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4/ TheBucknerClarion.com May 8, 2014 Inspired to Serve Buckner Native & RN Helps the Underserved Q: In your current position, what is your role? What are the biggest challenges that you face in this role? A: I am the chronic disease manager where I manage a rural health outreach grant geared towards diabetes and depression management. I also manage our worksite wellness program as a certified lifestyle coach. I was certified through the CDC at Emory University in their national diabetes prevention program. I am also the Quality Improvement Coordinator for our two clinics: Live Well Community Health Center-Waverly and Live Well Community Health Center- Concordia. I work very closely with the executive director, director of operations and our two clinic managers to make sure we are in compliance with the rules and regulations of our Federally Qualified Health Centers. I am currently working toward patient centered medical home recognition and National Committee for Quality Assurance recognition. The biggest challenges that I face in this role are that I am new and still learning. It seems like every day that I go to work, I learn something new. It keeps things exciting! Q: Mental health issues play a huge role in our physical health. As an RN, how have you seen this play out in patients? A: I think that we live in a busy world. We want things right here and right now. People don't take the time to take care of themselves. They don't stop and take the time to deal with issues like depression and anxiety. Q: What are the three biggest health care challenges that we face, and how should we go about tackling these issues? A: Education, access and transportation. Access is a huge challenge that we face. Education: There needs to be education on every level. This includes CEOs of major companies all the way down to the homeless. If the CEOs and big wigs in the community don't understand or see where the problems are, they are never going to change it. Citizens also need to speak up for what they need. Access: I've heard many times that we need health care access in Buckner, but the people who say that don't know who to tell or how to help make it happen. Transportation: Buckner is considered a metropolitan area. There are transportation systems in Kansas City but costs to drive to and from the city to Buckner is unaffordable for many. As far as transportation, we should lean on our own community. Buckner has many untapped resources that people don't know about. That goes back to education. If we could educate the community about how to tap available resources, we could maximize use of these resources. Q: What are some small, sustainable changes that we can make to impact our health and wellness on a daily basis? A: First and foremost, we need to take our lives day by day. People seem to be caught up in the go, go, go of things. We need to slow down and take time for ourselves. Drinking lots of water and eating balanced meals are the best ways to start. Q: Buckner has no clinic, dentist, no health care presence. What is your hope for Buckner in this regard? There is such a need in Buckner and the surrounding areas. My hope is that we can start small. I would like to see a clinic operate one day a week, or even one day every other week. That way, we can gage if it's useful or not. If we can prove the need for access in Buckner, my hope would be that Buckner and the surrounding areas will provide support. A lot of people don't know when it's imperative to go see a doctor when something is wrong. They don't know where to go or how to get there. We need to bring the resources to them. Q: What's next for you? A: I absolutely love what I do now. I am truly helping a population that might not get the help they need otherwise. The people we are serving are very grateful for what we do and that makes you sleep well at night. I am also grateful to my husband and how he supports me in everything that I do. Last but not least, I am grateful that I work for such a wonderful organization. My next steps are simple: Keep doing what I am doing. By Hollis Schnieders Amanda Arnold screens co-worker Christy Merrick for diabetes. Amanda Arnold, RN, BSN was born and raised in Buckner Missouri and still resides there with her husband Justin and two small children, Eli and Isaiah. In this issue, The Buckner Clarion salutes Amanda for her dedication to health and wellness. Q: Who were your early influences and why? A. My early influence was my little brother. I knew how much he looked up to me and I never wanted to disappoint him. We have been best friends growing up and I love our relationship so much. Q: When did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in health care and why? A: From the time I was a little girl, I loved to help people. I participated in multiple medical classes and volunteer opportunities at Fort Osage High School. This included the AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) program, where I volunteered at multiple health care facilities. I also participated in a program called Primary Care Resource Initiative for Missouri, where I repaid my college loan by working in an underserved area. My volunteer experience included working in a labor and a delivery, operating room and emergency departments. This experience allowed me to see an organ retrieval where I actually got to hold a heart. I chose this path because I love helping people by being able to teach and educate them on their health. Medical conditions can be so difficult to understand. I like explaining things in a way that makes sense. Q: Who inspired you? A. My parents inspired me. They have always had such great hope for my brother and I and they did everything possible to make sure that we had the best growing up. My parents have never sold us short and have always been behind us on any decision we have made. My parents are always willing to help my little family and truly showed me what it means to be wonderful hardworking parents. It gives me such joy seeing my kids so excited to see them. Q: What do you know now about health care (culture/industry) that you didn't know when you were pursuing your degree? A: When I first started in the industry, I was surprised. The patient relationship was not always as I expected. I expected to walk into a hospital and everyone would be happy and grateful, and I would help them get healthy. That doesn't always happen. I don't want to feel like a 'certified drug dealer.' I want to impact people's lives. I became a nurse to help people understand and cope with very difficult situations. People don't always understand that we are here to help. Q: Describe your experience. A: I started my career at Liberty Hospital in 2009 as a nurse tech. I worked in the float pool until I graduated, where I worked full time as an oncology nurse. After I delivered my youngest, I started working for the Health Care Collaborative of Rural Missouri in Lexington. I have been working there full time since February. By Hollis Schnieders

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