NOTE: The American Nurses Association has extended the traditional National Nurses’ Week to a monthlong campaign to support and recognize nurses who work with courage and compassion under extremely challenging circumstances. This is part of a series of stories to honor Palmetto GBA nurses and the incredible work they do.

Outreach and volunteerism are important parts of Palmetto GBA’s culture, and our nurses are among our many employees who work to have a positive impact on their communities.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic created many needs in our communities, including a lack of face masks. Palmetto GBA nurses Kim Regan, Medical Reviewer II, and Jennifer Greer, Senior Medical Reviewer, are among those who have been sewing face masks for people in their communities.

Some nurses like Cona Rundlett, Medical Reviewer, share their medical skills to help others gain access to health care. Rundlett volunteers to educate patients at the Good Samaritan Clinic on illnesses that can have a significant impact on their daily lives.

Some nurses combine their personal interests and hobbies with their community outreach. Jennifer Dowell, a nurse and Medical Review Director, teaches first aid and CPR to a local Cub Scout troop. She also showed horses for decades, and while she no longer rides, she is still an active volunteer in that community.

“I volunteer as the medical professional at equestrian events,” said Dowell. “I treat minor cuts and scrapes as well as the individual responsible for serious injuries, broken bones and lacerations.”

The need for access to health care does not stop within our communities, and some nurses take their skills on the road to help others around the globe. Melissa Runion, a nurse and Medical Reviewer II, travels with her church to Central America annually to provide medical clinics to communities in the region.

“Our trip was cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 spread, but I am looking forward to going again next year,” Runion said. “We take donated medicine, eyeglasses and dental supplies to provide for the needs of the underprivileged. A clinic day starts at sunrise and ends past dark. It makes for a long day but brings so much joy to the team knowing how much of a difference it makes to these communities.”

Karen Waddell, Medical Reviewer III, is another nurse who has traveled hundreds of miles to help others in need. “My most memorable experience was travelling to Nairobi, Kenya, with my sister-in-law, a hospice nurse from Pennsylvania,” she said.

Waddell was part of a volunteer effort to deliver nursing bags to health clinics in Nairobi. The group delivered 36 bags, which included a new stethoscope, basic ostomy and bandage supplies.

“The nurses can’t always afford the basic supplies to care for their patients in remote villages,” Waddell said. “They were so grateful for the supplies.”

You don’t have to look far, however, to find people in need. “I volunteer at the United Ministries Free Medical Clinic at least once a month where we serve patients who find that health care is financially out of reach,” said nurse and Medical Reviewer II Melisa Dingle said. “Serving others in need at this clinic has been life changing for me.”