Friday, April 30, 2010

Dear Madison County Health Department:


Pam & Beth – I have learned so much from the two of you this semester. About what a public health nurse does; about what public health nurses do far beyond their hours, job descriptions and salaries; about health concerns in Madison County; about the extent to which public health nursing reaches beyond seeing a client for a few minutes in an exam room – far beyond.

Thank you both for welcoming me at Cabbage Patch every Monday night and at every monthly meeting of the teen pregnancy prevention coalition. Thank you for introducing me to the participants of Cabbage Patch, making it so much easier for me to conduct my interviews.

Thanks for always making time for me, getting back to me (and so quickly) by phone and by email to answer my every little question. You were tireless sources of information, always patient, generous and kind, the way we hope nurses will be.

Holly, thank you as well for always getting back to me by phone and email to answer my every little question. Thanks for patiently interpreting data for me in a way that I could understand it, interpret it for others, and hopefully interpret it better on my own in the future.

Sonya, thanks for calling me back during what I imagined to be your only minutes of free time during the week – while driving to your 2nd job early on a Saturday morning! Thanks for sharing with me your passion for public health that motivates you to work so much.

Wanda, thank you for speaking so candidly with me that afternoon at Teen Matters and thanks for the tour of the clinic. You gave me very useful insight into the teen pregnancy issue in Madison County.

Finally, though not a staff member at the health department, you are definitely an active part of the programs there, Melanie, thanks for finding a way to open up to me about a delicate subject matter while still protecting the girls that you help so much. You have given me so much of your time this year. You’ve been patient and generous. You’ve always responded to my questions and generously offered me contacts who might provide even more information.

Everyone, it has been a privilege to get to know and to see the impact you make in Madison County.

So, thank you!
Sonya

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