Volunteer Profile: Brandee Newsom

By VEGAS INC Staff (contact)

Thursday, May 18, 2017 | 10:40 a.m.

Brandee Newsom understands firsthand the precarious nature of health insurance. In 2007, her mother, Ellen, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Three years later, while in remission, she lost her health insurance; medications and her follow-up doctor’s appointments and mammograms became cost prohibitive.

Then, a medical lifeline came in the form of her husband, David, a Vietnam veteran who was diagnosed with bladder cancer. She became a dependent on his VA insurance plan. A crisis was averted, but the lesson hit close to home.

“I began to see how easily all of us can take health care for granted,” Newsom said. “We all live our lives and don’t realize on a day-to-day basis just how many people are doing what they can to survive. After my mother’s situation, I knew I had to do something to assist the uninsured.”

Newsom, a registered nurse, worked in labor and delivery from 2000-2007. During that time, she met Dr. Florence Jameson, a Las Vegas-based OB-GYN who was attempting to get an ambitious project off the ground. Dr. Jameson’s vision was Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada (VMSN), a medical clinic that provides free health care services to uninsured, low-income individuals and families.

In 2010, VMSN opened its Paradise Park clinic, and Newsom committed to volunteering. She started off by doing a little bit of everything at the clinic: rooming patients, taking blood pressure and providing detailed notes for the volunteer physicians. In 2011, Newsom began graduate school at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing’s online program and transitioned into the role of student nurse practitioner, seeing patients and prescribing treatment with the supervision of VMSN’s medical director.

“Because VMSN allowed me to give patient care as a student, I was able to satisfy some of my requirements for clinical hours,” Newsom said. “And I was able to use my new skills to give back to my community.”

Newsom graduated in 2013 and became a board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner. She currently works full-time as a nurse practitioner for High Risk Pregnancy Center in Las Vegas, specializing in perinatal diabetes management. She continues to see patients at VMSN, using the knowledge gained during her graduate studies. Newsom conducts well-woman screenings for women 18 and older, counseling patients on preventive care and referring them for treatment when needed.

“I make sure they are up to date on screening tests like Pap smears and mammograms,” Newsom said. “Some women have never had a Pap smear, and other women who are at high risk for cervical cancer have not had a screening in years. This can make a difference in treatment and outcome. A Pap smear and HPV test can find treatable pre-cancers, stopping cancer before it starts.”

Newsom cites an American Cancer Society figure that more than 4,000 women will die of cervical cancer this year, calling it “completely unacceptable.” Preventive care is life-saving and Newsom is proud of the role VMSN plays.

“Giving back to the community is something I value as a medical professional,” Newsom said. “We can’t just take from our communities and not give back. That’s one of my principles. VMSN has a leader in Dr. Jameson who is ethical and cares for our community. This little clinic pulls the community together and gathers resources to help the people who need it most.”

Treating patients at a free clinic offers its own set of complications. Health literacy, or the ability to process and understand basic health information, is far lower among low-income individuals. Fortunately, Newsom can spend as much time as she needs with her patients, educating them and addressing their concerns.

More than half of her patients do not speak English, which at times adds another layer of difficulty. VMSN offers interpreter services to make sure they understand what to expect.

“Even if I can’t communicate with them verbally, I try to communicate with my actions,” Newsom said.

Newsom estimates she has completed upwards of 500 shifts at VMSN since 2010, treating thousands of women at the Paradise Park Clinic and Ruffin Family Clinic (which VMSN opened in 2015). She enjoys the interactions with her patients, who she says, “are so incredibly thankful,” but understands that community health care has a long way to go. There are far too many uninsured individuals — including roughly 10 percent of Nevadans – and not enough resources to help everybody.

As the health care system in the U.S. remains in a seemingly constant state of flux, Newsom believes free clinics operate in an underserved space.

Said Newsom: “If a person is healthy, they’re able to live productive lives and are happier. I like being part of a community that helps people get to that point.”