I’ll admit it — I wear people out. But my enthusiasm stems from a passion to improve my slice of the world.
I’ve worked as a nurse at Arkansas Children’s for 27 years. During that time, I’ve witnessed the important role children’s environments play in their health. I also learned how a zip code could predict a community’s social drivers of health. Those observations sent me down a path to improve the environmental and economic conditions that affect child health outcomes in my hometown of Keo, Arkansas.
While filling a vacancy on the city council in 2018, I dug into issues with the town’s water quality. High iron levels made our drinking water look more like orange juice than water. It was impossible to wash white clothes, and the town had racked up fines from state agencies.
After fielding one too many of my questions, the previous mayor resigned and challenged me to do better in the role. I was appointed to fill his vacancy and got right to work, discovering the town’s water system had broken lines, poor filtration, and water meters that hadn’t been read in months. I’m proud to say with the help of grant funding, Keo is currently installing a new water and wastewater system that ensures our community has access to safe, clean water.
With the water system on the mend, I realized we needed more than just clean water to improve the vitality of my delta town. I examined other factors that influence people’s health, quality of life, and well-being — namely broadband access. After three years of work, we’re about halfway to getting access for the town’s 207 residents. I’ve been to the state capitol to lobby for broadband access, and I’ll go back as often as it takes.
Keo’s claims to fame have always been agriculture and our beloved downtown pie shop, which serves double duty as my mayoral office. The town needed a broader economic footprint to promote job growth. Since Keo is nestled among 500 acres of pecan groves, we built a plan to rebrand the town as the “pecan capital of Arkansas.” The inaugural Arkansas Pecan Festival drew 500 people in 2022 and 2,500 the next year. We are also working with academic institutions to find more revenue streams for Keo’s pecans, such as food for fish farms.
These steps may seem insignificant, but as a case management nurse, I’ve seen the long-term and acute health issues caused by a community’s nonmedical factors on children’s health. I’m glad to see Keo becoming a place where children can thrive throughout their lives. I’m proud to be a difference maker both inside and outside the hospital.
