Sometimes all you need is a good book.
Sue Goodemote is making sure as many children as possible know the feeling of a compelling page-turner.
Free books at visits
She’s a nurse practitioner at Sanford Health in Mountain Lake, Minnesota. She cares for patients of all ages – and she’s responsible for bringing the Reach Out and Read program to Sanford Health’s Mountain Lake, Minnesota, clinic.
“The Reach Out and Read program is where we give books to kids during their well child visits,” said Goodemote.
She said she was inspired by Raising Readers, a Maine-based program.
“My granddaughter is 5 years old. I went to visit one time, and my daughter had taken her to a well child visit. She came home with a book that her pediatrician had given her. I thought that is just a really great idea, and so when I got back, I looked to see if Minnesota had anything like that, and they do – the Reach Out and Read program,” recalled Goodemote.
Turning the page to Mountain Lake
Goodemote facilitated bringing the program to the Sanford Health Mountain Lake Clinic.
She and other clinicians underwent the required online course to become certified.
“It really stresses the importance of reading to the children,” she said.
Mountain Lake is a diverse, small and strong community. Goodemote said during a blizzard, a local business opened its doors for people to stay for free – and served them warm food for free.
The community also rallied together when it came to this program.
“The Mountain Lake Foundation and the Odell Wind Farm each gave us a thousand dollars to purchase books. We’ve been doing it now for probably five years,” she said.
Related: Reading to kids helps their development
Goodemote said she makes sure to have books in all languages.
“We have a really big Laotian population here in Mountain Lake, and we also have a large Hispanic population,” said Goodemote.
“Our goal is to give a book out at every well child visit until the age of five,” she added.
Mountain Lake isn’t the only Sanford Health clinic involved in the program. The Sanford Westbrook Clinic, Sanford Health Windom Clinic, Sanford Tracy Clinic, and Sanford Luverne Clinics are also enrolled.
Goodemote’s efforts recognized
Goodemote’s efforts to bring this program to Sanford clinics haven’t gone unnoticed. She recently was awarded the Gerald Gilchrist Medical Champion Award by Reach Out and Read organizers.
The annual award is given out to a health care provider who has gone above and beyond to promote literacy and learning.
“Just really an honor. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t even know that they had that award, so it was quite an honor to get it, and I was surprised – they even sent me a little T-shirt to wear and some candy,” she laughed.
Goodemote says right now, they have enough books at their three clinics. However, the program is always looking for book donations.
Promoting learning and family bonding
Goodemote says the importance of reading at a young age can’t be overlooked.
“Kids need to be read to. They need their parents to spend that time. We’ve got to spend time together,” she said.
“I think Sanford’s very committed to the community and the patients that we serve. They want us to do the very best we can do for our patients, and that’s one of the ways we can do it – by giving kids books to read and teaching them to maybe not spend as much time on their tablets and watching TV as it can be fun to read books,” she added.
Learn more
- 10 ways to promote your child’s reading skills
- Well child visits important for children of all ages
- APPs provide expert health care close to home
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Posted In Children's, Community, Mountain Lake, People & Culture, Physicians and APPs
