PROVIDER SPOTLIGHT

Maria Gamulo-Owen and Her Calling to Expand Mental Health Services

In the 13 years Maria Gamulo-Owen, FNP has worked at the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California, she has witnessed first-hand the dramatic increase in the number of patients suffering from severe mental health challenges. With recent data showing that one in six adults in California face mental health issues, the Clinic team is on the front lines of the Bay Area’s continuing behavioral health care crisis, a public health emergency exacerbated by a lack of available providers, rising demand for services, and systemic barriers to care.

The Clinic is fortunate to have the expertise of licensed clinical social worker Lynn Loar, LCSW and licensed marriage and family therapist Rosario Kusnir, LMFT to support patients needing mental health treatment, but capacity constraints and access to trained providers have to date limited the Clinic’s on-site services. Despite a robust referral program and committed staff and volunteers, the need for mental health treatment and services has continued to grow.

As a trained registered nurse practitioner, Maria has long understood the importance of addressing both the seen and hidden medical issues as part of a patient’s broader picture of health. But alarmed by the lingering societal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of Clinic patients she was seeing in crisis, she was inspired to do more.

In 2023, she took a leave of absence from the Clinic and enrolled in the post-masters Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program at UCSF, earning her PMHNP board certification last October. She had previously expanded the health ministry at her local Livermore parish to include mental health awareness and education and completed mental health ministry training through the San Jose Diocese. These opportunities reinforced the importance of nurturing patients’ spiritual, emotional, and medical well-being while working to decrease the shame and stigma surrounding mental health disorders.

“We must listen without judgment,” she says, “to show compassion that patients are not alone on their journey.”

In fact, one of her most important nursing interventions has always been a box of tissues. “My box of Kleenex was my way of saying to patients that it’s okay to be with your thoughts,” she explains. “Silence is a big part of my approach to care, and I always try to provide a safe space where patients are helped by just having someone there to listen.”

Maria explains that many Clinic patients have suffered deep emotional trauma, including challenging intergenerational and cultural issues. “And a large percentage of patients are diabetic – which often leads to depression, anxiety, and substance abuse,” she adds. “Behavioral health is a new and important area for the Clinic, and they are taking the time to establish a compassionate program that truly meets the needs of patients and their families. With prayer, perseverance, and the right resources and processes in place, behavioral health represents the next level in the Clinic’s holistic approach to a patient’s health - physical, emotional, and spiritual. It is my calling to do all I can to help.”

Partner Spotlight: Operation Access

When a patient requires outpatient specialty medical procedures or surgery not available at the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California, the team is able to turn to the resources provided by Operation Access. This impactful Northern California nonprofit – whose allvolunteer network encompasses more than 1,000 medical professionals throughout the state – matches Clinic patients in need with providers who want to help. In what Maria Gamulo-Owen describes as “a true work of mercy,” Operation Access volunteers deliver the life-changing medical care that Clinic patients can’t get anywhere else.

Serving uninsured and underserved patients in partnership with more than 86 hospitals and ambulatory care centers from the Oregon border to the Central Valley, Operation Access provides same-day outpatient surgical procedures and diagnostic services completely free of charge.