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When they walk into the room, many of their patients wrestle with two emotions – disbelief and delight. But joy wins out.  

“Many of our patients have not had a dedicated healthcare provider whom they can also identify with,” said Myjal Garner, DNP, FNP, at the SIUE School of Nursing’s (SON) WE CARE Clinic in East St. Louis. “They are ecstatic to see someone who looks like them.”  

“Our patients thank us, because they feel seen and heard and are getting quality healthcare services,” said Tierra Smith, MSN, FNP at the WE CARE Clinic.  

Garner and Smith, natives of East St. Louis, are family nurse practitioners at the Clinic. Garner came in January and Smith started in May.  

“I am so proud and excited to have family nurse practitioners of their high caliber working at the WE CARE Clinic,” said Jerrica Ampadu, PhD, RN, CCP, associate professor in the SON and director of the Clinic.  

“I enjoy caring for people,” said Garner. She earned a bachelor’s in nursing from SIUE in 2011 and a doctorate from Maryville University in 2021. Garner is the course leader for the SIUE class, “Community Health Nursing,” and teaches SIUE senior level nursing clinical students. 

“I want to see that everyone has access to quality healthcare. When I was younger, I could recognize the disparities in healthcare. Many of my family members didn’t seek primary healthcare, because they didn’t trust the providers. They often felt like they were not being taken seriously.”  

As a nurse practitioner, Garner says her goal is to get to know her patients to better treat them. “I look at each patient as an individual,” she said. “What works for one person may not work for others, and you won’t know what works if you don’t talk to your patients and get to know them.”  

As a child, Smith aided in the care of her grandmother, who had lung cancer.  “I always knew I wanted to be a nurse,” she explained. “I wanted to help people. We cared for my grandmother at home, and I would help.”  

“I love being here, because the community needs to see a face they know, a face that looks like theirs and someone who can identify with them,” said Smith, who works full time at the Clinic.  

Patients are seen from the ages of two and up, and the Clinic is open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. “We assess, diagnose and treat patients,” noted Smith. “I recently saw a patient whose blood sugar was in the 300s. After three weeks, it was down to approximately 150.”  

“We provide holistic care to our patients,” added Garner. “We treat varying conditions. What we cannot treat, we refer them to those who can. We ensure patients have an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals to take care of them.”  

Smith had a 30-year-old patient who had never had an eye exam. “I referred her to the UMSL Optometry Clinic, located next to our office.”  

Many in underserved communities do not seek out healthcare because of their lack of resources and insurance, the nurses say.  

“We provide exceptional care to all patients regardless of their income, race, work status, and whether or not they have insurance," said Garner. "This is a judgement-free zone. We take pride in taking care of our patients.”  

The Clinic accepts uninsured patients using a sliding scale fee. Payments can range from $5-$25, according to Smith.  

“We have a social worker who will help them apply for state insurance,” added Smith. “We also tell our patients about how they can get discount prescriptions.”  

“We utilize the $4 medication list at local pharmacies that most people are unaware of,” added Garner. “Pharmacies have a discount medication list that includes many medications. Discounted medications vary by pharmacy."  

The nurse practitioners noted other services that the Clinic provides:

• An asthma program, where clinicians go out to provide asthma education as well as assess for asthma triggers. When triggers are identified, they provide supplies to assist clients in minimizing those triggers. They provide asthma supplies such as spacers, high-efficiency filters, vacuums and pest management.   

• A mobile clinic that brings healthcare services and clinicians to patients in the East St. Louis area. The service is in its infancy and is expected to be fully operational in the next several months.  

• Virtual translation services that provide a live interpreter. The service offers interpreters for 45 languages, including a deaf translator.  

“I give my very best for my patients,” said Garner. “I am able to make a pivotal difference in the lives of underrepresented and underserved individuals.”  

“Being here is my way of giving back to the community,” said Smith. “You have to be someone who cares when you’re serving underrepresented and underserved individuals. We want the word to get out more and more that we are here and that WE CARE!” 

The WE CARE Clinic provides primary patient care at 601 James R. Thompson Blvd. on the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Campus in Building D. Our staff includes four advanced Nurse Practitioners, a collaborating physician, a licensed clinical social worker, certified health coaches and a doctorally prepared pharmacist. All of our providers provide comprehensive services to our diverse clients who reside in the Metro East and surrounding communities.  

Photo:
WE CARE Clinic Family Nurse Practitioners (L-R) Tierra Smith, MSN, FNP and Myjal Garner, DNP, FNP.