March is Social Employee Appreciation Month – a time to acknowledge staff members who assist sufferers face the complexities of their every day lives. This social employee celebrates the successes of her sufferers.
By IU Well being Senior Journalist, T.J. Banes, tfender1@iuhealth.org
She first sensed it in highschool – the stigma that usually contributes to signs of psychological and social well being.
“I’m grateful I skilled the work of a social employee at a younger age and noticed the nice they’ll do. Melancholy and anxiousness will be powerful in highschool. Individuals don’t speak about it and I feel we have to speak about it with youthful generations. Being trustworthy and in search of assist makes all of the distinction in therapeutic,” stated Olivia Hansen.
These private experiences have helped her in her skilled life. She joined IU Well being two and half years in the past and works within the outpatient cystic fibrosis clinic at IU Well being College Hospital.
“She is an incredible, devoted, versatile and compassionate social employee,” stated veteran social employee Sarah Hale. “Everybody who meets Olivia is blown away by her real empathy and caring.”
Hansen grew up in Fort Wayne, Ind. and graduated from Carroll Excessive College the place she was a monitor and area standout. Her highschool accomplishments included: Convention, Regional, and Semi-State Championships and Educational All-State. Honoree. She can be a Chargers’ recorder-holder staff member for the 4x800m relay. Hansen is the center little one of Daniel and Lisa Hippensteel.
Hansen is married to her highschool sweetheart, Connor. They began courting her senior yr and had been topped promenade queen and king.
After highschool Hansen attended IU Bloomington, the place she continued her operating profession attaining Educational Huge Ten standing, a Runner-up on the Hoosier Invitational and a high contender at Huge Ten and NCAA Championships.
She accomplished her undergraduate diploma in public well being and acquired her grasp’s diploma in social work.
“I spent a summer season working at a residential remedy facility in Fort Wayne and we did a number of interventions with youngsters. I spotted that for lots of the kids it got here all the way down to their households. Numerous them didn’t have wholesome household lives or perhaps there was a historical past of psychological well being, monetary considerations and stress. I felt if there was a approach to proactively stop this stuff from taking place to individuals, we should always,” stated Hansen, 27.
When a place opened up at IU Well being to work with a staff of practitioners centered on the wants of sufferers with cystic fibrosis, Hansen was all in.
“So much has been altering previously three years with cystic fibrosis. Previous to November 2019 a number of sufferers had been admitted for cystic fibrosis exacerbation. Being within the hospital so typically is life limiting,” stated Hansen.
Cystic Fibrosis is a uncommon genetic illness attributable to mutations within the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTCR). In October 2019, The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) permitted Trikafta to deal with sufferers with Cystic Fibrosis (ages 12 and older). The remedy is a CFTR modulator that helps faulty CFTR proteins work extra successfully. In consequence, sufferers spend much less time within the hospital.
“The brand new remedy has modified the affected person’s high quality of life. It brings them new identification. They will now take into consideration working, going to school, their futures,” stated Hansen.
“We’ve about 300 sufferers and I’ve gotten to know them so nicely and it’s been unimaginable to see their modifications, and their triumphs and braveness. Working with an unimaginable staff of pharmacists, nurses, medical doctors, dieticians, makes the setting so dynamic and proactive on the subject of affected person care,” stated Hansen.
“I see my sufferers at a minimal as soon as each three months. After I see they’ll profit from psychological well being counseling, I’ll encourage them to take these further steps and after I hear they’re following by means of, I may simply dance,” she stated.
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