The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) has been in operation since 1946 and works to promote healthy people and places for McLean County residents—the largest geographic county in Illinois with over 165,000 residents. In pursuit of its mission, the agency must adapt to the ever-changing needs of a diverse and growing population on an ongoing basis. To accomplish this, the MCHD assesses and analyzes health conditions, conducts programs in accordance with Illinois Department of Public Health’s certification standards for local health departments, coordinates and plans with other entities for a comprehensive community health system, minimizes the adverse impact of diseases and disabilities, and prevents and controls disease through health promotion, early intervention, and health protection.
RN Care Coordinator, Sheri Smith
Communicable Disease Supervisor Melissa Graven ’03, a graduate of Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing said, “Anyone connected with health care knows that health care is changing. The partnership between McLean County Health Department and ISU-MCN on the CAUSE project allows us to test a new model of health care here in McLean County—one that we hope will ultimately keep people healthier and out of the hospital.”
McLean County Health Department has demonstrated value to the community in distinct ways, including quantifiable cost savings through the reduction of emergency department visits and the delivery of extensive preventative programs. s part of the CAUSE project, MCHD will go even farther, expanding its communicable disease health care outreach with a dedicated, CAUSE-funded Registered Nurse. Tasked with care coordination for MCHD patients, the CAUSE RN will provide complex care management services and preceptorship to ISU nursing students.
Introducing MCHD Registered Nurse (RN) Care Coordinator Sheri Smith
The CAUSE project has allowed MCHD to hire a dedicated registered nurse to function as an embedded clinic Care Coordination RN. The partnership with Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing will offer a unique opportunity for Sheri to precept nursing students learning how to practice within an integrated team-based care model alongside the MCHD primary care team.
Sheri Smith, RN, MSN started at MCHD in August 2018 as the Lead TB Nurse in the Communicable Disease program. Prior to her hire, Sheri worked in a variety of health care settings that included urgent care and maternal child nursing in several hospitals, such as Advocate BroMenn, Northwest Memorial, and University of Chicago. Sheri has lived in Bloomington-Normal for 15 years with her husband, Steve; her two boys, Nolan and Garrett, and her beautiful dog, Bobbie.
Meet the MCHD Team
(Pictured Left to Right) Melissa Graven, Clinic Director Michelle L. Woodburn; ISU CAUSE Project Coordinator Sarah Patten; ISU Instructional Experience Coordinator Susie Watkins; ISU CAUSE Project Director Valerie Wright; ISU Interprofessional Education Coordinator Kileigh Guido; ISU Undergraduate Academic Advisor Sheri Smith, CAUSE RN Care Coordinator, MCHD Judy Neubrander; Dean, ISU Mennonite College of Nursing
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