With an open heart, a warm smile, and a trunk full of diapers, Joan Riemer, R.N., delivers hope to families in need.
On a typical misty morning in the Pacific Northwest, Joan Riemer loads her white Volkswagen with the items she’ll need for the day: a baby scale, toys, and diapers—lots of diapers.
Joan works out of the Clark County Public Health office for the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), a national nonprofit community health program that pairs registered nurses like her with low-income first-time parents. Nurses visit moms-to-be every other week from pregnancy until the babies turn 2. Joan, like other nurses in the program, often has up to 30 families at a time in her care.
Today, Joan’s first visit is with Jayme Reimann, a baby-faced 21-year-old with long brown hair and a warm smile. Shortly after 10 a.m., Jayme greets Joan at the door of her second-floor apartment in Vancouver, WA. Her bubbly 1-year-old twins, Addie and Amelia, are finishing their bottles and crawling on a blanket behind her.
“Look at those overalls!” Joan says to the twins as she comes in. Before she sits down next to them, Joan quietly sets a few cardboard boxes in the living room. The family will be moving into a new apartment soon: a first-floor unit, safer and with more play space for the newly mobile toddlers. Joan breaks out her notebook, and she and Jayme start catching up on everything from child care to job leads. Today they also discuss dental hygiene.
Handing Jayme a bright green infant toothbrush, Joan watches as the mom lays one of the twins on her back to demonstrate how she brushes their teeth. Joan talks to Jayme about sealants, fluoride, and enamel and tells her about a dental office that provides free cleanings to kids under 6.
This story is from the February 2019 edition of Woman's Day.
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This story is from the February 2019 edition of Woman's Day.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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