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Taylor Leddin McMaster (Host): Hello, listeners. Thank you for tuning into the Well Within Reach podcast, brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. I'm your host, Taylor Leddin-McMaster. And joining me today is Dana Arseneau, Trauma Program Coordinator with Riverside Medical Center. And she's going to talk about Riverside's new partnership with the Trauma Survivors Network. Welcome.

Dana Arseneau: Thanks for having me.

Host: Before we get into the episode, we're going to take a quick break for a message about myChart.

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Host: And we're back. So, Dana, can you tell us about your role as the Trauma Program Coordinator for Riverside?

Dana Arseneau: Absolutely. I've been in this role for a little over six years. It is basically managing our trauma program. So, I do lots of QI, lots of data, but even more education on how to take care of trauma patients. Trauma is very specialized on the way that it affects the body, so there's a lot of special training that goes with it.

Host: And what exactly is trauma in the medical field?

Dana Arseneau: So truly, there's a lot of different types of trauma in the medical field. The one that I focus on is kind of defined as energy meeting the body and what effects energy has on the body. So, you can look at it as car accidents, gunshot wounds, major falls, farming accidents, those types of things.

Host: Gotcha. What got you interested in trauma-specific healthcare?

Dana Arseneau: So, I started out as a new grad in the ER and trauma is very exciting to begin with. And as I started learning more about it, I realized that everything was so specialized in it. And I kind of fell in love with it and fell in love with teaching about it.

Host: Yeah. That's amazing. Can you tell us about the Trauma Survivors Network and how you first learned of the organization?

Dana Arseneau: Absolutely. The Trauma Survivors Network is a branch of the American Trauma Society. And essentially, it's for trauma survivors and how to get them to connect with each other. We recognize that we do a wonderful job caring for the physical injuries that happen in a trauma patient, and we do amazing with that at Riverside here. But we don't always connect the dots when it comes to the emotional pieces and what people are going through after they leave the hospital and they're done with rehab. We actually had a couple patients along the way that kind of driven me to look for something like this. So it's good to be able to connect those people. So if you had an accident and you lost your hand, your life is completely changed. You know, you just went to work, you were working, and now you're recovering on the couch and life is still going on without you. And how do you manage that? And how do you change your goals now? And your family, how do they manage that? So, it should really connect the dots and help a lot for our patients.

Host: Yeah, that's incredible. You kind of answered a little bit of this next question in your last answer. But I'm curious what prompted you to want to be involved with the organization? Because it seems like that's probably just another thing to add to your already busy plate.

Dana Arseneau: Definitely.

Host: What motivates you to do that?

Dana Arseneau: Yes. In speaking and following up with some of our patients along the way, I've heard a lot of comments about, "Yes, that's great. I can do X, Y, Z. I can do this physical therapy that you guys are telling me about," but you don't really know because you've not been there, right? So if you have something that's disfiguring and an injury that completely changes the way that you look, no, I can't tell you that I've been there, but I want so badly to help you to get you through this. And what you need probably most is somebody else who has been there so that you can connect with them. And making that connection makes them feel more human and makes them feel like they can get through this difficult time. And it's a good way of being able to support them.

Host: Yeah. That's amazing. Well, before we continue our conversation, we're going to take a moment to talk about the importance of primary care.

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We're back continuing our conversation about the Trauma Survivors Network. By partnering with TSN, what can Riverside offer patients in the community?

Dana Arseneau: Primarily, it's support groups right off the bat. So, the TSN has two support groups every month for survivors, so it provides that immediate connection and being nationwide, our patients and those all throughout the community. You don't have to be a Riverside patient to take advantages of this. It connects you with so many different other survivors and it gives you a broader net to be able to catch those survivors who are specific to you and to your injury. They also do a support group one a month for caregivers, which is great, because there's not a lot of opportunities for them because they're going through a lot as well trying to figure out how to help these patients and their loved ones.

Host: Yeah. Whereas their loved one might be experiencing the physical trauma, they might have some emotional trauma related to the experience. So, that's wonderful that there's something for the caregivers. How can people obtain access to these resources?

Dana Arseneau: So, we have a couple different websites. We do have a Riverside page on the Trauma Survivors Network. And then, it's also linked on our Riverside page as well. Truly, you can just search Riverside Trauma Prevention, and it'll take you right to that page with the link on it. And there's a button down at the bottom that says Join The Center. That'll get you signed up for all of the emails and the classes and everything that's available as far as resources through the Trauma Survivors Network.

Host: Perfect. So looking ahead, what do you hope to see happen with this partnership?

Dana Arseneau: So, I'm hoping to really build on this. I see great opportunity in our future to make a really strong program. We want to do in-house support groups starting next year. So, using some of our own trauma survivors as advocates. ,It's another way for them to heal along the way. And we're hoping that we can get them into the hospital to reach out and touch base with some of these patients early on while they're here to help give them some hope.

Host: That would be great. That's awesome. So, outside of Trauma Survivors Network, what other trauma-centric resources are available at Riverside?

Dana Arseneau: We've got Pathways that has some great mental health pieces for it through there. And then, we have amazing rehab, like physical therapy and occupational therapy. So, we're really hoping that this will just add to it and round out our services.

Host: Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Make it comprehensive and something in each facet. Is there anything else you would like listeners to know?

Dana Arseneau: I'm just hoping that if there's anybody out in the community that can take advantage of this, please go for it. Take advantage while we've got it. I mean, hopefully, we have it for a long time. We're also planning on building upon it. So, the American Trauma Society does a race to rebuild every year, which is basically a bunch of survivors and supporters getting together and doing a race, whether it's a walk or a true 5K. And we're building more support for them and more resources for them. So, we're hoping to have our own race next year, so just stay tuned for that.

Host: Fantastic. Well, thank you so much, Dana. I appreciate your time and your expertise in this. This is very important. Thank you for having me. And thank you listeners for tuning into the Well Within Reach podcast with your host, Taylor Leddin-McMaster and our guest, Dana Arseneau, who again is the Trauma Program Coordinator with Riverside Medical Center. To learn more about Riverside's partnership with the Trauma Survivors Network, go to my rhc.net/traumaresources.