June 8th

While on this trip, I was able to help educate clients while visiting the Open Door.  For instance, one of the people I had the pleasure to sit down and chat with expressed that he has hypertension.  He stated that his blood pressure usually runs around 180/120 mmHg.  This was concerning to me because having persistently high blood pressure can cause damage to several different body systems.  I was able to explain to him that vessel damage, kidney damage, heart disease, and  a stroke can all result from untreated hypertension.  After speaking to him, I was able to help find resources that he may be able to use.  A local organization called Meridian offers wellness checks and the Open Door offers help with filling prescriptions.  This is just one of the ways I was able to hopefully help improve the health of others.  I feel that future generations and even current generations ca get healthier by using the preventative care that is available to them.  It is important to prevent illnesses before it turns into managing illnesses.  Understanding the importance of using healthcare systems that are available and understanding what prevention and being healthy is, will hopefully make the community healthier.  It was so impacting getting to educate the clients that I met within the community because being healthy really starts with providing good education.  I will forever use knowledge gained throughout this course in my nursing career.  I am used to having accessible healthcare, and seeing things from the other point of view was eye-opening.  Understanding health disparities around you, as they are everywhere, can help ensure that each patient is getting the care they need.