Shannon Robbins RN
Waldo County Healthcare is pleased to introduce Shannon Robbins RN as its new Community Health Manager. In that position she oversees Journey to Health, Let’s Go! Waldo 5-2-1-0, the Community Transformation Grant (Farms to Institutions), Healthy Waldo County, Coastal Medical (occupational health), Waldo County Dental Care, Public Health nursing, and the CarePartners program.
“It’s a unique position,” said Shannon. “In the current fiscal atmosphere, we need to do more with fewer resources and in this position I can tie things together. I love wearing different hats and I love challenges. I need to see where all the pieces of the puzzle fit.”
As the Belfast Public Health Nurse, Shannon was involved in the creation of Waldo County Dental Care and witnessed the direct connection between oral health and the overall health of individuals and the community. She also is eager to work with area businesses to improve the health and safety of their workforce.
“Good health doesn’t just happen to you, you have to seek it. I want to make that as easy as possible for people,” says Shannon. “My biggest challenge is going to be to figure out how to make the programs easy for the community to access. We offer many programs but we need to see where people are in their lives concerning their health and we need to meet them there.”
Before becoming the public health nurse, Shannon worked as a school nurse so she also has some insight into working with pre-teens and teens which is a new focus for community health. Obesity is a major health issue in Waldo County and one that needs to be addressed starting with the younger population.
“I think we need to work through their healthcare providers to make it easy for people to see the benefits to improving their health. Good health is the result of making one small change at a time,” she concludes.