NorthShore Health Centers’ new DeMotte clinic is now open, with a staff of providers equipped to handle everything from behavioral health, pediatrics, family practice, and OB/GYN. One of those providers is Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) Samantha Merritt, who first started her career at NorthShore as a prenatal care coordinator about four years ago.
In that role, she helped pregnant people plan for their pregnancies, find information about services that could help them, taught classes, and addressed any other worries or concerns that they might have had – even how to work car seats. It is critical work, but it also sparked Merritt’s desire to do more.
“I spent so much time working with pregnant [people] both in the office and out in the community,” Merritt said. “It really made me want to do more, so I went back to school to earn my qualifications as a nurse practitioner.”
She spent two years completing her education and returned to NorthShore in July.
“I’m so glad to be back because I love working here,” Merritt said. “I love the patient population, I love the clientele, and I love the team.”
Merritt now works directly with the patients to address their health concerns.
“I really love seeing people meet their healthcare goals; whether it’s hugging their baby, losing weight, or just generally helping them achieve what they want to and guiding them in a direction to make sure they get there,” said Merritt.
She recognizes that building trust is the most important part of any provider-patient relationship, and she follows a fairly simple approach to do just that.
“I just try to be myself, because I tend to be a more fun-loving, lighthearted person,” Merritt said. “I always talk to my patients like a real person, because that’s what they are. I don’t tell them what to do, but I work together with them to figure out what’s best for their lives.”
One reason Merritt was so excited to return to NorthShore was because of her appreciation for its mission-driven approach to provide high-quality care for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
“I used to be a travel nurse, and it was sad to see so many areas of the country where patients had serious health issues or long-term conditions that they couldn’t get treated because of their insurance,” Merritt said.
“Being able to give quality care to everyone is so important to me; I think it’s fundamentally a right for humans. NorthShore does so much to give those populations access to care, especially with their pharmacy, which is an amazing resource and so affordable.”
Merritt is looking forward to welcoming patients at NorthShore’s new DeMotte clinic, located on 200 3rd. Ct SE.
“I just love helping people meet their reproductive goals, be that having a family or not having a family,” Merritt said. “Finding whatever fits best in that person’s life is what’s important to me. We have to see people as individuals and work with them to meet their goals.”
To learn more about NorthShore Health Centers, visit northshorehealth.org.
