The Educator: Irene Pena
The head of St. Francis’ Community Wellness Outreach Program serves people of all kinds with compassion.
It has been said that nursing is one of the most selfless careers a person can undertake, with nurses often playing the intermediary between loved ones and a doctor who won’t be in until morning rounds. This intermediary environment is what trained Irene Peña for her unique position as Community Wellness Lead at St. Francis Bon Secours.
A registered nurse of eighteen years and a proud Clemson alumna, Irene Peña is a professional strong enough to incite positive change but compassionate enough to empathize with everyone she encounters. These attributes impressed the program director who offered her the position as the first bilingual nurse in The Community Wellness Outreach Program. Peña’s mother, a retired social worker, introduced her to the program and its unique aim. Part of St. Francis Catholic Hospital’s mission, The Community Wellness Outreach Program was created to provide community-based, client-centered healthcare to people in poverty. Peña’s passion for the program was instantaneous.
Navigating the many healthcare and social assistance programs available in the Upstate can be intimidating. Financial struggles, lack of health insurance, language barriers and undocumented status can be a barrier to getting necessary preventive or curative care. And poor nutrition and a lack of consistent meals can exacerbate even small medical problems. Peña and her bilingual team of dedicated clinicians and ministry members from various backgrounds go out into the community to meet people where they live, work and play. Many of their patients work physically demanding jobs and seek care only when something is seriously wrong, so Peña’s presence in neighborhoods is vital. With the help of community partners like New Horizon Family Services, Veterans’ Medical Clinic, Carolina Center for Behavioral Health and The Phoenix Center, Peña and her team can provide everything from mental health services and substance abuse treatment to basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter.
When Peña and her team determine that access to meals is a problem, they call on responsive area partners including Triune Mercy Center, the Ladies Pantry at Catholic Charities, Loaves and Fishes through the Greenville Free Medical Clinic, and several area church pantries. They hope that through education, awareness, guided assistance and a secure network of organizations, the team will continue to conduct community health screenings, flu vaccine clinics and much more. Community collaboration is an essential component that helps establish trust with the people they serve, bringing hope, health and new relationships to the community.
But currently, it isn’t enough. “We need to bring more awareness to this unheard, underserved, and uninsured portion of our population. We need more volunteers.” Peña has invited many members of the community to give their time to individuals with behavioral health issues. “Volunteers always express surprise at the end of the day,” Peña says. “They didn’t know that there were people here who needed these very basic things.”
Volunteers and donations to local food pantries (primary of shelf stable items) are critical to Peña’s success. The more resources she has, the freer she is to serve as that compassionate intermediary. More than anything, Peña says, she wants to restore dignity to the process of poverty aid in our community.
A list of places to volunteer is available on the Community Wellness Outreach page in their Resource Guide.
