June 7th, 2019:
Today we visited Cherokee Hospital for the third time this
week and we donated all the clothes and diapers that were donated to us for
this trip. They were so happy and could not believe all the donations I had for
them. They gladly accepted all of them and said they will definitely have a use
for every single thing we brought. There are many critical issues that this
culture encounters daily. Two of the most critical issues that I have noticed
while being here are addiction and diabetes. Almost every patient I got to
observe this week either had diabetes or an addiction problem. Both of these
conditions are related to genetics, culture, and deficient knowledge/health
maintenance. All of these things combined make it a critical health issue. The
nurse is the most important person when it comes to health promotion and health
maintenance. Educating the patient in ways that they will understand and making
sure they have all the resources they need to have good health is a big role
the nurse has.
In my opinion and observations the patient is at the center
of the health care system here in Cherokee. They do not do things to make
money, they do things to ensure the patient is happy, taken care of, and in
good health. This is way different than my health care experiences outside of
Cherokee because a lot of hospitals want to do whatever it is that will make
the most money for the hospital, even if they can figure it out without the
most expensive thing. I believe that every healthcare system can learn from
Cherokee Healthcare System.
Tomorrow we wrap up
our week here in Cherokee, NC with a free day to explore! I can’t wait to tell
you all about it!