In August of 2016, Deb Richardson began a new job that would provide healthcare to the staff of the Portage Township School system. She was proud to be a part of something that would further the wellness of her community and echo the foundations of her own personal goals.
Deb became a board certified Nurse Practitioner at the beginning of the year. She earned her Master’s degree at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL, despite her back to school doubts.
“I could not have made it through grad school without the support of my husband and my kids.”
Returning to the classroom after a long break is intimidating, but it was something Deb knew she wanted. It was the next step in her career.
Deb had worked a few different nursing jobs since earning her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing in 1991. She had experience in exam rooms and surgical floors. Her ambition demanded she take on another role, that would let her do even more good for her patients.
For two years she worked in a management position. Deb missed being hands on. She had always loved the clinical sides of being a nurse, and longed to get back into the field. She realized that her step up needed to be on a different ladder.
So Deb returned to Nursing and pursued a higher education.
“[Nursing] is a combination between my abundant fascination with the complexities of the human body, and the relationship you build when you help people understand and learn about their own bodies. It’s rewarding, personally and professionally. It’s as much who I am as what I do.”
While earning her Master’s, Deb worked on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Methodist Hospital. The department does not have a position for a General Practice Nurse Practitioner so Deb joined with an online recruiter to find another job.
The advertisement for the Portage Township School’s Health and Wellness Center grabbed her interest. “It was exciting to think that I’d be building something from the ground up. I’d get the chance to work with a lot of people to do that.”
Deb definitely has an adventurous spirit. She grew up right outside New York City, and has since lived in Michigan, South Dakota and Indiana. Deb and her husband, a pastor, moved to Hobart so he could work at the Nazarene church. Their family is in New York State.
So it is safe to say, Deb is open to new places and experiences. On top of that, her role at the Health and Wellness Center would allow her to focus on what she believes are the biggest pillars of health: building relationships and preventative medicine.
The patients of the Health and Wellness Center will be regulars. They will be teachers, staff and administrators, along with their families.
“I want them to be comfortable,” Deb said. “If I run the clinic as a business, then people aren’t going to feel cared for. If you’re having conversations with people, they are open to learning. They can be real, they can talk about what’s bothering them.”
Deb had already started seeing patients at the clinic but was looking forward to the Grand Opening of the facility at the end of September. It would bring much needed awareness about the services being offered.
“The reality for teachers are that they have limited time. There are times that it can be difficult for a teacher, custodial worker, etc, to get to a medical office without taking a day off work. Now, they’ll come over [to the clinic] on their planning period, their lunch. It takes everyone to run a school system, and being sick affects how it is run. [The clinic] keeps continuity for the kids.”
Deb goes to staff meetings to spread the word about the clinic. She is proud of its mission, and what it is allowing her to do. With every patient that comes through her door, Deb is creating a relationship of quality treatment, preventative lifestyle changes, and overall wellness in the entire community.