As a member of the San Diego-based Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), part of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), California State University, Dominguez Hills alumna Julie DeVaney (’05, MS, Nursing) has traveled across the country, assisting local health care workers in emergency situations. She has helped deal with the aftermath of everything from hurricanes to terrorism (her first deployment was in 2001, after the World Trade Center attacks). So it is no surprise to see DeVaney on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19. In 2020, DeVaney spent time at rural hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients, working with or replacing overwhelmed staff and ... Read More
Nursing
Nursing Student Kathryn Gallant Cares for Premature Babies in Texas after Hurricane
“I’ve been working 12-hour shifts every night. I’m currently on my sixth, out of likely 12 or 13 shifts in a row. This is something I have never done before.” Kathryn Gallant, who is earning her Master of Science-Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) degree at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), made that statement just before starting a night shift at Clear Lake Regional Hospital in Webster, Tex., just outside of Houston. It was just 10 days after Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane had devastated portions of southeast Texas, and caused major flooding in the region. A Los Angeles native, Gallant now lives in Denver, Colo., and is enrolled in CSUDH’s online nursing program while ... Read More
Taking Care of the Golden State: Nurses on the Front Lines Tell Their Stories
I recently cared for a man in his early 60s who had been without insurance and out of his medication for over a month. We were able to help him refill all of his prescriptions, get current on all of his lab work, and find more permanent shelter for him and his wife. In today’s busy health-care world with 15- and 30-minute appointment slots, it was nice to see that, while his visit took well over an hour, he got the care he needed. Sometimes we just have to slow down and realize what matters most for the patient sitting in front of us. – Kendall Galvez Kendall Galvez works in the rural town of Cloverdale with a population of about 9,000 in Northern California. She graduated in 2011 from CSU ... Read More
