Hi everyone,
I had a really nice weekend, and things are going well. My coworkers and I went to New Haven, CT for a conference called Unite for Sight. The presentations/workshops were all about health care in rural and international clinic sites where supplies, money and manpower are scarce. I found it really inspiring, and actually picked up some ideas I can use in working with the homeless. I was really impressed with all of the different people that attended. Business people, public health workers, students, physicians, artists, journalists and professors were just some of the groups presenting and participating. I learned a lot and had a really good time with my friends. It's amazing what they've been able to do abroad and right here at home with limited funds and few people. Sometimes it's not a new vaccine or health care facility that's needed, it can be something as simple as a few horses to get medicines from one place to another.
New Haven is very pretty. We stayed in Hartford with one coworker's parents, and it was also really nice. They were very good to us - they gave us a place to sleep (all 10 of us!) and left out snacks, breakfast and coffee each day. I am so grateful.
Now that I'm home I'm getting excited for the next few weeks. My mom is coming to visit Friday and I can't wait! I have a whole itinerary planned out for us and I want to show her where I live and work. The weather has been great, the flowers are blooming and it should be beautiful. We will be going to the Common, the Public Gardens, walking parts of the Freedom Trail, the Museum of Science, the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, and the Top of the Hub. Hopefully that's not too much stuff.
I plan to inform Colorado and Creighton of my final decision about medical school this week. I've drafted a letter and will probably mail it today. I still have three weeks before the deadline, but I've made up my mind I want to let someone else start planning the next step in their life too. I didn't get one scholarship I applied for, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for another. I should know in June. I'll keep everyone posted.
Work will be busy in the next few weeks too. I volunteered to take on a big project that's supposed to happen in May and there is still a lot to be done. We are trying to do a repeat of our quit smoking event from the fall and donations should be hard to come by. We've had a lot of events this year and I am sure our usual donors are sick of requests. I've found a couple of other vendors willing to donate though. We should have some good stuff to give away. I'll be leaning heavily on my coworkers too, since it is a large undertaking.
On the home front things are good. Liberty, the dog that lives here, was sprayed by a skunk on Sunday. She still smells and is so miserable. I want to cuddle her, but can't because I don't want to go to work smelling of skunk too. Poor little thing. Susan and Dave will keep bathing and cleaning her, but she won't like it.
That's about it from here. Hope you all are well. Love you so much!
Lynne
Monday, April 23, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
I Love Our Patients
When I started at Transitions, one of the first things I heard (and heard many times since) was to lock up all my valuables. Nurses who turn their backs for even a second find pocketbooks, medications, etc. gone. Our patients are newly sober, and many have come into a pattern of manipulating or even stealing to get what they want. You have to be really careful with your things.
Yesterday was a little crazy. I wasn't feeling very well and there was a lot going on. The doctor normally sees 6 to 7 patients in the morning but we had 9 on his list. I was trying to prepare for my group and get all of these patients into the clinic, all while the nurse wanted me to go to a party for a case manager who is leaving. I managed to get it all done. Just as I was leaving my office for my health education group with the male patients, the nurse's boss said she wanted to speak to me too. They had just been in her office for 45 minutes. I assumed it was bad news because, let's face it, that's the only reason management ever comes to the Island. I told her I was on my way to a group, and she said she just needed 5 or 6 minutes of my time. I told her that it was ok, and asked the operations staff to delay my group until 1:40, ten minutes later than the original start time.
She sat me down and walked me through recent Medicare cuts, how many patients the clinic sees at any given time and other justification for whatever it was she was about to tell me. Since I was in a hurry, I was almost tempted to say, "You don't have to justify your actions with me, just tell me what is going on." I think she wanted to talk to me as a way to clear her conscience, or maybe just to make sure she covered all of her bases, or to make sure someone hadn't told me before she did. When 1:40 came and went, I really wanted to run and start my group. Starting group late and being flustered is not the best way to approach 20 newly sober gentlemen who can be a handful anyway. She finally told me what was going on, but asked me to keep it "under my hat" until everyone knows the news. So I will. I'll let you know when everyone knows. I thanked her for telling me, and when I didn't have any questions or concerns she asked to use my phone. I told her to feel free, and that she could make herself comfortable. I ran to my group and made it just in time. The operations folks had started taking role for me, and were just going to do a check in until I showed up.
Group was actually surprisingly successful. We talked about stress and they were really open to talking about relaxation techniques, things they had tried and things that didn't work for them. When I got back to my office I was feeling a little better, but then I saw the door. It was wide open, and my bag was sitting on the desk where anyone could see it. The big boss had just left the door open, probably not realizing what we worry about with some of our patients. I went over to the desk where my things were sitting. As I dug through my bag, I found that everything was still there - my cash, credit cards, ID and phone were all right where I left them. The only thing missing was the candy from the bowl sitting next to my bag.
The fact that my patients cleared out the candy bowl but left all of my things made me really happy. They have enough respect not to mess with my things, even though they clearly had access to all of it. I won't let something like this happen again, but I still feel like I underestimated their integrity. Even though they did take the candy, it made me feel really good that they didn't take my stuff. It's just one more reason why I love these crazy characters.
Love to all,
Lynne
Yesterday was a little crazy. I wasn't feeling very well and there was a lot going on. The doctor normally sees 6 to 7 patients in the morning but we had 9 on his list. I was trying to prepare for my group and get all of these patients into the clinic, all while the nurse wanted me to go to a party for a case manager who is leaving. I managed to get it all done. Just as I was leaving my office for my health education group with the male patients, the nurse's boss said she wanted to speak to me too. They had just been in her office for 45 minutes. I assumed it was bad news because, let's face it, that's the only reason management ever comes to the Island. I told her I was on my way to a group, and she said she just needed 5 or 6 minutes of my time. I told her that it was ok, and asked the operations staff to delay my group until 1:40, ten minutes later than the original start time.
She sat me down and walked me through recent Medicare cuts, how many patients the clinic sees at any given time and other justification for whatever it was she was about to tell me. Since I was in a hurry, I was almost tempted to say, "You don't have to justify your actions with me, just tell me what is going on." I think she wanted to talk to me as a way to clear her conscience, or maybe just to make sure she covered all of her bases, or to make sure someone hadn't told me before she did. When 1:40 came and went, I really wanted to run and start my group. Starting group late and being flustered is not the best way to approach 20 newly sober gentlemen who can be a handful anyway. She finally told me what was going on, but asked me to keep it "under my hat" until everyone knows the news. So I will. I'll let you know when everyone knows. I thanked her for telling me, and when I didn't have any questions or concerns she asked to use my phone. I told her to feel free, and that she could make herself comfortable. I ran to my group and made it just in time. The operations folks had started taking role for me, and were just going to do a check in until I showed up.
Group was actually surprisingly successful. We talked about stress and they were really open to talking about relaxation techniques, things they had tried and things that didn't work for them. When I got back to my office I was feeling a little better, but then I saw the door. It was wide open, and my bag was sitting on the desk where anyone could see it. The big boss had just left the door open, probably not realizing what we worry about with some of our patients. I went over to the desk where my things were sitting. As I dug through my bag, I found that everything was still there - my cash, credit cards, ID and phone were all right where I left them. The only thing missing was the candy from the bowl sitting next to my bag.
The fact that my patients cleared out the candy bowl but left all of my things made me really happy. They have enough respect not to mess with my things, even though they clearly had access to all of it. I won't let something like this happen again, but I still feel like I underestimated their integrity. Even though they did take the candy, it made me feel really good that they didn't take my stuff. It's just one more reason why I love these crazy characters.
Love to all,
Lynne
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