Albert Einstein once said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” At Bay Pines VA, our staff embodies that sentiment, and one of those employees is maternity care coordinator Charmaine Gabino-Crooke, who takes particular pride in caring for expectant mothers.
“My grandfather was a Korean War Veteran who served in the Army. When I was a little girl, I always said I was going to become a nurse. Later in life, I decided that I was going to be a nurse and go to VA to take care of Veterans like my grandpa,” Gabino-Crooke said.
In August, Gabino-Crooke (on the right in the photo) will celebrate 19 years with VA. She began her career in the medicine ward at the San Juan VA in Puerto Rico, but transitioned to primary care before eventually being asked to pilot the maternity care program in 2014.
“When you work on the floor you meet a lot of Veterans. I always found it challenging working with female Veterans because they have an entirely separate set of needs and experiences than the males,” she said.
Gabino-Crooke felt apprehensive about the role she was undertaking. Now, after nearly 10 years of serving expectant women Veterans, she says she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I really fell in love with this population. Everything I do is for them. A lot of them are working through PTSD and MST while also fighting to be valued in a man’s world. Sometimes they feel like they must stand by themselves,” she said.
When a female Veteran comes to Bay Pines VA’s Women’s Health Clinic, Gabino-Crooke makes it a point to “let them know they got this and that I’ve got them.”
Bay Pines VA covers the costs for everything associated with maternity care, as well as all expenses incurred during the baby’s first seven days of life. Earlier this year, VA announced plans to expand the reproductive health care services offered to female Veterans.
“I help them get established and constantly follow up with them.”
“You can think of me as a liaison between Bay Pines VA and the care our expectant Veterans receive in the community. I help them get established with a doctor in the community, constantly follow up with them to make sure they’re hitting all the markers and provide them education so they’re well prepared as they go through this change,” she continued.
Gabino-Crooke is the sole coordinator for every pregnant woman Veteran who entrusts Bay Pines VA with their care. This includes the women who receive services from one of the eight outlying clinics in the 10-county area.
“VA has honestly been the biggest blessing for me. As soon as I connected with Charmaine, she was immediately very kind and personable,” said Army Veteran Tera Anderson. “She checked on me monthly, facilitated all the orders throughout my pregnancy and got me things I didn’t even think VA provided. She felt like family and I felt really taken care of.”
There is no limit to the number of times a woman Veteran can seek maternity care, and Gabino-Crooke has experienced the joy of aiding expectant mothers through multiple pregnancies. Bay Pines VA has provided care to 91 expectant mothers during FY23. “There are a lot of patients who use the maternity program maybe two, three, or four times. Each time I go the extra mile because I want them to get the services they deserve and part of that is making sure they know they’re not alone,” she said.
To read more stories from the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, visit the Health News – VA News website.
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