Models
of Practice
Lower Alabama Pediatrics
Brewton, Alabama
Narrator: Marsha Raulerson, a solo practitioner in Brewton,
Alabama, manages to integrate Bright Futures concepts into her practice.
When
she came here 20 years ago, she was the only pediatrician for nearly
80 miles.
Marsha D. Raulerson, MD (Pediatrician): Everyone
in my office is concerned about the family, not just the child. Not the
child has an earache today,
let’s take care of that. But, are there problems at home? Are there
things that you want for your child? What can we do to help with you?
Lilly Beste, RN: The special part about
this place is the feeling of family.
Narrator: Lilly
Beste is Dr. Raulerson’s Head Nurse.
Lilly Beste, RN: We give them a medical
home, a place to come for all sorts of problems: emotional problems,
school problems,
health problems.
Dr. Raulerson: I think that when I came
here I had an idea about learning about this community and trying to
meet the needs
of this community instead
of coming here to just take care of sick children. One of the things
that I found when I came here and when I visited in the homes of my patients,
there was no books. They had nothing to read.
But, we found out there was a way to give brand new books to children
at well child visits starting at six months of age. And then we found
out that it was very easy to raise funds in our own community.
Narrator: The community raises $10,000
a year to support their literacy promotion efforts.
Dr. Raulerson: The other thing is that
when I first came to Brewton there was a big problem with daycare for
working mothers,
where they could
take their children and feel good about their care.
Narrator: Three years ago Dr. Raulerson
spearheaded a campaign to build a day care center next to her office.
Many people in this part of rural Alabama live at or below the poverty
line and are not accustomed to regular, supervised health care. Dr. Raulerson
works at a state level to make changes.
Dr. Raulerson: One of the first things
that I did was to help them figure out a way to get every newborn on
Medicaid as soon
as he's born. The
other thing we've done is get a lot of children out of the emergency
room who thought they couldn't get health care anywhere else.
Narrator: Part
of the secret to the success of this practice is the dedicated staff
working together as a team. For
example,
each nurse has an area
of interest and, under the doctor’s supervision, takes over patient
care related to it. This team approach is a time management tool that
benefits the practice, the patients and their families.
Lilly Beste, RN: We look at all of our
babies as potentials for a bright future and we want to give them just
as much of that feeling
as we can.
Because if they believe it, they can do it.
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