Who says the Navy doesn’t make house calls?

Starting Monday, Nov. 15, Naval Station Everett’s Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) office will add a visiting nurse position to its staff.

Catherine Burdick, a licensed nurse registered to Washington State, will travel to the homes of active duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel and their families as well as retirees.

“The main function of the visiting nurse position is to provide education to members of the military community,” said Andy Leech, NAVSTA Everett’s NMCRS director. “A major focus is following up on our folks once they leave a medical treatment facilities.

“For example, once a new mother delivers her baby at a local hospital, our visiting nurse would visit that person’s home, answer questions, and help her understand how to approach breastfeeding,” he said.

While NMCRS is largely a volunteer organization, the visiting nurse job is a paid position.  Initially, the plan calls for a six-month trial run and that’ll have Burdick working roughly 20 hours a week.

“Catherine will be working closely with the Branch Medical Clinic’s cliental as well as the Fleet and Family Support Program,” said Leech. “We’re going to try and find the right ways, and the best ways to merge our visiting nurse with their existing programs. 

“In this area here, we have 4,864 active duty, 5,796 dependents, and well over 14,000 retirees and familymembers,” he said. “With those numbers, it appears that all the resources we currently have would be stretched pretty thin.

“So adding a visiting nurse seems like a pretty good idea, Leech added.  “But it’s really going to depend on the kind of response we get from the community.

Leech says he’ll evaluate the response the program generates and make a decision down the road on the program’s necessity. But first things first.

“What we want to do now is to get this program started here in Everett,” Leech said. “We need to take a look at the response to it, and see if this service is really needed. I believe it is.”

Although Burdick works for NMCRS, it still hasn’t been decided where her home office will be. However, Leech says regardless of where she’ll be headquartered; she won’t be spending much time there. A great deal of her time will be spent visiting households.

Leech says he’s excited about the new position, but says it’s only new to Everett. 

“In 1922, the visiting nurse became the first paid member of NMCRS,” said Leech. “Today there are well over 50 visiting nurses attached to NMCRS offices around the world.”

So as the burgeoning program gets set to open for business, Leech is excited about its prospects.

“I think it’s going to be a win-win situation for everyone,” he said.  “I’m looking forward to getting this up and running and providing another service here for the Everett community.”