How Trauma Impacts Your Health: Learn to Advocate for Yourself and Others

Trauma is common – it can be a single incident, a series of events, or set of circumstances experienced by an individual that are physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening. Traumatic events increase an individual’s risk of long-term physical and mental health issues and can also lead individuals to develop feelings of betrayal in a trusted person or entity – including medical providers and healthcare organizations. Due to this mistrust, trauma-survivors may ignore the recommendations of their healthcare providers or avoid medical care altogether – further compromising their health and quality of life. During this presentation we will explore how trauma impacts our health and how we interact with the healthcare system. We will discuss trauma-informed care practices and how these can be used to create a safe environment for survivors, improve patient outcomes, and prevent re-traumatization. We will explore some of the ways that survivors of trauma can access resources, advocate for themselves, and create boundaries in order to safely access healthcare.

Presenters

Lindsey Cushing, APRN, MSN, SANE-A, NCMP

Lindsey Cushing is the Medical-Forensic Care Program Director and also works full time as a Nurse Practitioner in the OB/GYN Department at Cheshire Medical Center. Lindsey is a local, growing up in Langdon and attending Fall Mountain High School. She received Bachelor’s degrees in Biology from the University of Massachusetts in 2010 and in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011. Lindsey worked as a Medical-Surgical nurse at Lankenau Medical Center near Philadelphia while completing her Master’s in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. She received board certification as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and moved back to Keene in 2014 to begin working in the OB/GYN Department at Cheshire. In 2017 Lindsey completed her training to be a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and has been caring for survivors of violence since. She views this work as a profound privilege and is so grateful that survivors have entrusted her with their care. In addition to her work, Lindsey enjoys crocheting, drawing, gardening, cooking, hiking, listening to true crime podcasts, and spending time with her pets, friends, and family.

Kelsey Page, RN, BSN, SANE-A

Kelsey Page is the Medical-Forensic Care Program Coordinator and works full time as a Clinic Registered Nurse in the OB/GYN Department at Cheshire Medical Center. Kelsey grew up in the area and attended Keene High School. She received a Dual Bachelors of Art in Psychology and Justice Studies from the University of New Hampshire in 2012, Associate of Nursing degree in 2014 from River Valley Community College, and a Bachelors of Nursing degree in 2018 from Southern New Hampshire University. She is currently enrolled in Simmons University Masters of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner Program and is set to graduate in May of 2024. She has worked at Cheshire since 2016 and started off working in the Emergency Department. She became SANE trained in 2017 and has been caring for survivors of violence since. She appreciates the opportunity to sit and hold space for survivors as they begin to heal from their recent traumatic event and enjoys being able to collaboratively create an individualized plan of care to help patients feel empowered. Kelsey enjoys traveling and exploring new places with her family, listening to a variety of unique podcasts, gardening, and finding any excuse to be in nature.