Education, prevention, accessible care – all in a day’s work at the Cedar-Riverside Health Commons
Registered Nurse Asha Hassan, RN, likes to say that she cares for people “in their homes.”
After all, she’s only a short elevator ride or walk away from thousands of her neighbors at the newly expanded M Health Fairview Health Commons – Cedar Riverside within Riverside Plaza towers.
During the pandemic, the Health Commons have served as a critical healthcare access point because of its location at the heart of the neighborhood. Hassan serves as a full-time community nurse at the site. Over the last year, she and other essential M Health Fairview staff have distributed much-needed COVID-19 and flu vaccines, checked in with patients to make sure routine care isn’t being missed, provided nutrition and exercise services, and offered vital healthcare education programs.
The Health Commons mission is to provide free, culturally sensitive healthcare services based on respect, relationship building, hospitality, and collaboration in order to reduce health disparities and improve access to care.
We asked Hassan what inspired her to become a nurse, and what has been most rewarding about her work at the Health Commons during an especially challenging year.
What inspired you to become a nurse? How long have you worked in healthcare?
When I was a child in Somalia, I got a cut on my leg and it became infected. My mom carried me to the hospital. We only had one nurse who did wound care in the city where I grew up. We waited in line, as she treated everyone that came in. I promised myself that when I grew up, I would do exactly what she was doing. I graduated from nursing school in 1982, then I came to the U.S. in 1989 and got my license as a registered nurse. I’ve been working ever since.
What do you enjoy most about your work at the Health Commons?
I’ve spent most of my career working in inpatient settings, coming to an outpatient setting has been completely different. I get to do preventative education and provide vaccinations. During the pandemic, I’ve been able to share the importance of wearing masks and maintaining distance.
Most of the patients that I work with live in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and many are elderly. They may have several different medications, and they don’t understand exactly how to take them and why they need each one. I help them differentiate between the medications and make sure they’re taking them correctly, so they can heal. We also help patients manage chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension. I check their blood pressure and encourage them to check their blood sugar regularly. We educate them on the importance of this.
