A decorated military combat veteran, Reese Brown, RN, BSN, MPA, has dedicated more than three decades to his flourishing nursing career. As a nurse educator in the nation’s capital, he instructs first-aid and CPR classes for various community members. Brown is also the public affairs officer for the Defense Health Agency, where he creates and implements messaging that acts as a communications bridge for the organization and the media.
Brown recently sat down with us to discuss how his trek into the health care system was shaped.
Please describe how you made a decision to work in the health field as a career choice?
I was blessed to be born into a family of caretakers, and I grew up watching them routinely provide assistance to our neighbors and church members, one of whom was a paramedic. During a community mass casualty drill, he allowed me to spend the day training with him, and I was able to experience firsthand the impact health care professionals have on everyone they touch. That moment showed me the power of possibilities and played a vital role in the course of my life.
What are three factors that inspired you as a health professional to serve the community?
Identifying a need, the desire to use the knowledge I have been given, and the faith that what I am doing, in the way I am doing it, will make a positive difference.
What is seen as harmless that, in fact, has an unhealthy impact on our lives?
The lack of routine wellness visits. So many neglect regular checkups and as a result, fail to catch certain disease processes in the early, treatable stages. We often take care of our vehicles, religiously getting oil changes every 3,000 miles, but fail to do the same for our own bodies.
Why is obesity a major concern for health professionals?
Obesity is the root of multiple … disease processes, as [it] has a direct effect on how issues such as hypertension, kidney disease, and diabetes can be treated or prevented. Providing proper care to those with this complex problem makes successful treatment of other health issues all the more difficult.
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