02/21/2018

Visiting Nurse Helps Make Homes Safer

Angela Chapman, BSN, RN, IBCLC, wasn’t surprised to be meeting with a sleepy mom and baby on a recent morning. As a visiting nurse with the Women & Children’s Center, she regularly conducts follow-up care for newborn babies and their sleep-deprived mothers. But, over the course of this particular visit, Chapman herself developed unusual symptoms.

“The mom was falling asleep while we talked – then I started getting a headache and feeling a little nauseous,” recalls Chapman. She knew something wasn’t right. The family lived in a small, makeshift basement apartment, so Chapman vented the rooms as much as she could and then called the fire department. Upon arrival, firefighters detected extremely high levels of carbon monoxide and evacuated the entire building.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless toxic gas that can poison and kill people who breathe it in. Thankfully, carbon monoxide detectors can detect these dangerous leaks in the home. “It’s basic safety,” says Chapman. “But, sometimes people can’t afford them, and if they are housing insecure, they may also be reluctant to ask their landlords to install them.”

It’s possible that Chapman’s quick thinking saved a life that day, and the incident prompted the Women & Children’s Center to address a need among some of its patients. With support from the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation and its generous donors, today the Center’s visiting nurses travel with spare smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that they can offer for free to families who cannot afford them. 

“Checking for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is now on my radar at every home I visit. I’m really excited to be able to provide these lifesaving devices to the families who need our support,” says Chapman.

Donations to the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation fund many programs aimed at improving the safety and well-being of children in our community. To make a gift today, please click here.