Humans of NHC: Meet Carol Baillie from SFDPH - Whole Person Integrated Care!

Carol Baillie, (she/her) is currently the lead RN for the Whole Person Integrated Care (WPIC) Mobile Vaccine Team for SF Department of Public Health WPIC. She currently supports 2 AmeriCorps members in their service activities! See below for the full text of our interview with her.

Q: What/who inspires you? Why? How did those influences impact your career trajectory?

C: I come from three generations of nurses. My aunt Georgia was a nurse that worked as a nurse and I thought to myself “wow what a difference she can make in people’s lives”. I also wanted to make that difference. One of my first nursing instructors did a presentation about hormones under stress and the underlying cause of so many diseases was attributed to stress. I thought this was so interesting and thought that health is all about stress management. This one lecture impacted me so much, I taped it and still listen to it today. This has helped me with all types of care I've given. I decided to come out of retirement for this specific position to help with COVID-19 response because I felt it would be an honor to serve my community. I wanted to vaccinate unhoused people who are at great risk for COVID-19 and I wanted to continue to serve the population she has worked with since I was 20. 

Q: What do some of your job responsibilities look like?

C: There are several components of my day with the mobile vaccine:

Morning prep: Come in to work, gather and prepare supplies (alcohol pads, gloves, different size syringes, emergency pack, etc), vaccinations (Moderna and J&J), gather paperwork for events. I make a plan about the schedule that day. Depending on the site, there are different sites which may require different types of setups and resources, so we want to tailor supplies and resources to properly prepare for each vaccine event.

At vaccine events: I lead the vaccine teams. At each event I gather the team, assign roles, and communicate with staff on site at the vaccine events. This is all so important to make sure paperwork is properly done and to keep the staff flow working well. I also aim to do really great outreach at each site whether it be navigation sites, safe sleep sites, single room occupancy, I work to talk with clients about vaccine hesitancy and pros about getting vaccinated.

I am also a licensed massage therapist and offer clients a hand to hold or neck massage if they are having acute anxiety about vaccination. I am always working to find what is best for clients while maintaining approachability with the intention to sooth clients through a calming manner. A lot of our work is trying to really see the person, meaning it is important to listen to clients, take their backgrounds and concerns into consideration.

I also listen to stories of staff working with clients at each site. Although sometimes informal, it is a critical piece of the job to share with one another to create a team environment. This helps us debrief and work cohesively with the staff.

There have been very special moments I have been able to share with clients. It is so much more than just a shot in the arm. It is about communicating and building trust between our client population and medical staff.

Post vaccine events: make sure all doses are properly logged, review chart notes through Epic and Rover, paperwork properly prepared, sharps containers emptied, vaccine is refrigerated, vaccine temperature logs reported.

Q: What was one of the more discouraging moments that you can remember? How did you deal with this situation?

C: First injection didn’t go in which made me feel worried that nursing wasn’t for me. But I was able to learn from my mistake.

Q: What advice do you have for people our age just beginning their journeys towards their career?

C: You can take care of patients and clients the best if you take care of yourself first. Find ways to love and nurture yourself so you can show up being present with your patients. Having mindfulness practice is important.