HEALTH DISPARITIES
GOING THE DISTANCE For students in the School of Nursing & Health Studies online master’s in nursing program, the country is their classroom. By Camille Scarborough
© Amanda Etches
H
ow do we provide healthcare to women in a way that empowers them to thrive after trauma? That’s the question driving the work of Lillian Medhus, RN, a San Franciscobased nurse who is currently a student in the online program at Georgetown’s School of Nursing & Health Studies (NHS). Working with a group called Nurture Project International (NPI), she travelled to Greece over winter break to help women and families in refugee camps. On her trip, she met one young Syrian woman who had been separated from her husband and was in the final stages of her pregnancy. “In the midst of all this chaos,” recalls Medhus, “I was able to empower her to care for herself, by teaching her simple ways to reduce the discomfort of pregnancy. We listened to her baby’s heartbeat and gave her a few minutes to breathe. That’s the beauty of midwifery to me and why I’m pursuing this career: to bring normalcy, health, and wholeness to women in crisis.” At home in San Francisco, Medhus worked as a domestic violence counselor at a nonprofit called the Afghan Coalition. “Women are the gateway to the family and the community,” adds Medhus. “If we help them care for themselves, we will see communities transformed.”
SPRING/SUMMER 2017
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