Health Department of Northwest Michigan celebrates National Nurses Week

The Health Department of Northwest Michigan (HDNW) is celebrating its nursing staff throughout Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, and Otsego counties this month.

To acknowledge their contributions and impact, the health department asks that staff and clients say thank you during National Nurses Week, May 6-12. May is also National Nurses Month.

“Public health nurses are crucial to promoting health and protecting the health of our communities; they teach, support, and care for each and every community member through the services they provide,” said Amanda Thompson, director of family health services. “Nurses are the foundation of direct client care at HDNW and many of the services would not be achievable without the work of nurses."

Charlevoix Mayor Luther Kurtz recently issued a mayoral proclamation on behalf of all nurses working throughout Charlevoix County.

“Nurses play a pivotal and crucial role in our health care system,” he declared. “I encourage the entire community to seek ways to show our ongoing gratitude for the nurses in our lives.”

The health department has 45 nurses on staff. Through their various training and specialties, officials said the nurses help support healthy people — families, young adults, and adults — in Northern Michigan.

School-based nursing

As a health resource advocate for COVID-19, Heather Schrems put her nursing degree to work within the schools to help with testing, contract tracing, and infection prevention and education. As the pandemic moved into the recovery phase, she said the trust and value discovered during COVID-19 has opened doors for ongoing support.

Moving forward, Schrems will share her time between four schools as a wellness nurse. Her work involves helping equip teachers and students to deal with health issues like the symptoms of allergic reactions, the role of nutrition, blood sugar management, insulin, and the use of EpiPens, for example.

“I am providing the tools so that staff and students can be successful in handling health care needs within the schools,” Schrems said. “School nursing has allowed me to alleviate some of the stresses and responsibilities of teachers and staff.

“The most satisfying part of my job — besides the smiles and hugs I receive walking down the school hallways — is the confidence and comfort that I see in staff and students in handling COVID-19 and other health care needs,” she added. “It is rewarding to be an important piece of the health-education-safety collaboration, to provide support, and to help keep kids in the classroom.”

In-home nursing

Emily Dickinson is one health department nurse who supports family health through the Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP), a home-visiting program for pregnant women and infants with Medicaid. As the visiting nurse, Dickinson is part of a team of nurses, nutritionists, and counselors who come alongside families to promote healthy pregnancies and infants.

Dickinson previously worked as a neonatal infant care unit/labor and delivery nurse. When changing course and joining the health department, she said she found her calling.

“Nursing is a profession of compassion, which I feel is one of my gifts from God,” she said. “I’m able to apply that gift everyday helping families protect their children through immunizations, support, and teaching through MIHP. I also encourage staff through leadership roles and explore good nutrition through WIC.”

Women’s-health nursing

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Jordan Wyeth was completing her master’s degree in nursing. Having obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, she was focusing her education on cardiac and critical care. A series of life events brought her to Northern Michigan, and COVID-19 found her assisting in health department clinics. It wasn’t long before she joined the staff as a nurse practitioner, specializing in women’s health.

“This was the only job I applied for,” Wyeth said. “It’s amazing what we have to offer. I am working hard to get our programs out in the community, to help people see that the health care we offer is just as high quality as anywhere else.”

The health department sees uninsured, underinsured and fully insured women. The nurses and nurse practitioners care for all patients, just like other health centers and clinics.

Wyeth uses social media to help make residents aware of the health department’s free sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing, cervical cancer screening, sexual health education, and more. She staffs clinics in Petoskey, Gaylord, Mancelona, and Charlevoix.

“We don’t take the place of primary care physicians, but we are here to help women stay on top of their screenings and care, especially if they’re self-employed or uninsured and would otherwise not keep up with those important annual appointments,” Wyeth said.

The health department's nurses are part of the nation’s estimated 2.4 million nurses who work on the frontlines every day, according to the Bureau of the Census.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Health Department of Northwest Michigan marks National Nurses Week