?
Dionetta: My clowning came as a legacy passed on to me by one of my Hospice patients before he died. Bob Bennett was a Shriner clown and was dying of cancer. He was in a great deal of pain when I first was sent out to see him. He was in a very dark room and curled in fetal position hanging on by a thread of hope. I was able to get his pain under control and in just 24 hours he was dressed and sitting in his living room and he said to his wife…well, I am dying but I feel better, so now what? So we asked him if he had any unfinished business or a wish to fulfill and he responded “I always wanted to form a clown alley” (a clown alley is a group of clowns with a common purpose) So 4 of our hospice team (myself, 2 hospice nurses, and our chaplain) met at his home every Monday from about 6 -9 pm for the next 2-3 months and he and his wife Betty taught us everything they knew about clowning to get us started. Everything from makeup application, creating our costumes from the thrift store treasures we found, and the ethics and etiquette of the caring clown. We called ourselves “Bob’s Benevolent Bozos” in honor of Bob. The Alley was later renamed the Clown Ambassadors of Yakima. We have regular Clown classes to teach others and pass on the legacy of clowning that Bob left to us…it is a gift that keeps on giving.
I have traveled to Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Mexico and Ground Zero in NYC. Bob never realized just what an impact he would have on me or the world. I have several clown characters but my favorite is Diddlie Squat…she has been the most fun and fits my own personality. (other characters are Polkie Dottie, my very first clown who grew from an awkward adolescent into a refined feminine clown; Checquers, who has gotten me in more trouble than I ever imagined…Checquers just thinks he can do anything and Dionetta lets him and then regrets it later. Dr Never-there, who is never there but when he is here has no idea where he is. And of course Diddlie Squat who was born in NYC and has been my favorite character ever since.
I like to visit Nursing homes and assisted living and Senior Retirement communities. I love to see the elderly come to life as we interact and play together…it gives me such pleasure and joy to see the expressions on their faces, see them go from a stooped over position to sitting up straight and smiling. To hear them giggle like a young child is priceless.
I have used my clowning in the classroom but the problem is…the students do not seem to take me seriously…go figure!!!
Q – Have you written other stories besides, Clowns to the Rescue? Do you have any plans for more writing in the future?
Dionetta: My writing up to this point has been mostly around Palliative care Nursing and Pain management and Simulation for the classroom. But I think there is a book in the making with stories around my work with people who are dying, and also some more on my experiences as a clown. The Ideas are swarming in my head and I need to start getting them down on paper…before they fly away.
Q – Will you be doing any presentations on Clowns to the Rescue? If so, where and where?Dionetta: I will be doing a book signing at Borders on Oct 17th. I will show up as Diddlie Squat, so if you are in the neighborhood please stop by and see us and have some fun. At this point I do not have any other plans for presentations but would be open to any opportunities to share my story and experiences. A friend in PA is going to see if we can plan a time in the summer of 2010 when I go out to visit to do a book signing and presentation in her little town of Walnut B

Julie Vickery -- Front Up to a Civil Emergency

Q –In February 2004 the lower island in Manawatu, New Zealand suffered extensive flooding. As charge nurse for the Mid Central Health District’s Nursing Service what was your greatest challenge during this time?
Julie: My biggest challenge was to keep track of the huge volume of information coming in and going out regarding patients, the constantly changing environmental factors (access to flooded areas etc) /staff issues of availability, resources, and of course relaying pertinent information back to the communications centre. The coordination of services was magnified dramatically from our normal day to day processes and this in combination with supporting stressed patients and staff was both stimulating and exhausting all at once!
Q - Is nursing your first career? Why did you choose nursing? What are some of the types of nursing you have done?
Julie: Nursing although a childhood plan, was something I came to after having my children. Due to a change in circumstances I started my nursing degree when my youngest child was 3-years- old. I had previously been very involved for nine years with voluntary work with the New Zealand Playcentre movement. This is an early childhood education service in which parents take to lead role in teaching and supervision. To date my nursing career began with a solid grounding in rehabilitation nursing . Having ‘done my time’ as an inpatient nurse, I was excited to move into the community as a District Nurse, where I remain passionately committed to home centred care.
Q –Have you other stories/articles published besides, Fronting Up to a Civil Emergency? Do you have plans to further your work as a writer?
Julie: Not at this time, I hadn’t really thought that this was something that I might be any good at! I do have strong ideals about the importance of the nursing voice however and feel that nurses need to talk more about their ‘ordinary’ work so that the public can understand and value the nuances of developing a therapeutic partnership and the knowledge, skill and courage of complex decision making that goes into daily patient care.
Q – What did you learn from this disaster experience that might be applied to other sorts of disasters as well? Did any changes occur in your emergency management protocol as a result of this emergency?
Julie: Changes were made at both at service level and across the District Health board. As a service we reviewed our assessment data to include a hazard identification process and decision making tool on the front of our documentation. This has clarified some of the day to day issues of home visiting and the challenges that can present in this modern and at times uncertain world. We have also instigated GPS in the rural , night and evening cars, and after dark have two staff travel together ( a care assistant who acts as driver and support person for the night nurse) Our night staff work from the central city base and over our whole region, therefore clocking up anything up to 250km overnight as they see IV therapy/hospital-in-the-home patients, manage catheter call outs, care for palliative patients etc. In the DHB our service was flagged for the need to provide accurate information to , and also our expertise in community knowledge, and flexibility to and assess community patients who might otherwise be isolated.
Q – What is next for JulieVickery?
At present the charge nurse role continues to grow and change and I am busier than ever. I would very much like to complete my Master’s thesis, in the area of the primary/ secondary interface and the smooth continuation of the patient journey as thy move between these aspects of health care. From my reading and experience this seems to be a world-wide challenge! In the meantime, I work within the wider MidCentral health service liaising with both hospital and primary care services to further improve this aspect of patient care in our region. It has been a long held desire to commit to working as a volunteer overseas once all my family are independent. Surely my nursing skills and experience could be of use somewhere to support the setting up of developing of community health care for those with limited access and resources! I am a firm believer that when challenges arise we are equipped to take it up and learn the lessons that are presented so we can continue to grow and learn person.

Elaine Miller-Karas -- Trauma, Healing & Serendipity in the Sichuan Province

Q – You are the co-founder of the Trauma Resource Institute. Tell us a little about your work with the Institute.
Elaine: The Trauma Resource Institute was established in December of 2006. Since our inception, we have taught and utilized our training models, The Trauma Resiliency Model, The Veterans Resiliency Model and the Community Resiliency Model worldwide. The models evolved in southern Thailand in January 2005 while treating survivors of the tsunami. Our trainings are now being co-sponsored by the World Health Organization in an on-going earthquake response program in Sichuan Province. This project has thus far provided training to more than 500 doctors, nurses, counselors, and teachers who work with survivors of the devastating earthquake of May 12, 2008. In the United States, our training model has been used with survivors and first-responders of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In Louisiana, a staff of 200 was trained at a nationally based social service agency in this trauma stabilization model. It was used in Rwanda, Africa to train counselors working with genocide survivors and in Kenya, Africa with prison inmates, counselors, and children in orphanages. Project evaluations have indicated positive effects in all settings and have been published in peer-review journals.
The Veterans Resiliency Model (VRM) is a biologically based intervention to treat combat zone trauma. We have had projects with the VA in LA and have recently presented in the Women in the Military Conference at Arlington Cemetary in Wash. DC. TRI has two studies being proposed to the United States Department of Defense to conduct further research on the efficacy of VRM.
In 2007, TRM skills were taught to the disaster mental health workers for the County of San Bernardino, California, Department of Behavioral Health (DBH). There were nine original trainees who represented different areas within DBH. After the initial training, the original nine began utilizing their TRM skills with great success and there was heightened interest in providing more trainings as co-workers began observing the effectiveness of TRM within Juvenile Hall, outpatient triage, children’s crisis response and in the shelters during the fires of 2007. Members of the original nine who had been trained in TRM expressed interest in training the entire DBH staff in TRM skills. TRI’s mission is to expand capacity at the local level and a proposal was made by the Trauma Resource Institute to DBH to create a two-phase project to “Train the Trainers.” The trainers would become TRM instructors and would be drawn from highly qualified clinicians within DBH so that there would be an infrastructure to train all of DBH staff.The DBH TRM Train the Trainer program in two phases was approved and began with 12 prospective teachers and 15 facilitators mid-year of 2008. This has been an exciting project for me as I worked at the county hospital in San Bernardino for many years. I am deeply committed to the underserved in this community and our trainings have reached people there in ways I never could have imagined.
Q – In your story, Trauma, Healing and Serendipity in the Sichuan Province, China, you work with the earthquake survivors using the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM). How does this model differ from traditional methods of counseling?
Elaine: The human body, regardless of culture, ethnicity, and other qualities that distinguish us around the world, is neurologically programmed the same way when responding to threat and fear. The ways that the signs and symptoms of stress are interpreted can be very different across ethnic groups and cultures but the actual physiological manifestations of responses to fear are the same around the world. Any stressful or traumatic event generates a cascade of physiological, cognitive, behavioral and emotional responses. The body is programmed to fight or flee from threatening situations. These are automatic survival strategies that happen without conscious thought. When a person cannot successfully fight or cannot successfully flee, the energy that was automatically mobilized for survival remains locked in the body and can lead to an array of trauma symptoms, both psychological, cognitive and physical. These symptoms can remain intractable or can come and go over many years and can result in dramatic decreases in human potential.
Our training models present an overview of the core concepts of the biology of threat and fear and teaches the 6 skills of TRM, a stabilization model which helps children and adults re-gain access to the body’s own instinctive ability to rebound from overwhelming experiences. Our interventions are grounded in the tenet that trauma symptoms are the result of instinctual survival responses that have been thwarted or blocked. The consequence of these thwarted responses is a highly aroused internal state that, if left untreated, can lead to dysregulation of the nervous system and corresponding physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive symptoms.

The mechanism of our models of intervention, rather than being a “psychological” approach, is an approach that facilitates the restoration of resilience and homeostasis through self-regulation. The biologically-based focus makes it compatible across ethnic groups and cultures and with communally-oriented populations that are not psychologically or insight oriented.
Most psychological interventions address the emotional, psychological and cognitive challenges that clients have and intervene through models that help clients identify emotions, have greater insight about their interpersonal and familial challenges or how to create new more adaptive cognitive structures. Although we believe those models may be helpful, they may not lead to nervous system regulation and relieve symptoms of anxiety or depression. We believe that biological models like TRM, VRM and CRM, can be integrated into other models to enhance healing. We have learned that some of the more intractable problems of people cannot be “talked away.” Although, talking may be helpful, it is sensing that helps change the nervous system leading to balancemind and more integrative thinking and balanced emotional responses.
Q –The survivors of the massive earthquake in the Sichuan Province seemed to readily accept learning and practicing TRM’s “grounding” skill. Please explain what ‘grounding’ is and tell why you think the Chinese people were so open to it.
Elaine: Practicing the skill of grounding on a regular basis is one way to reestablish balance within the nervous system. . Grounding can bring you back into your comfort zone and it is an essential component of feeling connected to the earth, yourself and others. During the earthquake, people were literally knocked of their feet and their sense of safety with the earth was damaged. Grounding exercises which simply brings the persons attention to how the earth, chair, floor, sofa are supporting one’s body and then bring the client’s attention to the sensation of being grounded, helped re-establish safety within the body in relationship to the earth. A person experiences the change from the inside out. All around the world wherever we bring our model, whether in Asia, Africa, the United States react in similar ways when they re-establish their sense of safety with their body in relationship to the earth. It is actually very simple to teach and we have even seen children teaching their parents after they learn this simple skill. When people experience such trauma, they are looking for ways to come back to themselves….and simple grounding can be a way to begin to start to feel safer once again. We are all hardwired the same way…..our paradigms may be different in terms of causation but our sensations are the same.
Q - What was the most difficult part for you personally of working in the earthquakes aftermath? What was the most rewarding part?
Elaine: The most difficult part was the enormity of the loss and suffering and especially the loss of the children. In China, many people have followed the one child per family rule that was established by the Chinese government. As a result, when their child died the parents lost their present and their future. As is true in all cultures I have observed, children are hope for the present and the future. In my story, I talk about the Bichuan Middle School----seeing the school in rumble was representative of all the loss that China had endured in the earthquake and seeing the response of our young translators and the enormity of their grief was difficult.
The most rewarding part is seeing the change that our model can bring to people suffering in such a short period of time. It was very gratifying to see the health care providers apply the model to their care of people and be excited to see us come back and ask great questions about integrating the biological based models into their practices. Also, we have been asked to think about future sustainability models of trainings when we return to Beiching in January. The resilience of the Chinese people, their kindness and their generosity to us was also very rewarding.
Q – Have you written other stories /article besides, Trauma, Healing and Serendipity in the Sichuan Province, China? Do you have plans for more writing in the future?
Elaine: Yes, I have written other stories about my journeys. My business partner and I have written to workbooks to use with our trainings and we will publish those next year.
What is next for Elaine Miller-Karas?
Elaine: I will continue to work on the training models. I may be going to Jordan to train the Jordanian Civil Defense Ministry in December. Also, we are working on two big projects in the US, one in San Bernardino County and the other in Maine that has great promise to bring biological interventions to larger communities, especially in underserved areas. The military work is one we are very committed to and we are training more trainers in our model who can also do more of the training. I also am trying to spend more time with my husband. Starting the nonprofit has been a wild ride and I don’t want to lose sight of what is also important to me in my personal life.

Linda Garrett -- Bent but Not Broken

Q – In Fall of 2005, after Hurricane Katrina you volunteered with the American Red Cross. Have you had any other volunteer disaster nursing experiences? Are you still involved with the ARC?
Linda: Yes I’m still involved with the ARC as time permits. What amazing people they are. As for other disaster nursing, I have been a member of our county’s School Crisis Response Team. After a school experiences a crisis (death of a student or teacher, accident, suicide, etc.), the team goes to the school to support (counseling, referrals) the students and faculty in order to return the school and community to some sort of equilibrium. While it is not a disaster in the usual sense, for that particular school and community, it IS a disaster. In addition, I conduct suicide prevention/awareness workshops in schools – hoping to avert another school’s disaster.
Q - Is nursing your first career? Why did you choose nursing? What are some of the types of nursing you have done? Linda: No, nursing is not my first career. For many years I worked at a small business newsletter. After I turned a certain ‘milestone’ age, I decided to go to nursing school, something I had always wanted to do. We had a psych rotation and I knew mental health nursing would be my specialty. After graduation, my first job was on an inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric unit, a short-term crisis intervention service. I worked full time on that unit for 6 years and am still working part time on that very same unit. I am in my 11th year as a School Nurse in an elementary school in southern NJ. In many ways, working in child psych has been excellent preparation for school nursing.
Q – Other than your story, Bent But Not Broken what other stories/articles have you had published? Do you have plans to further your work as an author? I’ve never had anything else published prior to my story in TO THE RESCUE.
Linda: I recently submitted a very short article on adolescent suicide to a legal newsletter geared toward teachers.
Q – You end Bent But Not Broken, wondering. “How would I have reacted to losing absolutely everything?” Do you answer this question differently now, after your volunteer experience than you would have before? How so? Linda: At this point, at this age, I feel resilient….but have not been (and would wish not to be!) tested. If that time comes, I will always remember my experience with the folks I met in Mississippi and other survivors of other disasters.

Robert B. Robeson - Miracle at Landing Zone Ross

Q – You flew hundreds of medical evacuation missions in South Viet Nam. Did you make the military your career? What have you done since leaving the military?
Yes, I served for 27½ years in the U.S. Army on three continents. I’ve been a newspaper managing editor and humor columnist and have concentrated on my professional freelance writing after retiring. My writing involvement encompasses military, religious, children’s, young adult, short story, and essays for hundreds of different publications in 130 countries.
Q –In your story, Miracle at Landing Zone Ross, you in fact, did experience a miracle as you flew and landed a disabled helicopter. Did you have other such experiences while in the war, or since?
When you’ve flown nearly 1,000 medevac missions in one year, lots of both good and bad things happen when you’re being shot at regularly by people you’ve never met. Mostly bad, though. One example (of many) occurred in early 1970 when my crew was called to evacuate four American infantrymen wounded in a mine field southwest of Da Nang. I asked the ground troops not wounded to go over the area again where they wanted me to land because, if I sat down on a mine, it could be a long time before anyone else could get out there and attempt a second time to extract them. And I mentioned to the radio operator that I didn’t appreciate loud surprises.
A week after evacuating them to LZ Hawk Hill, a first lieutenant who was leading that platoon drove a jeep 30-40 miles over an often-mined road to look for me (“Dust Off 605” call sign) at our headquarters in Da Nang. He informed me that after we lifted off that day, they discovered a “Bouncing Betty” (one of our own American anti-personnel mines captured by enemy forces and used against us). He told me that my left skid landed on top of it and mashed it down. (Eight pounds of pressure is all it takes to activate it. When this happens, it pops out of the ground about a meter high and explodes.) But this one didn’t detonate. He said the grass there was so tall they missed it before I landed. So they put C-4 (plastic explosives) around it and went down the hill to blow it in place. When it blew, this lieutenant said the top of the hill came off. They estimated that at least a 250-pound anti-tank mine had been under the Bouncing Betty…and neither of them detonated when we landed on them. These were two (including my To the Rescue article) of a large number of similar incidents that occurred frequently to me as a medical evacuation pilot.
Q – What other countries have you worked in outside the United States? Tell us a little about those experiences.
I went directly from my year in South Vietnam (1969-1970) to West Germany for four years. So I was out of the U.S. for five straight years, except for a thirty-day leave after my combat tour.
We (my wife who married me three months before leaving for Vietnam) were stationed in Landstuhl. This small German town and military base was located on a hill—that was formerly part of the WWII Siegfried Line, complete with concrete bunkers still intact—near the Ramstein Air Force Base.
We flew patients and blood to and from hospitals in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. We were also called to medically cover allied military exercises and a couple of top secret missions.
During the 1972 Olympics in Munich, my crew was stationed about ten miles away to provide medical evacuation for the area. As everyone knows, a number of Israeli athletes were killed and kidnapped by terrorists during the games. A deal was worked out with the German government to fly the terrorists and their hostages by helicopter to an airport and then out of the country. At the airport German security forces tried to rescue the hostages…but the terrorists threw hand grenades inside the helicopter when the first shots were fired and killed all aboard, including the two German pilots. We later learned that our aircraft might have been tasked by the U.S. government to have been involved in this operation, instead of the German pilots. Fortunately, for us, this never occurred.
Except for this incident, it was a wonderful four-year tour, and our only child (a daughter) was born at the hospital in Landstuhl in 1971. We were able to travel all over Europe by air, car, and bus and to meet a host of wonderful people of many nationalities.
Q – What was the most rewarding part of the work that you did in South Viet Nam?
Providing our wounded American and allied soldiers, Vietnamese civilians, and even captured and wounded enemy soldiers with an opportunity for continued existence. Risking your life continuously for people you’ve never met, and would never meet again, conveys a reward that is inexpressible. This is especially true when it is accomplished alone and under enemy fire in some hover-hole in the jungle in the dead of night, in the middle of an exposed rice paddy, or in a monsoon when no other aircraft would be flying because of the dangerous climatic conditions. We saw what the ground troops had to endure, and we wanted to do everything in our power to ensure that medical care was provided, regardless of the combat, weather, or terrain conditions.
An example of this happened in August of 1969 in the Que Son Valley about 35 miles southwest of Da Nang near the town of Hiep Duc. From August 20-22, our crew evacuated 150 wounded Americans. We had two helicopters shot up in less than 24 hours. Our medic was wounded in the throat by machine gun fire on our final mission. On August 20th at 2 a.m., we flew the last of three missions to evacuate wounded American infantrymen from Million Dollar Hill near where they’d been ambushed by North Vietnamese Army soldiers. We discovered much later that PFC Rocky Bleier, an M-79 grenadier with 1st Platoon, C-4-31, was one of our patients who was wounded twice. He later recovered from his wounds to win four Super Bowls as a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974-80.
We didn’t know who we were carrying that night and it didn’t matter. They were all wounded Americans and it was our job to get them out of there. That’s what made our medical evacuation missions so interesting, scary, and fulfilling because you never knew whose life you’d be stepping into and who would be stepping into yours.
Q – Besides your story, Miracle at Landing Zone Ross , you have been published more than 700 times. Can you mention a few of your works? What are you presently working on?
I’ve had three articles published as chapters in two other books. Presently, I have approximately 50 articles, short stories, and poems circulating to various publications. I’m also working on a photography book with a high school basketball teammate (our La Grande, Oregon team had a 20-2 record, tied for best regular season record of the 16 teams that played in the 1960 Oregon High School State Tournament in Eugene) who was later elected as a U.S. Congressman from the state of Washington. He’s a wonderful professional photographer. I’ll be writing the copy to illustrate his mostly nature and animal photos.
I’m also working on a young adult adventure novel featuring a 19-year-old, American Indian, medical evacuation helicopter pilot protagonist during the Vietnam War. It’s based upon many true experiences some of my fellow aviators had back then and many more that could have happened to others. It involves the degradation of racism, with a coming-of-age and lost and found love theme.
In addition, I’m compiling all of my many published military and religious articles—that involved those 987 combat missions and experiences as a medevac pilot—into an autobiography. It’s a lot to deal with at one time, but I’ve been able to balance all of it pretty well.
Q – What is next for Robert Robeson?
Hopefully living long enough to complete all of these projects before the “Great Aviator in the Sky” decides to permanently cancel my flight plan.

Scharmaine Lawson-Baker - Holistic Care in the Eye of a Storm

Q – Why did you become a nurse? Was it something you wanted form an early age, or did the choice come later?
Scharmaine: The decision to become a nurse came to me after taking a nursing assistant course in high school. I took the course because I wanted to know more about the profession and felt like a nursing assistant position would give me a bird’s eye view on how to be a nurse. It was one of the best decisions I made in relation to my nursing profession. I entered the BSN program at Dillard University shortly after graduating from high school.
Q – Tell us about your journey to running a House Call Practice, how did you begin, and how did you get to where you are now? What are you future plans for Advanced Clinical Consultants?
Scharmaine: My Housecall practice was started after a local physician asked me to care for her patients while she took a “break” for some medical treatments. I turned the initial 15 Housecall patients into 100 within three months. This was unbelievable and very exciting for me especially since I had just opened my practice. I realized that I discovered a niche in healthcare and it just happened to be something that I enjoyed. After Hurricane KATRINA, due to the lack of healthcare providers, etc. the practice just kept growing and growing. To date, we have over 1200 homebound patients on the roster. The future of Advanced Clinical Consultants is very promising as I continue to diversify my services and procedures. We are now offering clinic services such as: PAP Smears, Lap Band Fills (Fill Center USA), Pelvic Floor Rehab with Biofeedback for urinary and fecal incontinence, and Steroid Joint Injections. A few of the aforementioned therapies were added because most of my elderly patients were requesting joint injections for arthritis and struggling with incontinence issues.
Q – Throughout your story, Holistic Care in the Eye of a Storm, you seem to credit technology with your ability to provide quality care to your patients. Would you say this is a fair assessment? What new devices are you using now in your practice?
Scharmaine: Yes, technology is a major advancement for my company. It has really made my charting and prescribing more efficient. Plus, it is the “green” thing to do. Aside from e-prescribing and laboratory interfacing into our charting system, we have decided to go with a web-based EMR. On December 7th of this year, we will be going “live” with eClinicalWorks. It is a much more robust system for our practice. I struggled with changing from our current system, but in the end decided that the capability of having my medical notes available 24-7 is a major advantage especially when you live in “flood-prone” areas. Last, I have also started videotaping several patient experiences to be featured on the non-profit website. There are still so many unmet needs for certain communities and I feel the videos will give insight into some of the current lingering problems.
Q – Have you done other writing besides your story, Holistic Care in the Eye of a Storm? Do you have any further plans for story/article writing?
Scharmaine: I am a frequent writer for the ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioner magazine. I love writing and I look forward to writing a book one day about my KATRINA struggles and my overall rise from the inner city housing projects to successful CEO.
Q – What is next for Scharmaine?
Scharmaine: I am looking forward to finishing the video series and obtaining AANP (American Academy of Nurse Practitioner) CEU credits for the Housecall Residency Program. The Housecall Residency Program is a program that I designed for the many NP’s and NP students to visit New Orleans and “shadow” me while I perform Housecalls. It will be an intensive two-day experience that will equip and arm the practitioner/student with all the necessary knowledge to start and maintain a successful Housecall practice. I will also offer business pearls and other strategies for running a medical practice in a “down” economy. AANP credits are pending.

LEANN THIEMAN - How Did I Get Myself into This?

Q – You have credited your ‘rural roots’ for shaping your life. What was life like for LeAnne as a child?
LeAnn: I was blessed to grow up on a farm in Iowa with 7 brothers and sisters…and one bathroom! The “boys” worked the fields and the “girls” gardened and cooked and cleaned (and played!) a lot. While you might think that resulted in some double-standard stereotypes, it was counter balanced by a mom who went to night school and summer school to get her teaching degree at age 56. Dad supported her so lovingly. They taught me to love God and family, work hard, to help others, and that you can be and do what you set your heart and mind to.
Q – Tell us how you came to be involved in “Operation Baby-Lift.”
LeAnn: Our basement in Iowa City was the Iowa chapter headquarters of Friends of Children of Vietnam. Ten volunteers raised money and supplies to send to the war orphans…5 tons in 3 years! Then the National office asked if I would escort 6 babies back to their pre-assigned adoptive homes. Between the time I said yes and the time I landed in Saigon, bombs were dropping outside the city and President Ford had okayed Operation Babylift! We bought out 300 instead!
Q – You’ve written many stories and articles about your experiences and served as co-author for many books. Speak to us about these books. Which do you enjoy the most – writing or ‘story gathering?”
LeAnn: After I wrote my own book about my Operation Babylift adventure, This Must Be My Brother, I got writing fever! When my own story was in Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul, I began to write everyone else’s stories which were printed in 10 more Chicken Soup books. That’s when Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen asked me to coauthor Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul with them. I was a full time professional speaker by then, so it was easy to collect 2000 stories to consider for the book! When that book hit the New York Times Best Seller list, the asked me to coauthor another…then another. Now I have written 10 Chicken Soup book with them. These are Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul, Second Dose and 8 more titles including Chicken Soup for the Caregiver's, Grandma's, Mother and Son, Father and Daughter, Christian Woman, Christian 2, Catholic, and Adopted Soul. I’ve also written my own book, delivering the message I share in my presentations, Balancing Life In Your War Zones, A Guide to Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health.
I love the gathering of the stories for Chicken Soup, as much as the rewriting of them. What a privilege to read thousands of true stories, told from the heart. I believe there is a lot of healing in the telling of a story and it is my honor to read them, then help others write them to be shared.
Q – What is next for LeAnn Thieman?
My mission in life is to inspire my colleagues in healthcare to sign on and stay on, and to help end the nursing shortage … no small task! So I will continue to reach them from my website , and to speak 30-40 times a year. I also have 2 more Chicken Soup books in the works. Since I speak on life balance, I will continue to try to practice that by spending time with my hubby of 39 years, my grandkids (who are the cutest and the smartest in the world!), riding my horse, hiking in my Rocky Mountains, and dancing to rock ‘n roll.

AN INTERVIEW - Sandra (Sam) Bradley - Ground Zero: A Paramedics Perspective

Q - How long have you been an EMT and why did you choose this field of work?
Sam: I’m in my 30th year, believe it or not. I was an EMT-1 for three years, then, became a paramedic. You’ll hear a number of people from my generation talk about being inspired by the TV show “Emergency.” It was the first to show the world about the new role of “paramedics” and the concept of pre-hospital care. For me, the idea of saving lives was much more attractive than serving steaks and wine in a dinner house. Not everyone can do this kind of work, I found out. It’s best suited for “Type A” adrenalin junkies who thrive on challenge. I guess I was one of them. When my time was over in the field, I served several years as a field supervisor and clinical coordinator. Today, I educate the new generation of EMTs , paramedics and firefighters.
Q – Have you experienced the challenge of having to ‘prove’ yourself in a career filled largely with men?
Sam: Oh yes! Remember, my career blossomed in the early 1980s. It’s very different now. I was the only female in my EMT class and one of just a handful in my paramedic class. My first ambulance company job was in Los Angeles County. I was the only female on my shift. It took a while for me to develop trust with the firefighters and become accepted, not just as a professional, but as a woman. It developed into a great working relationship and, as an EMT, they taught me much of what I needed to know to be successful in paramedic school. I faced a larger challenge when I decided I wanted to work in a fire department that contracted with my ambulance company for paramedic services. They were one of two cities we served that “didn’t allow” females. The claim was that they didn’t have proper sleeping arrangements. I made an agreement with another paramedic to work the day half of a 24 shift so he could go to school. Once I won the confidence of the firefighters and company officers, I was able to work in a full time spot when the other medic left. This city had no female firefighters or police when I started. I was the first. This went well for five years until a captain, who was known to everyone as a chauvinist, became the Chief in charge of EMS. The first thing he did was tell my company he didn’t want me there anymore. I was unceremoniously moved to another city. There were no laws around discrimination like there are now. The main thing I learned from this was that relationships are what you make them. I saw a lot of young female EMTs try to be “better” than the firefighters and cop a lot of attitude. They were never successful in developing positive relationships. I had to work hard to gain trust and acceptance, but staying in a positive frame of mind, being flexible, and doing the best job I could for my firefighter partners made the difference.
Q – What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Sam: Knowing that, in a moment of crisis for a patient and their family, I contributed something positive. It may have been administering lifesaving fluids, bringing back a dying heart with defibrillation; providing pain control; or sometimes just offering psychological support. We can’t save every life, undo a critical trauma, or make a sick kid suddenly well, but doing whatever my scope of practice would allow me to in giving stabilization to a patient and comfort to a family made a difference. I’d like to think I did save a life or two along the way. This is even more so the case in disaster medicine. We can’t remember all the people we tried to help, and know we’ll never have closure on what happened to them, but we do know the simple acts of kindness and support we gave them in the darkest moment of their lives will stay with them forever.
Q – Tell us your most frightening moment during your work as an EMT.
One day I was standing in the dispatch center for my ambulance company and we received a call for an auto vs motorcycle collision only a few miles away. It was odd that the fire department called back to advise us that this was a “traumatic full arrest.” Only after several minutes on scene did I realize this was an attempt to forewarn us that the patient was known to us. When we arrived, we saw the destroyed motorcycle all the way across the four lane highway and the young male patient on his back. Firefighters were ventilating him and doing chest compressions. I began the rote skill of setting up an IV. Rick, one of the fire medics, turned to me and said, “It’s Frank.” It didn’t sink in for a few minutes that this Frank was medic that worked for my company. I advised the dispatch center that this was an “employee involved” incident and to respond a field supervisor. The supervisor that arrived was my good friend and ex-partner who, with another employee, took over moving Frank into the ER. Even the hardened trauma nurses had a difficult time working on someone they knew … one of “us”. Frank didn’t survive. None of us knew how to feel or what to do. I realized then, that those of us in EMS tend to weave this web of invulnerability around ourselves and think bad things won’t happen to those whose job it is to save others. Frank’s sudden death was a rude awakening. It made us painfully aware of our own mortality. There was no real critical incident stress program back then, so we just did the best we could. We commiserated with each other all week until the funeral. The firefighters rode with us during the procession. I thought it was over then, and we could move into healing. Two years later, I learned what post traumatic stress disorder was when this incident resurfaced during a first aid class I was teaching. It was then I made up my mind that if I ever had an opportunity to help other EMTs, medics and firefighters avoid PTSD, I would. This was reinforced after a major airline disaster in 1986 in the City of Cerritos. Years later the opportunity would come, and CISM became a major part of my life.
Q-Prior to your story, Ground Zero: A Paramedic’s Perspective being selected for inclusion in TO THE RESCUE, did you have previous writing /publishing experience?
Sam: I have written for EMS publications for many years. My first feature article was in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) in 1991. The article dealt with the pre-hospital treatment of the deaf and hearing impaired. At the time, I was pursuing a degree in sign language interpreting and realized there was little education for EMS providers on this subject. I have also written and rewritten a number of EMS textbook chapters. I’m currently working on a proposal for a book about, and for, disaster responders. The only fiction work I ever considered for publication is a novel I began over 20 years ago that started as a personal journal. It became a story about three firefighter-paramedics and leaned heavily on people I worked with, and my own personal experience. In 1996, when I moved to Northern California, it sat in a file for the better part of 10 years. I picked it up again when the characters suddenly appeared in my head and began harassing me and giving me new material. It’s now going through final edits. With luck, it may someday sit on my bookshelf next to “To the Rescue”! I’m also working on a short story for a friend’s podcast. Now that I’m working for myself, I intend to make writing a larger part of my life. I want to get into projects that will to stretch my boundaries in both non-fiction and fiction.
Q – What is next for Sam Bradley?
Sam: Working as a consultant, I do firefighter training; teach EMT classes at the local community college; and do quality improvement for a dispatch center and an EMS agency. Then, of course, there’s my local, state and federal disaster work whenever the call comes. I’m going to do some marketing for “To the Rescue” and, hopefully, a lot more writing. As I said, I have a book proposal to finish and I’m doing final edits on my novel. I plan to either publish it or podcast it. Podcasting has become another area of interest. I’ve produced a few already and plan to provide both real world disaster/EMS stories, and fiction works. “To the Rescue” has shown me how fantastic it is for those who do disaster work to have their stories heard. There are so many thought-provoking experiences that need to be shared. As well as acknowledging the selfless contributions of disaster health care workers, hearing about positive experiences that come from helping disaster victims might also encourage more people to get involved. Telling these stories can also be cathartic for the author. I don’t think I told you, but, in eight years, I had never been able to record my Ground Zero experience. When you gave me the opportunity to contribute to this anthology, I realized it was time. It provided healing that I hadn’t acknowledged that I still needed. This story was clearly meant to see the light of day and I feel good for having made the effort. I thank you for the opportunity!

AN INTERVIEW - Renee Berke - Walking Hand in Hand with Clara Barton

Q - I understand you are a nurse. Why did you choose nursing as your career? What are some of the types of nursing you have done?
Renee: When I was 13 I had to have a cyst removed from the lower end of my spinal column. When I recovered I volunteered at the hospital. It was then I knew I wanted to become a nurse. I was a college nurse, I studied at Mass. Eye & Ear Infirmary, and did Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat nursing, I was a visiting nurse in Natick, MA., a camp nurse, private nursing, Parish nurse, Medical volunteer in Boston for Bridge Over Troubled Waters, taught sex education at the Unitarian-Universalist church in Sherborn, MA, lectured for The Cancer Society, and was a Nurse Practitioner with an infertility specialist.
Q - In 1999 you volunteered with the American Red Cross during the Hurricane Floyd. Have you had any other volunteer disaster nursing experience s? Are you still involved with the ARC?
Renee: I have not had another volunteer disaster experience and at present am not involved with the American Red Cross. Unfortunately, I've been diagnosed with chronic autoimmune pancreatitis, and I'm hesitant to take on that type of difficult work at this time.
Q - Other than your story, Walking Hand in Hand with Clara Barton what other stories/articles have you had published?
Renee : The Last Goodbye, Hepatitis C--A New Medical Crisis, Aging and the Thyroid Gland, Macular Degeneration and Chelation Therapy, Treating Pain Begins with Understanding that it's Real, Through the Camera Eye, Searching for Sleep, The Parish Nurse, A Potato on My Antenna, and others.
Q - What adventures are in your future plans?
Renee - A few years ago there was an article written by a local gynecologist called "Women with Disabilities Discover Gynecologic Care Difficult to Obtain." The article emphasized the emotional aspects of the women. I am thinking of writing to the doctor to see if I would be able to volunteer my services.

AN INTERVIEW : Louise Robinson - Sleepless in the Sahara

Q – You returned to school as an adult learner and became an RN when you were 45. Why did you choose nursing? What are some of the types of nursing you have done?
Louise: I think nursing chose me. I had made a good living in Interior Design (my other degree), retired at the age of 36 and moved to Hawaii. After two years of lying on the beach and attracting melanoma, I became bored. I went to a local hospital to volunteer and was asked to help in the Emergency Room. That was it. I volunteered there for about a year, got brave and went to Nurses Aide school. I then moved to New Mexico and went to LPN school. Moved back to California, got my RN Degree. Subsequently, I have worked in almost every aspect of nursing; medical, surgical, ortho, trauma (my favorite), maternity (not my favorite), etc.
Q – Speak to your journey of becoming a Peace Corp Volunteer. Was this a life-long goal? What was the hardest part for you? What did you enjoy this most?
Louise:I have wanted to join the Peace Corps since it was started in 1961. However, I was working and raising a child and that dream would have to wait. After I got my RN degree, I had to work in a hospital for a year before Peace Corps would accept me. As soon as that year was over, off I went. The hard part of this adventure was not being around my grandchildren. The whole adventure was a true learning experience. I have always loved traveling and learning about people and their customs.
Q –You worked in Operation Desert Care in Kuwait after the first Gulf War working through the International Red Cross. Was this your first international relief effort involvement after the Peace Corps? What is your best memory of this experience?
Louise: Operation Desert Care was my first International Red Cross experience. I have been on many national and local disasters, cherishing the experiences. My best memory of Operation Desert Care was the people I met. I carry their faces in my heart and hope they are safe and well.
Q - Throughout your story, Sleepless in the Sahara, you demonstrated an unflappable sense of humor. Do you think that you used humor as a positive coping mechanism to get you through this difficult time? What other sorts defensive mechanism did you notice volunteers using?
Louise: Sometimes humor is the only thing that gets you through a difficult time. Not always just then, but also later, when you have time to think about the situation. Most of the volunteers had their own ways of coping. Some would lose themselves in their work, some would read or watch TV or videos (when there was electricity), or just sit around and talk. Talking to each other was our best defense against frustration or loneliness. And the other volunteers' successes were our triumphs, too.
Q – Have you had other stories previously published? Can we expect more stories from your adventures in the desert and other parts of the world in the future?
Louise: I have had other stories, essays, and poems published. Some are about my life, some about other people or animals or situations. I am currently working on the full length book about my adventures in Kuwait. I am also working on the book about my time in the Peace Corps. I am also working. and doing housework, and tending to the diva dog, and the house repairs, the garden, the car, etc. etc. etc. I am woman.

RELEASED SEPTEMBER !st !

PRESS RELEASE : TO THE RESCUE

Every year, more than 200 million people are affected by wars, floods, earthquakes, and other disasters. To the Rescue tells the stories of the EMT workers, firefighters, physicians, nurses, social workers, and volunteers who provide relief at disaster sites—both natural and man-made—across the world.Celebrate the resilience of the human spirit with the remarkable stories of those who have overcome substantial odds to save lives and provide comfort to those in need.From the Indian Ocean tsunami to the devastation caused by hurricanes in the United States and the Caribbean to the devastation of war, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives and millions their livelihoods due to disasters and emergencies.No matter the danger or the circumstances, physicians, nurses, and EMTs spring into action in order to save lives. In To the Rescue, healthcare workers share intimate stories from across the globe about the people they’ve met and the remarkable obstacles they have overcome in order to care for patients under extraordinary circumstances.TO THE RESCUE details not only how these workers made a difference in the lives they touched, but how their experiences affected their own lives as well. From a paramedic’s perspective at Ground Zero to a Kenyan woman who turned her own misfortune into education for millions of others to a 71-year-old nurse taking on her first assignment for the American Red Cross, these stories of healing illustrate the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of tragedy, and how one can learn from loss.