HealthEast® Women’s Care Quality Data
“Just the word ‘exercise’ used to make me cringe.”
HealthEast® Women’s Care patient Shannon Rhoades
A photograph, a lucky charm, a well-phrased quote: It’s often something small that nudges a person into changing their life. With Shannon Rhoades, it was a newspaper article. “I read a story about a woman who was working with HealthEast Women’s Care about her weight issues. And I remember thinking,‘I’m a HealthEast patient already, I had my babies at
St. Johns, and my family sees doctors and CNPs at the HealthEast Maplewood Clinic. Maybe they could help me.”
Clipping the article out, Shannon carried it around with her for two months before making the call for an appointment to find out about Women’s Wellness Journey. “I knew I needed help — that I wasn’t going to be able to do this on my own. I just didn’t know where to start, and make this a part of my life.”
Despite her resolve to make a healthy change in her life, Shannon was terrified of what she’d encounter. “Before I called HealthEast, I had been working with a weight loss center, and I had hit a plateau. At one of my weigh-ins, the person I was working with chastised me. So when I had my first appointment with Selina, my wellness coach, my heart was pounding — I was afraid of being shamed again. But as soon as I walked in the door, I could tell she would help.”
“I was pretty straight with her: I sat down and said, ‘Here’s the deal. I don’t want to eat vegetables, and I don’t want to exercise. So good luck.’ But during the following weeks, Shannon found herself making lifestyle changes she never expected — and sticking to them. ‘Selina is very intuitive. She guided me toward taking small steps that didn’t feel overwhelming — adding a single vegetable serving in a day, or wearing a pedometer — and then suddenly, I found myself wanting to make these good choices.‘”
“Selina’s taught me that wellness isn’t just what I ate for lunch yesterday. It’s also what’s going on in your life, how you deal with things, the whole mind/body/spirit thing. Working with her feels like sitting down with a friend. And I’ve had a complete 180 in my attitude, about a lot of things. You should see how healthy my lunches are these days.”
HealthEast® Women’s Care Quality Data
Inspiring confidence for a lifetime: Selina Blatz, CNP
From support in making healthier choices in nutrition, fitness and weight management to heart disease prevention, coaching support for rethinking your lifestyle to services that take women through pregnancy, childbirth and aging, HealthEast Women’s Care is available for every phase of a woman’s life. Selina Blatz, CNP, HealthEast Women’s Care Coordinator and Certified Health and Wellness Coach, has watched the service grow and evolve from the beginning: “We looked through our entire system and brought together the services that are most pertinent to women, creating a virtual center for everything we need.”
“So much of what we do is bringing wellness out into the community, like educating people that heart disease isn’t just a man’s disease, or teaching about osteoporosis. In both cases, we offer screenings so women know when they’re at risk,” said Selina. “Our community education classes are designed so that we give a holistic view of wellness, blending different aspects of health together.”
The integration of spiritual and emotional care is what sets HealthEast Women’s Care apart. “We strive to care for the whole woman: body, mind and spirit, through all stages of life,” commented Selina. “And at the same time, we make it so easy to connect with us, with one phone number that’s answered by a Women’s Care concierge who knows what questions to ask, and all the possible resources to connect you to.”
Selina remembers the day she met Shannon: “I was gearing up to coach her as a part of our Women’s Wellness Journey program, and while she jokes about not liking vegetables or exercise, she recognized that she wanted to start a lifelong journey, not a quick fix. I think one of the realizations she had was that she was her own obstacle — that she didn’t trust herself to be successful. But together, we helped define her goals, and when we focused on small changes and small victories every week, she overcame that distrust of herself. She took back control. Watching that growth and transition in my clients is so rewarding for me.”
