Thank you to everyone who came out to participate in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk in Washington D.C.! It was a tremendous success full of such incredible, optimistic energy. Check out photos from the event here.

Our 2017 Fellow, Courtney Pladsen, was recently published in the Washington Post in an article that discusses  the important role Nurses have not just in patient care but also policy…a topic that Erin was passionate about. Read the complete article here.

Photo Credit: Jason Hornick for Express

“After ten years of working with vulnerable populations, it has become clear that in order to improve patient outcomes, the health care system needs to address social determinants of health. This realization has been the most clarifying concept in my career and has now been the driving force of my passion to improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations. We can have the best treatment plans in the world, but if a person is hungry, or they leave the appointment to sleep on the street, very little can be accomplished.”

For the past five years Courtney Pladsen has worked as a nurse practitioner at a Federally Qualified Health Center, Unity Healthcare, in Washington, D.C. Her clinic time is divided between a community health center and providing medical outreach to people experiencing homelessness. The community health center provides primary care to individuals and families of all ages and serves a majority immigrant population from Central America. When providing care to people experiencing homelessness the main goal is to decrease barriers to care and to develop relationships over time. This care happens in soup kitchens, on the streets, and in shelters. Courtney and her colleagues go where the patients are, and see them in their comfort zones.

In December, Unity opened the first ever women’s respite program in Washington, D.C. Courtney is leading this program and is developing it from the ground up with a wonderful group of nurses, mental health providers, pharmacists, and primary care providers. This program provides medical care to acutely ill women within a homeless shelter. Previously if a woman was experiencing homelessness and became acutely ill, once discharged from the hospital they were discharged to the street. Often surgery had to be delayed, wounds worsened, and women went without life-saving treatment. Now, the respite program is able to provide medications, wound care, care coordination, social services, and daily nurse care.

Every person has inherent dignity and worth. The current U.S. health care system too often sees a patient as a diagnosis rather than a whole person. Cura personalis, care of the whole person, includes understanding a person’s social determinants of health. That includes education level, housing status, social supports, resources like transportation, immigration status, employment, and others. Courtney believes that when providers learn this information about their patients, they can not only provide better care, but can begin the long work of addressing these social determinants of health. Addressing these barriers to care on an individual and community level through advocacy and policy will help decrease health care disparities. One of Courtney’s favorite professors once told her that “community health is moving a mountain stone by stone,” and after ten years of her efforts, she’s starting to see that new mountain being created.

I had finals this past week for my first semester in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Vanderbilt University. It was a tough semester with the job change, but a very productive semester. I cannot tell you how happy I am at Genesee Community Health Center. It is exactly where I want to be in our community. They are doing a wonderful job of caring for the most disadvantaged members of our Flint, MI community.

The Fellowship has given me the option to find a practice setting I believe in with my whole heart. My first day at Genesee Community Health Center (GCHC) felt like coming home. It is a completely patient-centered practice that services those who are most vulnerable–people otherwise forgotten and overlooked–by establishing a true patient-centered medical home. Many of the patients are homeless, mentally ill, or have addiction issues. Almost all have multiple chronic conditions and do not have access to basic services. Primary care is provided, as well as behavioral health services, addiction services, and community outreach. I am proud to be working with a group of the most dedicated and compassionate people I have ever known. The employees at GCHC are constantly filling needs in the community, from collecting clothing just in case someone comes in with a need (which happens daily) to distributing Narcan kits with training to prevent opiate overdoses. Our recovery and health coaches are members of our community that have experienced some of these same issues earlier in their lives and now provide a support system for those in need.

I wanted to do a million things after my graduation from Georgetown University and help a million people. This Fellowship gave me the freedom and opportunity to find a place supportive of my passion. The management and administrative team has been so supportive of helping me find how my passion fits with the needs in our community. I am working on navigating through the grant system, in the hopes to further develop a program I have started working on. I can’t think of a better place to ensure success.

One of my families from my previous job followed me to GCHC. She is a mother with five small children, all under age 12, living in a shelter. She is trying her hardest to get ahead in life and provide for her children. Despite so many hardships they remain positive and upbeat. They have been unable to find housing for the last five months due to a shortage in our community. They share one room at the shelter, without a refrigerator or any kitchen appliances, and share a community bathroom. Within the past few weeks a pipe burst in their room and destroyed what little they had, just before Christmas. My family has been collecting funds to provide a Christmas for this family. My children volunteered to donate two Christmas presents each that they would have received and buy for these children. The work of the Foundation is alive and well in Flint, MI and is being passed on to others!

The emotional experience of being named the first awardee of the ELB Fellowship award has been irreplaceable. I generally persevere through hard times, and I’m certainly not a quitter. But my first few months finding my way, along with managing my family and continued education, were overwhelming. In my acceptance speech I stated that I hoped I would hear ‘don’t quit, you can do it’ in hard times and be reminded I wasn’t alone. The honor and responsibility of a legacy built on advocacy and compassion helped me through my most difficult times. I will be forever grateful and I hope I have honored Erin’s memory with my work so far.

– ALEISHA ROSSO, 2016 ELB FOUNDaTIoN FELLOW

The Genesee Community Health Center mobile medical unit

Thanks to all who helped us raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk, held in Washington, DC on October 15. Check out the pictures! It was a wonderful event…but our fundraising efforts are just beginning! Later this month the ELB Foundation is kicking off a fundraising campaign! Check back on November 15 for more details!

I was in Nashville, TN at Vanderbilt University the last week of August to start work on my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. It was really wonderful to see some of the great programs the Vanderbilt Medical Center has for the disadvantaged populations that function with the School of Nursing and Vanderbilt Medical School.  Because of the great education I received at Georgetown for my Master’s degree I was able to bypass some of the required classes for my DNP and focus on electives. Currently I am seeking my certificate in Global Health Disparities and working with an international group to plan a medical mission trip next summer. My husband is a nurse anesthetist and we hope to make the trip together.

I am in the process of transitioning to a new place of employment, Genesee Community Health Center.  This is a clinic similar to the one I was previously working at, but is a nurse-managed community health clinic. The clinic offers some really great programs for our community, including a Vivitrol clinic for those addicted to opiates.  This is a huge problem in our community.  Here is the link for the Washington Post article that talks a little more about the medication and the growing epidemic, especially in Michigan. I will also be working with a Mobile Medical Unit to deliver care to the homeless population in our area and those patients with limited access to transportation.

On a personal level, my family is doing well. My oldest son just turned 12 and played in his last youth football game. I am thankful every day to the Foundation for giving me the freedom to pursue my academic and professional goals while still allowing me to be involved in these wonderful moments.  For the first time, I will be able to have the day off to attend their Halloween parade at school, which is so important since it will be my oldest son’s last year in elementary school.

– aleisha rosso, 2016 elb foundation fellow

Aleisha and her classmates at Vanderbilt University

We would like to thank you with heartfelt appreciation for attending the Erin Leigh Boyle (ELB) Foundation’s Inaugural Fellowship Award Celebration on April 30^th!

The event was a joyful success as we celebrated the first of many annual ELB fellowship awards and paid tribute to Erin’s legacy.  During an exciting program filled with important guest speakers from Georgetown University and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the first ELB Fellowship was awarded to Aleisha Rosso, a family nurse practitioner from Flint, Michigan.  It is our belief that Aleisha embodies Erin’s legacy by supporting underserved populations and improving their access to high quality health care.  We can’t wait to share more about her story and future goals.

This first award, however, has only been made possible by your support and participation.  Because it is our goal to award an ELB Fellowship to one deserving recipient each year on May 1^st—Erin’s birthday—we welcome and appreciate your continued interest in and support of the ELB Foundation.

Please check back to stay up to date with all that our Inaugural Fellow, Aleisha Rosso, is doing along with all of the other happenings in the community and at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

WHAT IS THE ELB FOUNDATION?

The Erin Leigh Boyle (ELB) Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to 1) providing an annual postgraduate Fellowship award to a Georgetown University graduate student at the School of Nursing & Health Studies who is committed to supporting underserved populations and their access to high-quality health care, and 2) annually fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

who is erin leigh boyle?

The ELB Foundation is named after a passionate, dedicated, and resilient young woman named Erin Leigh Boyle (5/1/89-3/25/15). Erin was a champion for Americans in need of access to quality health care and supported the implementation of the Affordable Care Act through her professional career. At the age of 25, however, Erin succumbed to a valiant batter with leukemia, and this foundation was established in her honor.

who is eligible for the elb foundation fellowship?

Master’s students nearing graduation for the Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies. Applicants should be actively pursing careers that support the ELB Foundation mission, and who have showcased their dedication to improving individuals’ access to high-quality health care, particularly priority populations.

Why the Georgetown University School of Nursing & health Studies?

Erin Leigh Boyle received a Master of Science in Health Systems Administration from the Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies.

what is the elb foundation fellowship award?

ELB Foundation Fellowship recipients receive a $10,000 award intended to support them as they enter their future careers which will impact individuals’ access to high-quality health care. Learn more.

Having flown the earth for 300 million years, dragonflies symbolize our ability to overcome times of hardship. They can remind us to take time to reconnect with our own strength, courage, and happiness.