Offering the highest level of health care sometimes means that Grace Medical Home staff members venture outside the walls of Grace to serve their patients. For our pediatric team, it means going back to school.
One of Grace’s original Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Michelle Cash discovered how seriously one of her young patients with multiple medical issues was struggling at school, and she dug deeper. She worked with her patient’s mother to be part of the school IEP (Individual Education Plan) session to become a vital part of the team to benefit that child. New services and placements were added and Michelle’s patient began to improve in school and medically.
Michelle said, “We give the medical information needed to get the child where they need to be in the school system. We’re so grateful for what the schools do for these children. We help the schools, they help us, and together we are able to benefit the child.”
Carisa Jones is also a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Grace Medical Home. One of her patients with neurological issues moved here with her family from a small farming community in a different country where education was not compulsory. Carisa said, “I attended the IEP meeting with the mom. Reports were given by a social worker, occupational and speech therapists, and an academic specialist, there was a lot of information discussed which was hard to digest and process. The school was grateful I was there and you could see the relief on the mother’s face knowing I’d help her understand everything and together, we could be her daughter’s advocate.”
As the need for patient advocacy continues to grow, two former teachers, Sue Brown and Patty Laubach, joined the Grace volunteer team as additional pediatric advocates. They work with patients and their schools on IEPs and to empower parents to navigate what can be a complicated journey. School specialists have become such good partners in helping patients, they notify us when they determine a patient’s specific need, such as asking Grace to help obtain a wheelchair for a student.
“Our entire Pediatric team is incredibly grateful for the support of the Grace Administration and the Grace Medical Home Board of Directors. They allow us the time to come alongside our patients and practice a different kind of medicine,” Michelle shared, “it’s holistic – we look at the physical, spiritual and mental health aspects of each patient.” Often times, that involves success at school for the youngest patients at Grace.
