More People Needing Care Spring 2014 | Page 20

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NURSING • NURSING.MSU.EDU OUR PRACTICE FACULTY 20 The MSU Family Health Clinic On any given day, patients from infants to the elderly, from many walks of life, and from different parts of the community fill the waiting room of the MSU Family Health Center located on campus. Three nursing Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) faculty members and family physicians from the College of Human Medicine (CHM) work together collaboratively to provide the full spectrum of primary care for patients with acute and chronic health issues. Since 2007, the clinic’s partnership between Family Physicians from the CHM and FNPs from the College of Nursing has also functioned as a teaching site for their respective students. The clinic accepts patients with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. I was 19 and on Medicaid when I went to the clinic for back pain and depression. I walked in with the 'I have to be here' mentality, but within one visit, the nurse practitioner, Kara Schrader, changed all that. She genuinely cares and knows how to take circumstances into account. She figured out my back pain and found a place for me to get physical therapy. The biggest thing is my depression is not nearly so bad. We tried different medications and counseling to help get my life under control. That took me the longest. I had to get everything fixed before I could start to think clearly about the future. She’s always been around to answer questions whenever anything happened. Now I can do things, make goals, have fun, and look forward to things. I am working two jobs and trying to do something with my life. She made it so I could get back on my feet after I felt well enough to do it. She’s absolutely made a big difference in my life and continues to encourage me to take good care of my health.” Tia Birt, Patient, Age 23