PA TIENT EXPERIENCE Bond of trust transcends barriers to care

Bond of trust

transcends barriers to care

Jessica “Jess” Heckman, MD, is a family practice doctor at Family Medicine of Lincoln, which is part of the Bryan Physician Network.

She spends much of her day doing traditional family medicine, seeing multiple generations of families with common medical problems. Her medical practice is unusual, though, in that she also specializes in treating two groups of patients who often avoid medical

care — refugees from war-torn countries and persons from the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community.

“These groups are similar in an important way,” explains Dr. Heckman. “Both often don’t fully share information about their lives because they worry they’ll be judged. My view is that everyone deserves an equal amount of respect, and it’s important that everybody has a safe environment for car e. I work to have a bond of trust with my patients so that can happen.”

Bryse and Allan Patz-Masters say Dr. Heckman treats them as if they’re part of her family.

Native-born Nebraskan, small town roots

Dr. Heckman, a Lincoln native, has family roots in Hebron. She says, “The family doctors in Hebron really impressed me growing up, so that’s what I decided to become.” After undergraduate school at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Dr. Heckman returned to Lincoln for her medical residency. “I knew I wanted to come home to Lincoln because of our amazing community. I wanted that for my kids growing up,” she says.

Along with her husband Scott Handelman, a math and computer teacher at Lincoln Southwest High School, and daughters Charlotte, 7, and Quinn, 5, Dr. Heckman likes staying active as a family. They’re often at the gym and doing day trips, especially to museums and children’s zoos in Lincoln and Omaha. She says, “We’re also tight-knit with our family back in Hebron — we go home often, and we meet up to do group vacations..

“I’m also lucky and pleased to have my mom living in Lincoln, just one block from my office. We have regular family dinners and get to do things together like going to the museum and the ballet . I can’t emphasize enough how good it is to have a grandparent nearby.” Serves refugees

Dr. Heckman believes one of her key roles as a physician is to help patients who experience barriers to good medical care. “In college, I thought a lot about the refugee experience because I spent a year translating letters of “Everyone deserves an equal amount of respect.” – Jessica Heckman, MD

Albert Einstein, the famous physicist and a war refugee from Europe,” she says. “Refugees have in common worries about language barriers, social stigma, safety and how welcome they will be in their new country.

“Those I care for now may have, in addition, untold amounts of trauma — many who have been my patients for years have only recently shared their traumatic experiences.”

Arabic language interpreter Samia Ahmed has worked with Dr. Heckman since she first opened her practice in Lincoln 15 years ago. Dr. Heckman has over 200 Arabic-speaking patients who came to Lincoln as r efugees fleeing wars in the Middle East and Sudan. “ An important thing for her patients is that Dr. Heckman thinks about the whole person — not just her patient’s physical well-being, but their emotional support and mental health. All have been traumatized by war and only slowly reveal their stories,” says Samia. “Dr. Heckman treats all her patients kindly, spending a long time talking about questions and concerns.”

Samia adds, “Emotional health is a particular challenge for refugees. People fleeing war often suffer mental health effects from trauma, but if they are from traditional cultural backgrounds they may only want to talk about this with family. Here, if they are without family, it is very hard. Dr. Heckman encourages patients’ awareness of their emotional health and is very supportive.

“She helps them understand that treatment is available.”

Steadfast support for LGBT patients Allan and Bryse Patz-Masters fell in love in 2011 and got married five years later . Allan, originally from Hastings, moved to Lincoln in 2007 to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Today he works at CenterPointe mental health and addiction treatment services in Lincoln as an admissions specialist. Bryse, who grew up in Beatrice, moved to Lincoln in 2011 for work, and is general manager of a student housing complex in Lincoln. “We had differing levels of support when we came out as being gay ,” says Bryse. “I came out at age 13 to mostly supportive friends and family.” Allan, who waited years later to come out in college, had a different experience. He says, “Coming out was a rough time for me, with not a lot of support. It took time for my family to be accepting, although they’re great now.”

“Living your life honestly is very important for your mental health, but coming out isn’t always an option,” Allan explains.

“As a young gay person, not having supportive people in your life is like being lost at sea. You feel overwhelmed, like you’re drowning.

“Having a doctor like Dr. Heckman, knowing they’re accepting, that conversations are confidential and you can talk about questions and problems — that’s priceless. Because even if you have no one else, you have her, and she will listen, care and advise you.” “We would like our patients to think of our office and those of other LGBT primary care specialists as safe places to talk, become educated and receive care,” says Dr. Heckman. “That includes people who are thinking about gender transitioning. They can ask questions and talk about our team-based treatment Jess and Scott enjoy exercising with Quinn and Charlotte at a local gym. Dr. Heckman takes her fitness routine seriously — lunchtime often includes a brisk walk on the treadmill in her office.

approach to doing this, which includes endocrinologists, psychologists and others.”

Allan says as a young man he could not have imagined the life he lives today. “I thought as a gay man I might not be able to have things other people want,” he shares. “But we’re doing so great — we’re married with good careers, we’ve bought a house, and soon we’ll be adopting a baby into our family.”

“With Dr. Heckman,” adds Bryse, “it’s like she’s more than a doctor, she’s like family. For people who have been unfortunate enough to lose their families when they came out as gay, that kind of support is huge.” n To learn how you can support the work of Bryan Health, please contact the Bryan Foundation at 402-481-8605.