Mary Stevens, APRN, is Norwich’s Community Nurse. Our town, community members and the Byrne foundation have generously supported this integral service. What exactly is a Community Nurse and what exactly does Mary do?
Healthcare is evolving and complicated, making it easy for important pieces to fall through the cracks. People are encouraged to do more and more for themselves and for some, this can be a challenge. The Community Nurse bridges the gap between the medical environment and people’s lives in their own homes.
Mary offers assessments. She visits people in their homes and helps them figure out what services and equipment would make life easier and safer.
Mary will follow up with people who live with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and congestive heart failure and make sure they understand their medications and how and when to take them. She communicates with healthcare providers and sometimes accompanies people to medical appointments. Her own background as a Nurse Practitioner adds to her effectiveness in this role.
We have community members who are discharged from the hospital after a bout with pneumonia or after a hip replacement. There can be a wide gap between discharge instructions delivered in the hospital and the reality at home. Mary visits and makes sure that recovery is on the right track and that people have the correct equipment and know how to use it.
We have several elders in our community who don’t have family close by. Mary offers home visits and communicates with family members. As is true in the larger world, Mary increasingly encounters people living independently in Norwich, who are also living with dementia. This is one of the biggest challenges for people who are aging in place.
Mary has a lifelong association with the Upper Valley, having grown up here herself, and has lived in Norwich for almost ten years. Mary began her career in medicine as a paramedic, attended nursing school and worked as a nurse in the emergency room. She then pursued her Advanced Practice degree, becoming a Nurse Practitioner. Locally, she worked at Dick’s House and Good Neighbor Health Clinic before becoming Norwich’s Community Nurse.
To reach the Norwich Community Nurse, call (802) 281-2722; Email: mailto:norwichnursevt@gmail.com. Phone messages and emails are checked daily.
