MercyClinic North Highlands making a difference in the community
When Family Nurse Practitioner Carole McCook began working at MercyClinic North Highlands in January, she wasn’t prepared for what she experienced.
“I enjoy working with patients who are underserved – more than I thought,” Carole explains. “There are some difficulties and limitations, but there is such a need…and being able to help meet that need is really rewarding. Those people who have fallen through the cracks are extremely appreciative of the care they receive. There is a level of thankfulness I did not expect.”
MercyClinic North Highlands opened its doors in November 2008 to offer free preventive care to the medically underserved in North Highlands and the surrounding community. The clinic is located on the grounds of F.C. Joyce Elementary School for easy access and integration with the local neighborhood.
“At the clinic, it’s not so much about getting a medical test or seeing a specialist. Here, there’s a real need for education and preventive medicine,” Carole says. “The intervention we do can even be life-saving because a patient makes a healthy change in lifestyle.”
For example, one 38-year-old male Caucasian (average weight) who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2002, had received little to no medical care since then. Although he worked, he could not afford health insurance. When he came to the clinic complaining of numb feet, his blood sugar was “off the charts.” With the appropriate intervention and medication, he was saved from a potential heart attack.
Carole earned her nursing degree from Sacramento City College in 1979 and completed her degree as a family nurse practitioner at University of California, Davis in 1987. She has worked in emergency medicine and continues to work part-time in a local private practice as well.
“This job is a big change from private practice,” Carole says. “I realized I can use my skills here to make a significant difference for the needy – this is dramatic intervention for some. People can’t be productive if they are sick.”
NOT FOUND: likeagoodneighbor.jpgWord of mouth is spreading throughout the community and the clinic is booked on most days. In addition to Carole, there are two Spanish-speaking medical assistants on staff, Gabriela Revelez and Maria Chavez, to help serve the large population of Spanish speaking-only patients.
“My goal is to teach patients to take personal responsibility for their health,” Carole says. “Health is something you do for yourself every day by the way you live, whether or not you have insurance. Even if you have lousy genes or a bad luck of the draw, you can take responsibility by understanding what that means for your health.”
Carole takes her personal philosophy of care to heart. She stays active with three children who are all top-notch skiers, enjoys cooking healthy foods – Mediterranean cuisine is a favorite – and likes to read in her spare time.
About MercyClinic North Highlands:
MercyClinic North Highlands provides free care to people in need in North Highlands, McClellan and the surrounding communities. Mercy San Juan Medical Center operates the clinic in collaboration with Twin Rivers Unified School District and the County of Sacramento.
Patients served range in age from infants to elderly. Care provided includes wellness and prevention services such as annual physicals and immunizations, treatment of episodic illnesses and minor injuries and management of chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension.
MercyClinic North Highlands is one of five such facilities Mercy operates throughout the Sacramento area to provide free and low-cost care to underserved communities.
F.C. Joyce Elementary School
6060 Watt Ave.
North Highlands, CA 95660
For more information, or to make an appointment, call (916) 349-1568.