Tripping along to Virginia

The aftermath of Katrina has me wondering whether or not we should burn the gas, but at this point we are still bound for Virginia Friday morning for a family weekend to celebrate my sister's 50th wedding anniversary (of course Bruce is still at her side). It is an 850 mile trip from MI. We are staying in Beckley, WV tomorrow night and then proceed to a spot just southeast of Farmville, VA at the United Methodist Conference Center. Lots of folks will be there...most from Virginia, but PA, OH and MI will be represented.

Monday and Wednesday afternoons, I led a seminar for health care workers hosted at Metro Health and GRMERC...about 15 people each. The training is based on three case studies and two Pneumonic devices which give some structure to the manner in which HC professionals can deal with those from diverse cultrues. This is the third and fourth times I have presented these classes and both went very well. It helps me to remember that HC is such an equalizing profession. You deal with what walks in not what you choose to deal with...that applies both to the types of cases and the types and background of people.

Some of the participants have some very interesting experiences to share. The largest number on Monday were from Planned Parenthood in GR...they talked about the issues they deal with. The Clinical Director (a CNP) from PP was in the group yesterday and she did a role play with a woman that had to do with a rape victim. That was right on target, but so sad. The woman playing the victim was a nurse educator who apparently had witnessed the responses that women in those circumstances make. They about had all of us in tears. A third year medical student from MSU (they spend the third year in GR at the Medical Education Resource Center) did an excellent job trying to get a Native American woman to take treatment that her sharman had told her would not be wise. I just watched.

I facilitate these things...I don't teach...and I throw in some conflict resolution stuff. One of the pneumonics is LEARN...the N standing for Negotiate a course of treatment (the other is ETHNIC.) I do five minutes on interest based negotiations. Both groups loved that. They also turned on to my Conflict Management Styles. One women on Monday asked if I would talk to her husband as she is at her wits end with his style, etc. That is the second time this summer that I have been asked to mediate a domestic problem. I politely refused in both cases. I will take Civil Rights cases and breach of contract or juvenile victim-offender cases, but I draw the line at domestic partners whether they be male-female, male-male or heaven forbid, female-female. Life is too short to listen to those things.