Tammy Baker had always felt “all right,” and as far as she was concerned, she was healthy. Then one day, all that changed.
Tammy does a great job taking care of others, including her children and elderly mother, but she doesn’t regularly get checkups or care for herself as much as others. She recently began working registration at CHC/SEK after 17 years in banking. She thought her symptoms were just stress between family and the new job.
“When you have children, you get busy,” she says, “I don’t take care of myself. I’ve always been healthy, but I came to work one day and didn’t feel so good. And all of a sudden, my eyes start shaking, and it’s cloudy around, and I’m holding the wall walking.”
Admittedly, Tammy says that she was a bit stubborn when encouraged to go to Walk-In Care, but she’s glad they did because her blood pressure was high, high enough for the possibility of experiencing a heart attack. She was sent to the emergency room to be further assessed.
Tammy came back to work later that day and Practice Manager Veronica Hasty, Nursing Services Manager JoAnn McNutt, and Director of Rehabilitation Services Mallory Woods encouraged her to make an appointment with a provider to help her get better with medication and any other needs she might have.
“Trista (Nurse Practitioner Trista King) figured out my blood pressure was through the roof, so she helped me get medication, and they kicked me out for the day,” she says. Tammy also discovered that she had high cholesterol and diabetes. “I truly believe if those girls [fellow registration clerks] and everybody had not pushed and pushed and pushed, I would probably be dead.”
Tammy shared her appreciation for CHC/SEK staff, who not only provided great care and kindness but also later checked on her after.
“That says something about a company and its employees, and I’m new they didn’t have to do that,” she says. “They just jumped right in there and befriended me.”
Tammy’s feeling much better now. She even has more energy. Tammy encourages others to go to their annual wellness exams and get their blood work done.
