VOICES OF THE SON: BREELYN ELSBERND

Breelyn M. Elsbernd, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and member of the JHUSON Accelerated Class of 2007, was named the 2006 recipient of the John R. and Ruth Ward Gurtler Scholarship. 

Bree's letter of thanks to the Gurtler Foundation, May 2006:

My Peace Corps experience was the determining factor in my decision to pursue a career in nursing, though this journey began long before I arrived to Bolivia. From Luther College in rural Iowa to a village in the Amazon River Basin, my career path has been inextricably tied to underserved populations and has ultimately led to healthcare.

The opportunities I was afforded throughout my undergraduate career, AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps have all contributed to my fundamental goal: to be a community health nurse working to improve the holistic health of marginalized communities both domestic and abroad. In the following pages I will share with you the journey that has led me to Johns Hopkins.

I believe that true leadership involves an exchange of energy and is fostered by the ability and willingness to give of one’s self. While at Luther College, I learned the best outlet for such an exchange is through service, as the activities I found most important and fulfilling were those tied to philanthropy.

One of my most powerful experiences was with Habitat for Humanity in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, helping a family of ten move from a lean-to of cardboard and salvaged tin into a two-room adobe home. For the first time I saw the missing links between health and basic sanitation. I felt the challenges created by poverty and unmet human needs such as clean drinking water and decent housing. My interest in holistic health – nurturing mind, body, and spirit – was tapped by that rural Xela community. Guatemala truly marked the beginning of my desire to lead through service, to make a difference by giving not money or things, but of myself.

I left Guatemala determined to continue working with underserved populations and by doing so, to embrace leadership in my own way. Upon returning home, I volunteered at a local Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Clinic located in a community whose economic base was largely dependent upon the meat packing industry and its Spanish-speaking workforce.

I gained insight into the healthcare adversities faced by migrant workers such as language barriers, struggles with immigration rights, and access to affordable healthcare. As a Spanish interpreter, I saw the value of cross-cultural communication as an intermediary between patients and providers. Through my experiences with WIC, I realized a growing desire to focus my work in maternal and child health.

After graduating from Luther College, I joined the National Community Civilian Corporation as an AmeriCorps volunteer. My service included work with Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, and the South Carolina Public School System. I also had freedom to develop and lead various Independent Service Projects (ISPs), such as the one I coordinated with Atlanta’s Church on the Street homeless shelter. Here, 25 AmeriCorps volunteers and I spent Thanksgiving weekend assisting the shelter staff in providing 1,500 residents with hot meals, clean clothes, and medical/dental care. Although my AmeriCorps projects varied, there were two issues common among all partner communities: poverty and inaccessibility to healthcare. Again, it was healthcare provision that captured me.

From 2003 to 2005, I lived in the Amazon River Basin serving as the first Peace Corps volunteer in San Pablo de Guarayos, Bolivia. My interests in women’s and children’s health, education, and intercultural communication serendipitously converged as I worked intimately with 40 women to create a handicraft cooperative. As I grew closer to each artisan and became privy to the extreme obstacles the women faced, my future as a nurse began to take shape. I saw in our daily interaction that unmet healthcare needs were of utmost concern, affecting every aspect of life in an underdeveloped nation. Moreover, sharing a home with San Pablo’s village nurse/midwife exposed me to the challenges faced by Third World healthcare providers. Through the relationships made and the harsh realities witnessed, I realized my place in our global village and resolved to commit myself to community health nursing.

Apart from my primary work in Handicraft Cooperative Development, I was elected by fellow volunteers to serve as Co-Chair of the Volunteer Advisory Committee (VAC). VAC collaborated with Peace Corps administration to draft and improve several policies, namely those related to volunteer health and safety. This opportunity allowed me to practice my leadership skills amidst a dynamic group of people all working to improve the quality of the organization and the well being of its volunteers.

My experiences have forged a lifelong commitment to service. Each step has brought me closer to a career in community health nursing, to meeting the healthcare needs of underserved communities that stretch from our very own neighborhoods in Baltimore to impoverished villages like San Pablo. I am determined and committed, and am elated to have this opportunity to make a contribution while furthering my education with the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

In closing, I sincerely thank you for this opportunity and look forward to meeting members of the John R. and Ruth W. Gurtler Foundation in the near future.

 

Bree's letter of thanks to the Gurtler Foundation, August 2006:

With my first semester at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing complete and another just around the corner, I would like to take a moment to reconnect with the Gurtler Foundation and share with you my Hopkins experience thus far.

Our nine-week summer session allowed me to readjust to life as a full-time student and settle into the world of nursing. I acquainted myself with faculty and fellow students, feeling especially connected to those who share similar Peace Corps experiences. Academically, I completed my first clinical experience in a rehabilitation facility where I applied nursing skills and knowledge gained in the classroom. The clinical setting is truly where it all comes together for me in a fusion of application, immersion, and experience; and the challenges and successes therein only strengthen my resolve to become a nurse.

Through my involvement in Programa Salud, a Hopkins-affiliated organization dedicated to the healthcare needs of Baltimore’s Spanish-speaking population, I helped administer PPD skin tests to aid in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in collaboration with the Hispanic Apostolate. Currently, I am helping to organize the School of Nursing’s participation in the Programa Salud Interpreters Training to be held in coordination with Johns Hopkins University-Homewood, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. After logging 40 hours of classroom time throughout September, we will have 25 Hopkins students certified as Spanish medical interpreters. We will then build partnerships with community health organizations throughout Baltimore to facilitate patient-provider communication and work toward improving the health of one of our most vulnerable populations.

As a member of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) community and the Community Outreach Enhancement Program, I feel incredibly fortunate to serve as a Clinical Associate with the Lillian D. Wald Community Health Clinic. This clinic is managed by the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and provides barrier-free, family-centered free health services to poor, uninsured, and under-insured residents of Baltimore City. This week, we are hosting a Back to School Immunization Clinic for children about to begin a new academic year. Throughout the fall semester I will volunteer as much time as possible at the Wald Clinic, in addition to serving as an interpreter for Programa Salud.

In closing, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the John R. and Ruth W. Gurtler Foundation for making my continued nursing education at Johns Hopkins possible.

I sincerely look forward to meeting members of the Gurtler Foundation this fall.