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Articles & Essays

VEA Website •

The Single Hire of a School Nurse Makes an Exponential Difference - VEA Website

Having grown up in Glasgow, Virginia (population 1,053), Pamela Byrnes DNP, PMHNP-BC, a pediatric mental health nurse practitioner, is a strong advocate for rural nursing and giving back to the kinds of small communities where she was raised. “School nurses are often the most accessible healthcare providers children have in rural areas. Teachers frequently share their concerns with the school nurse, who then helps gather collateral information that’s critical to understanding what’s happening da...
Virginia Living •

A Journey of Friendship and Renewal

My seven-woman friend group successfully managed homes, careers, and raised children to adulthood, but found ourselves ill-prepared as the challenges of caring for aging parents only got harder. Ranging in age from 56–64, some of us had already lost a mother or father. We felt the toll as diseases, including Alzheimer’s, wiped away the once sharp minds and able bodies of those who used to care for us. There were constant demands for new specialists, higher levels of care, and more treatments....
UVA Virgina Nursing Legacy Magazine •

Alumni in Action - Lois Alderfer, FNP

Alderfer and her husband Steve (MSN ‘90, CERTI-FNP ’97), also a nurse, arrived in Charlottesville as newlyweds in 1989 to attend graduate school. They never left Central Virginia. As advanced practice nurses, they felt deeply aligned with BRMC’s goal to improve access to comprehensive primary care and reduce health disparities, so much so that they resettled in Nelson County after beginning work at the BRMC in 1991.
Virginia Living •

CKG's SpeakUp5k advocates for teen mental health

To anyone who met Cameron Gallagher, she was a shining star, with sparkling blue eyes and a heart of gold. To those that knew her, she was intelligent, vibrant, and reflective. But inwardly she struggled, as many teens do, with bouts of anxiety, depression, and self-doubt. And she was frustrated that issues around mental health were frequently overlooked, with shame preventing many teenagers from talking about their struggles and getting needed help.


Channeling their grief, her parents, Grace...
Time •

To Address the Teen Mental Health Crisis, Look to School Nurses

It’s a deadly time to be a teenager. The most recent CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey reports that in 2021, more than one-fifth of high schoolers seriously considered committing suicide. Worse, 10% tried. Even without pandemic data, rates of youth depression almost doubled over the past decade, making youth mental health a current top priority for the U.S. Surgeon General.

There are already people on the front lines to combat this teen mental health crisis: school nurses, the trusted healthcare p
richmondmagazine.com •

A Voice in the Dark

Many Richmonders know about Cameron Gallagher, the Freeman High sophomore who died of a heartbeat irregularity after completing her first half-marathon this past March. Although her life ended representing the verse that has become her memorial’s motto, Fight… Finish… Faith, this would not be Cameron’s last race.

Her too-short life has inspired a new event, the Speak Up 5K, which will be held in Byrd Park on Sept. 6. The race was created out of Cameron’s desire to raise awareness about youth...
Virginia Living •

To Be A Kid Again

Goat yoga is fun for your soul.

As a registered yoga teacher, my happy place is flowing through sun salutations in a quiet studio with clean floors never touched by shoes.

So, when my dear friend, Stacia, reaches out with an invitation to try goat yoga, my first reaction is to roll my eyes. “Goat yoga is an oxymoron,” I quip. “How can one find meditative peace amidst the chaos of farm animals? Not to mention the sanctity of my yoga mat—goats eat everything!”

“They provide mats,” Stacia tells
VirginiaLiving.com •

Brandon Guyer's Major League Mindset

Ever wonder how you can learn to better manage the stress of everyday life? The answer may surprise you: think like a baseball player. To succeed in Major League Baseball (MLB), players must cultivate a mindset that enables them to calm their nerves and focus in front of 50,000+ fans, handle 95-mile per hour fastballs, and remain positive when it’s normal to fail at least 70 percent of the time—over and over again—for a grueling 162 games per season.

What that means to the average person is tha
Newsweek •

I wish mom had Ozempic. She would have loved me

"I'm from hearty German people," my morbidly obese mother used to say. "If the mule was sick, my ancestors would strap the yoke to their own backs to plow the field."

At first, I accepted my mother's heritage as the reason for her size, but as I grew older, I noticed Halloween and Easter candy disappeared overnight, Christmas cookies meant for gifts were never given, and special desserts baked for company never made it to the table.

Cakes, pies, ice cream—anything sweet—was her heroin. I'd fin
HuffPost •

I Got Roped Into A Debate About Hair... Down There. How Had I Missed This New Beauty Standard?

Despite my high comfort level with sensitive subjects (we’d already covered sexual consent, teen pregnancy and STIs), the delivery of this hot-button news item from a 15-year-old honors student left me momentarily speechless. How could there be yet another beauty standard — especially for a concealed body part — to add to the already overwhelming list of superficial ideals?

As I searched for words, the 10th graders seated before me became animated. Each one had a fervent opinion on nether regio
CNN •

Opinion: The question every parent should ask before school starts

Editor’s Note: Sherrie Page Guyer, MSN, RN, a former school nurse, holds a master’s degree in nursing from Yale University and is currently enrolled in the doctor of nursing practice program at the University of Virginia School of Nursing. The views expressed here are her own. Read more opinion on CNN.

Does your child’s school have a full-time registered nurse on staff? Most parents assume somebody is on hand to dispense medications, evaluate for possible concussions or confidently inject epine

Why we need to take our daughters with us to see Taylor Swift

One of the lucky ones, I’d just struck Ticketmaster gold. As in eight lower-level seats to see Taylor Swift in concert gold. My immediate thought after did this really just happen? was, “Who do I take?”

My mind went straight to my girl squad. The friends I wanted dancing beside me in concert T-shirts and heart-shaped sunglasses, singing into the night about the ones who broke our hearts. Howling at the moon from outdoor stadium seats at the 40-yard line.

Just like Taylor’s song, I’m often “22”
VirginiaLiving.com •

Welcome Back, Clark

In November, the Library of Virginia announced the appointment of Dennis T. Clark as the state’s 10th Librarian of Virginia, succeeding Sandra Treadway, who served in the position since 2007 and retired last year. Clark comes to Richmond after serving as chief of researcher engagement and general collections at the Library of Congress. A former resident of the Commonwealth, he previously worked as a research librarian for both VCU and UVA.

“It is the pinnacle of my career to head the most signi
STAT •

The tragedy of the Golden Gate Bridge’s $400 million anti-suicide net

Each year about 30 people make the gut-wrenching decision to leap off the Golden Gate bridge to their deaths. To address this tragedy, a Suicide Deterrent Net is being constructed — a planned $142 million project that, after years of delays, may end up costing more than $400 million, according to contractors embroiled in a lawsuit.

The stainless steel barrier will undoubtedly catch people before they hit the frigid San Francisco Bay. But speaking as a psychiatric nurse, I believe the $400 milli
VirginiaLiving.com •

Finding Balance

I can’t pinpoint exactly when Dove squares and Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches became a food group in my book, but sugar had me on speed dial, and I knew it was time to regroup.

In years past, I’ve taken healthy getaways to Hilton Head Health, Yogaville, and a beachfront boot camp in Tulum, Mexico. This time, I chose Eupepsia Wellness Resort, set on 256 acres in Bland, an hour west of Blacksburg.

Compared to spa destinations like Canyon Ranch, Eupepsia’s rates are reasonable, and the drive wa
Newsweek •

We're Facing a Massive Nursing Shortage. On Site Childcare Is the Answer

Here we go again: It's not even the height of flu season and hospitals are slammed, running out of beds due to the collision of respiratory viruses and a shortage of registered nurses. Per the CDC's data, the tripledemic of flu, RSV and COVID will worsen with winter, and inadequate staffing concerns aren't going anywhere.

Hospitals keep throwing money at this problem by raising salaries, enticing new employees with sign-on bonuses, and shoring up thinning rosters with premium-pay travel nurses.
G&F •

Kettlebells on Broadway: Mom Struggles With Daughter's Career Change

Halfway through the show, I turned off the TV. It wasn’t that bad of a comedy, but all I could do was imagine my daughter Alex, in the lead. Her soulful spunk would’ve added the extra dimension the role needed; I often mentally recast her in parts.

Alex’s career change from actor to exercise instructor was hard for me. I simply couldn’t understand why she chose to use her rich alto voice to command clients to “feel the burn,” over wowing an audience with a strong blended harmony.

A spunky thea

As part of admissions, colleges should require high school students to take mental health courses (opinion)

As a nurse and wellness coordinator at an all-girls preparatory school in Richmond, Va., I have a front-row seat to the stress our students go through to build perfect college résumés. I see it in the classrooms, hear it in the cafeteria and now, during COVID, discuss it with them over Zoom. All around me, students are frequently overwhelmed and exhausted. I’ve known star athletes, straight-A scholars and class leaders -- kids accepted by their first-choice college -- who struggle, too often sil
Katie Couric Media •

Teen Mental Health Is Suffering. Here’s How the School System Can Help

May is mental health awareness month, and it’s no secret that this past year has challenged everyone’s mental wellbeing. For teenagers alone, they’ve faced their own set of challenges — from virtual college tours to Zoom classes to socially distant gatherings. The pandemic has only worsened teen mental health. Over the last decade, the number of teens with debilitating anxiety and depression has risen nationwide, with 17% of youth between the ages of 6 to 17 experiencing psychiatric illness and
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