How Nurse Practitioners are Helping Patients at TidalHealth
LEWES, Del. – In this week’s Health Beat, brought to you by TidalHealth, WMDT spoke with Helen Merrick, a nurse practitioner at TidalHealth Primary Care in Lewes.
Merrick has been a nurse practitioner for nearly 25 years.
“I became an R.N. I actually taught nursing for a little while. A lot of the older nurses, when I was a younger nurse, they became nurse practitioners and I admired them. And it was like the next step to take that I could really help the community that way.”
Delaware has steadily been gaining new residents over the past few years. Merrick says that with that influx comes an increased demand for healthcare.
“One of the hardest places to get health care is with a specialist. So having nurse practitioners, [or] NPAs, in those areas, then people can get their appointments quicker and they can get the help that they need,” says Merrick. “I feel like nurse practitioners, along with other primary care providers, they’re not we’re not that different. We’re for the patients.”
Merrick says nurse practitioners advocate for the patient to be proactive in their health. They examine all aspects of primary care, including finding the accurate diets, exercise regimens, and even checking on mental and social health.
If you would like to make an appointment to see a nurse practitioner or another faculty member at TidalHealth Primary Care in Lewes, you can contact their office at (302)297-2431.
