Visionary ‘nursepreneur’ pioneers new approach to youth healthcare
Published 26 May 2021 on www.nzdoctor.co.nz
Victoria University director of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Practice Kathy Holloway, Health Connections' Maria Kekus and Mark Jones, co-chair of the College of Nurses Aotearoa NZ
COLLEGE OF NURSES AOTEAROA NZ NURSE PRACTITIONER OF THE YEAR
This award recognises an exceptional nurse practitioner who has addressed the needs of vulnerable populations through an NP-led model of care or other significant body of work. They will have an outstanding commitment to equity in health outcomes and through recognition of your obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. They will have demonstrated professional leadership, imagination and innovation to achieve better outcomes and foster the growth and development of other NPs.
WINNER: MARIA KEKUS
Regularly referred to as a “nursepreneur”, Maria Kekus is a trailblazer when it comes to serving rangatahi.
The nurse practitioner is the clinical director and co-founder of Health Connections, a nurse-led service that delivers free healthcare and wrap-around social services to young people aged 10 to 25.
Along with chief executive Pat Mitchell, Maria established the Auckland PHO-funded service in 2013 after seeing poor outcomes for youth within the traditional health system.
“Young people are not traditionally great users of the healthcare system. If they were, we might not have the significant mental health and sexual health issues that the population faces. There was a need to deliver something in a different way,” Ms Kekus says.
Building on four decades of nursing and midwifery experience, Ms Kekus was able to reimagine how primary care services could be designed and delivered for rangatahi.
“Our big point of difference is that our team are really skilled at working with young people. From the word go, we meet them on their terms and have an approach that makes them feel comfortable and to want to come back,” she says.
Under-25s can enrol with Health Connections as their primary care provider, with appointments available in two Auckland clinics, or via telehealth, as well as a range of community settings, including schools and a youth prison.
During appointments, which take “as long as the person needs”, Health Connections’ staff of nurses and one GP address a range of issues from mental and sexual health to immunisations.
“We don’t wait to see people when they’re ill. Instead, it’s a wellness approach. Not only do we deal with the issue that they’ve come to us with, but we’ll do opportunistic healthcare as well.”
Ms Kekus says the ultimate goal is to build the health literacy of young people so that they can navigate the complex health system on their own.
“We’re teaching young people to be able to engage in their own healthcare and advocate for themselves.”
For Ms Kekus, the most rewarding part of her job is seeing better health outcomes.
“I’ve been around the health service a very long time, but to work with a group of people that really are hard to reach, seeing them engage with our healthcare system and seeing that it does make a difference – that’s what it’s about.”
Judges' comments:
You have … trailblazed as one of the first child and youth nurse practitioners but have gone on to establish a nurse-led service for youth, shared your skills and expertise with others, and provided leadership both locally and nationally.
A Manurewa champion for children
FINALIST: KAREN HOARE
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Finalists Maria Kekus, Health Connections and Karen Hoare from Greenstone Family Clinic share a photo before the awards begin
Karen Hoare is a nurse practitioner and partner at Greenstone Family Clinic in Manurewa, Auckland, where she specialises in caring for mothers, babies and youth.
“She provides expert healthcare that is financially, geographically and culturally accessible for young people and their whānau,” says fellow nurse practitioner and nominator Leanne Faull.
Ms Faull says Dr Hoare has implemented systems into the practice that ensure even the most vulnerable young people “don’t fall through the cracks”.
“As a result, the clinic has seen improved child immunisation rates across all ethnic groups, as well as some of the highest rates of pertussis vaccination in pregnant women in the country.”
Dr Hoare is an advocate for the role of the nurse practitioner in primary care to improve access to healthcare services, particularly for vulnerable population groups.
As associate professor and postgraduate director for Massey University’s School of Nursing, she has led the Nurse Practitioner Training Programme at Massey for the past three years.
“Karen is a bold leader who has tirelessly and selflessly dedicated much of her career to fostering the growth and progression of other nurse practitioners,” Ms Faull says.
Judges' comments:
Dr Hoare…has demonstrated first-class work and ongoing efforts in addressing the needs of the population she serves while tackling inequities. Her involvement in different spheres of the wider health sector is further evidence of her dedication in improving hauora.
Interested in entering the awards and becoming a Primary Star in 2022?
