Captains Blog: Day 8

I will go back to blogging to you don’t have to here all of the “ummms” in my vlogs.  Something I might need to work on.

I had to add this photo because I think it really sums up how I feel about this experience.  This week has been full of generosity.  Kayla, the nurse educator at Cherokee, took time out of her schedule to give us tours, teach us, and answer questions.  She even gave us feedback on our cover letters that we wrote to her before the trip.  She nicknamed me "the planner" which really seemed appropriate.  I don't know that she realizes how appreciative I felt about that feedback, it is really something that people do not give you feedback on and it is very helpful for any future endeavors that I might have.   Kayla was not the only generous person we met, really there were so many people that we met that took time out of their day to provide us with some type of learning.  Learning about the health system not only in Cherokee Indian Hospital, but at Mission Hospital too makes me feel hopeful for this culture.  The Cherokee natives have so many health issues ranging from chronic issues like diabetes to mental health issues like addiction.  I think that the changes they have/are making with patient centered care will really result in healthier happier people and hopefully the future for Cherokee people will flurish.

One of my goals for this trip was to allow myself to be vulnerable.  I think that I did a good job of being a yes person so that I could get everything I could out of this experience.  One of the hardest things by far was going to church.  I was uncomfortable and really did not agree with anything that the pastor preached about, in fact, it was a lot like more sermons from my childhood.  What I did learn from that experience was that nothing has really changed in the last 35 years in old southern baptist churches, and its ok that I don't agree with it.  If the church helps people then that is all that matters.  They provide some nice services for the community and that is a blessing. 

This trip was so much more than I had imagined it to be.  I learned so much, more than I could ever learn in a book.  Real life experiences will always be better than the knowledge that you get from a book.   I felt a rainbow of emotions and because of that I feel like I know where I belong.  Not only was I able to experience so much learning, I was able to bond with 10 women that I never would have bonded with on that level.  I made some friends and memories that will last a lifetime. 
I always struggle a little when someone asks be what kind of nurse I plan to be, well my answer is...the best nurse that I can be. 

Ad.dic.tion

Captains Vlog: Day 7
Ad.dic.tion:  the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity.
synonyms: dependency, dependence, craving, habit, weakness, compulsion, fixation, enslavement


I want to talk about addiction because it’s a huge problem we have seen here in, and around Cherokee and as we know there is a massive opioid addiction problem in the United States.  I found myself very emotional because Cherokee Indian Hospital is proividing care that goes above and beyond anything that we see just about anywhere.  I have done another video blog to give you a better idea of my thoughts and feelings.

Mission Children’s Hospital

Captains Vlog: Day 6

I decided to vlog today!  It was a first for me so please excuse all the ummms, pauses, and awkward eye stuff.


I also forgot to discuss Melody’s student nurse while she was in children’s hospital.  She was so amazing and really stood out to me.  At that time I was questioning putting in an application for nursing school.  It had been on my mind for a long time and I was just so unsure.  Without knowing it she really pushed me to submit my application.  So I did it, was approved, and started Methodist College 3 months later.  Here are a few photos from Mel’s stay at Children’s Hospital in Peoria.

Family

Captains Blog: Day 5

If you know anything about that south then you know that family is very important.  I am very familiar with this concept because I have a lot of family in Arkansas.  I grew up with my cousins, and every Sunday Grandma and Grandpa would take us to church and then everyone would go to their house for family dinner.  No matter what happens in life I know that I can always always always count on my family.  This is the same in the Cherokee culture, they are very family oriented and make sure to take care of each other.  The Cherokee people really look up to their elders and an elder in the community is very respected.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we live in a society where more and more grandparents are taking care of their grandchildren because the parents are not around.  It is not legal for a non Cherokee person to foster a Cherokee child and unfortunately there is a large need for it in their community.  The Cherokee people have so many services available for them, but one service that is lacking is prenatal care.  They do not necessarily get the care and education that they need and this unfortunately results in a lot of unplanned pregnancies, teen pregnancies, and drug abuse during and after pregnancies.  The area out here is also very rural so the closest hospital to deliver is Mission Hospital and that is over an hour driver from Cherokee, imagine a high risk pregnancy...

There is a lot of support in the community and fortunately there are members of the community willing to step up and help, but that becomes detrimental to their health.  Just imagine being in your 70’s and the only person who is able to take care of your 2 year old great grandchild...I have trouble keeping up with my 6 year old in my mid 30s.  I understand why they want to keep Cherokee children within their community, but this is a cycle that really does not seem to be beneficial for the elder or the child.  I want to really dive into the addiction problem in the community, but I am going to have to give that its own blog.  I will say though that with addiction, comes help.  There are many resources available within the hospital and church’s that are designed to combat this issue.  The Cherokee people have overcome much harder things in history so I am hopeful that these new developments will really help.  They are very fortunate to have what they have and that is because they are resilient.

Check out my next blog.  My take on addiction in this country and how to be apart of the solution, not the problem.

Captains Blog: Day 4

Today we went to the Cherokee Indian Hospital to observe the nurses on the flood and see how they care for the patients.  The health care system is run by the people.  Health care costs are completely  covered at the hospital for native Americans and the only service in the hospital that is available to non-native Americans is the emergency department.  This works well because the hospital houses an inpatient unit pharmacy, primary care, ancillary cares, etc...     
 
I was fortunate to sit in on patient report for the day on the the inpatient unit.  Their report includes all members of the health care team; RN, MD, crisis prevention, social work, PT, RPH, etc... What was really amazing about this was the face to face interaction that the different specialty’s could have to provide the best care for the patient.  At one point the provider discussed medication for a patient based on the specific type of infection and that is something I have never seen.  Something that really pulled on my heart strings was watching the crisis team case manager advocate so passionately for a patient.  She was clear and concise, and expressed her concerns to the entire team.  There was no back and forth phone calls, no secondary messages, and no miscommunication.  I was in awe with her passion and how well she delivered her message.  Later I ran into her in the hall and expressed my gratitude for being an advocate.  This is what I got into health care for.  Seeing this reminds me why I’m here and it really drives me to keep going.  
Given my 12 years of pharmacy experience I feel like I am always curious about medicine, and not just pharmaceuticals but also natural remedies, herbals, and holistic medicine too.  We are so advanced with technology and science that sometimes we tend to over do it...sometimes it’s wise to listen to grandmas ol’ tips and tricks.  The Cherokee have their own healing practise that have been passed on from generations and a lot of it involved using plans.  Something I saw in one of the shops yesterday was yellow root.  Today I found out that it can be used to make a tea to treat some sort of illness. However, it has to be made just right and those who know how  to not share that information.  
The more I learn about the history of the Native Americans the more appreciation I have for them, and even a bit of envy.  I wish that I knew more about my ancestry before settling in America.  This experience has been so humbling and amazing but I can’t help but feeling cheated.  What the Cherokee have provided for their people is so amazing and despite the flaws, having free health care and education is something that so many people would benefit from yet it’s all so out of our hands.  Despite feeling failed over and over again by our system I will never stop fighting for what I believe in and I will continue to work hard and educate as much as I can.  

Stay tuned for more blogs...next time I plan to dabble a little more in the mental health side of the Cherokee Nation. 

The Day that Cherokee Indian Hospital Stole My Heart

Captains Blog:  Day 3
Today was such a great day, full of new experiences and lots of learning.  We started our day out by going to the Cherokee Indian Hospital (Link) for orientation with Kayla, who is the nurse educator for the hospital.  I was blown away not only by how beautiful the hospital is, but also by the way that they practice medicine.  The values and beliefs that they live by is everything that healthcare should be, and to see that a HOSPITAL is practicing based on patient centered care, rather than focusing on money, that makes me so happy.  In the photo below Ariel and I are posing in front of the new part of the hospital that is being added on to address the needs of mental health and drug addictions in their community.

Ariel is the Ying to my Yang!

Their plan includes a medical detox facility. That is huge!  They are going above and beyond for their community by addressing the root of the problem rather than putting a bandaid on issues.  They address mental health needs prior to physical because a person is not able to care for themselves the way they should until their mental health is in check. I feel like this speaks volumes about the quality of healthcare that they recieve and to be quite honest, I feel a bit cheated.



When we were driving through town it reminded me a lot of the area around the Ozarks.  There are a lot of similarities in the local enviornment and the tourist areas.
We had the opportunity to go through the Museum of The Cherokee Indian (Link) to learn a bit about their history.  Something that really stood out to me was the role of the Cherokee woman and that they follow a matriarch.  It was quite refreshing to here that somewhere in history women were not looked down on, and people viewed them as leaders.  I think that the values and beliefs that they follow are very similar to my own, in a way that is comforting.  They are so very family oriented and everything that they do is based on how much they value family.  Something that has been brought up a few times is that it is not uncommon to see a grandparent or great grandparent as a primary caregiver for a young child.  They do this because they do not want to break up the family.  I think that this is very similar to our own culture.  I have personally seen this a lot and it seems like it happens more and more all the time.

The Cherokee are very proud of who they are and I respect that.  Their willingness to open up to people outside of the tribes and teach people about their culture is something that I really respect.  I think that this passes down from generation to generation and you can see it in the youth and how willing they are to learn the Cherokee langue and the history of their people.  

I will leave you with that for tonight...can not wait to see what is in store for tomorrow!  

June 2nd Max’s 12th Birthday *Shout Out*

Captains Blog: Day 2
Today we went to the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, TN (Link to website).  I highly recommend going if you ever make it out this way.  There are 36 exhibits flooded with historical items and the interesting stories that go along with them.  Before visiting the museum my perception of Appalachian natives may have been slightly skewed, based on TV shows about moonshiners, and movies about serial killers...don’t get me wrong, I didn’t quite expect to walk into a museum of horror, but I also didn’t expect to be so familiar with their history.  I felt like a lot of what I saw was similar to my own ancestors.  As I was walking through some of the little cabins it reminded me of grade school field trips to the Mark Twain museum, or walking through Wild Life Prairie Park. There were even photos that made me think of sitting on my grandmas living room floor going through old family photos.  It is amazing to think of how far our culture has evolved over the last 100 years. As I am sitting here typing this on my iPad, I can’t help but think of how much has evolved over just the last 30 years...before all things technology.
One of the exhibits that we walked through was the “Broom and Rope House”. I think in that moment it occurred to me just how inventive people have always been.  When you think of a broom it seems so simple, but I’m sure it never occurred to you how they were made, at least it never occurred to me.  I feel like our society is so busy all the time and there are always new and amazing things around us, but we sometimes forget to pause for a moment and think about how simple life used to be.  Today I took some time to remember how thankful I am for what I have, and how far I have come in my almost 36 years.  I’m greatful for what our ancestors have done for us so we can live in luxary, and I am not talking about how much/little money we have, but how much easier it is to just go to the store and buy a broom.

That is all for tonight...come back tomorrow for an update on our NC adventures