NEW YORK – “Many persistent well being situations are preventable with correct diet, adherence to periodic screenings and taking of treatment as advised- resulting in longer, more healthy lives freed from widespread diseases.”
That is the view of Jamaican born licensed Adult Health Nurse Practitioner Dr. Karlene Lawrence, whose expertise in Preventive Drugs spans over twenty years at varied well being facilities in New York Metropolis and Lengthy Island.
“Preventive Healthcare Is My Ardour,” Says Grownup Care Practitioner Dr. Karlene Lawrence
Dr. Karlene Lawrence: | Photograph courtesy of Ian Buddington
“Common screenings for situations akin to diabetes, hypertension and excessive ldl cholesterol in addition to breast, prostate and colon cancers can result in early analysis, simpler therapy choices, decrease healthcare prices and extra profitable outcomes if any of those diseases are recognized,” she says. “This is the reason preventive healthcare and wellness are my passions. Early in my profession, I noticed that the adage ‘prevention is healthier than treatment’ could be very correct and relevant. Preventive healthcare thus grew to become the main target of my observe a few years in the past and stays so till in the present day.”
Lack of entry to inexpensive healthcare, medical insurance firm cost constraints, stigmas in direction of varied well being situations and biases towards older sufferers and sufferers with psychological well being points are additionally problematic at occasions, says Dr. Lawrence.
“Moreover, the unhappy actuality is {that a} majority of the world’s inhabitants have challenges understanding healthcare discussions or directions they’re given as a consequence of low or no literacy. This hinders achievement of desired preventive healthcare objectives. And sadly, the present United States well being system might be sophisticated and troublesome to navigate. It is a lengthy standing and complicated difficulty that requires a direct answer to make sure that ‘greatest therapy’ is all the time the objective for ALL sufferers.”
Dr. Lawrence was born in St.Thomas, Jamaica, and attended Holy Childhood Preparatory and Excessive Colleges in Kingston, earlier than immigrating to the USA on the age of 17.
Coaching in New York
She earned a Bachelor’s diploma in Nursing from Molloy Faculty in Rockville Centre with the objective of turning into a Nurse-Midwife, and after acquiring a Midwifery and Girls’s Well being Graduate diploma from New York College, she started practising in outpatient settings in Queens and Brooklyn.
It was at this juncture that her focus modified.
“I noticed that the care of my feminine sufferers was incomplete, as a result of I used to be unable to care for his or her male companions additionally. That prompted me to pursue an Grownup Nurse Practitioner Put up Graduate Certificates. Over time, it grew to become obvious that my true ardour was educating sufferers about sickness prevention and reaching wellness, reasonably than ‘downside targeted’ appointments and treating an sickness after it was already recognized.”
Dr. Lawrence returned to high school but once more in 2017 to pursue and finally obtain a Physician of Nursing Follow Diploma from SUNY Stony Brook College in 2019.
Within the meantime, she married educator, musician and cultural historian LeRoy Graham Jr, who, in her personal phrases, “stepped up in a significant means” to help with elevating their three kids whereas she pursued her tutorial {and professional} objectives.
Dr Karlene Lawrence and husband LeRoy Graham | Photograph courtesy of Ian Buddington
Among the many many honors she has obtained through the course of her schooling and profession are The Louis and Rachel Rudin Basis Scholarship, the New York State Superior Nursing Schooling Traineeship Scholarship and the New York State Major Care Service Corps Scholarship. She can also be a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Worldwide Honor Society of Nursing.
Geriatric Wellness Clinic
Dr. Lawrence is presently the Physician of Nursing Follow / Nurse Practitioner on a multimillion greenback Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) grant, from the federal Well being Sources and Providers Administration (HRSA). The objective of this system is to remodel the healthcare workforce and group in Brooklyn by establishing a brand new wellness clinic for adults aged 65 years and older. The clinic can even function a coaching facility for college students from all colleges and faculties at SUNY Downstate Well being Sciences College.
As she places it, “My objective as a well being and wellness educator-presenter is to increase awareness, comprehension and adherence to beneficial preventive well being screening tips, enhance well being literacy and eradicate occurrences of well being disparities. I’m additionally keen about empowering people by way of schooling to forestall illnesses, promote well being and keep wellness as they age in their very own residences.”
Nevertheless, she stays cognizant of the truth that she can not do it alone.
“On the finish of the day we nonetheless should resolve the challenges in our healthcare system and that won’t be accomplished in a single day. Nevertheless, it’s critical that we foster the mandatory co-operation between all healthcare stakeholders to reach at more practical healthcare options. The lives of our fellow residents actually rely on it.”
