Good Neighbor Podcast: Palmer
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Palmer. Good Neighbor Podcast Palmer MA hosted by Liz Lemon helps residents to connection with local doctors, lawyers, financial advisors, insurance agents and other business owners in and around Palmer, and other Massachusetts Communities. Helping neighbors to become friends while introducing them to local businesses and charities is my goal.
With 29+ years of hard work, my career began in Graphic Design. Evolving to TV Production, Newscast Directing, Technical Producing, and Filmmaking. In addition, Sales, Marketing, and Advertising across various platforms, while always exceeding expectations. Then transitioning to the Entertainment and Sports Industries, I specializes in Special Events, Promotions, VIP Services, Live Events and Security, expanding Nationally at various Stadiums, and Concert Venues.
Passionate about learning and diverse topics, I love sports, especially the New England Patriots, the NFL, and NASCAR. An avid outdoors enthusiast, I also enjoy swimming, hiking, and exploring new places while photographing, digitally recording each one . Excited about my new role as PPM Area Media Executive at Podcast Plus Media, I'm ready for this new Adventure of a Lifetime, continuing to connect with people and exceed expectations in the local community.
Is your business serving the residents of Palmer? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpPalmer.com or to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Palmer
EP# 76: Unveiling Urological Wisdom: Melissa Blackburn's Mission in Geriatric Health and Long-term Care
Unlock the secrets to better urological health for the elderly with Melissa Blackburn from MK Urology on our latest episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast! Melissa shares her inspiring journey from working in long-term care to becoming a specialist in geriatric urology, driven by the mentorship of the remarkable Martha Clay. Discover how Melissa took over the practice in 2017 and the heartwarming story behind the name MK Urology, which stands as a tribute to both of their contributions to this vital healthcare field.
Join us as Melissa tackles the often misunderstood and overlooked issues in geriatric urology, shedding light on why urological health is crucial for the comfort and well-being of long-term care residents. From common misconceptions to the top concerns of elderly patients, Melissa provides invaluable insights into why addressing these issues is essential. This episode promises to change the way you view urological care in the aging population and highlights the importance of specialized attention in long-term care facilities. Don't miss this eye-opening conversation about a critical but neglected area of healthcare.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Liz Lemon.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of some medical services? Shockingly, they might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your neighbor, Melissa Blackburn, with MK Urology. How are you today, Melissa?
Speaker 3:I'm great, thank you.
Speaker 2:Great, we're excited to learn all about you and your business. So please tell us about MK Urology.
Speaker 3:MK Urology. So how did we get the name MK Urology? So my name is Melissa Blackburn, hyphen Kirkla. I typically just go by Blackburn, it's just much easier for people, so hence the MK urology Melissa Kirkla. However, my mentor and one of the greatest nurse practitioners that I know, who I took the practice over from back eight years ago, her name is Martha Clay, so it just seemed fitting to be MK Urology because it was hers, and then I took over and we're both MK.
Speaker 2:That's fantastic. Definitely. It makes the name you know kind of more. It resonates more you know, it makes it that more special, right Right?
Speaker 3:Exactly. Yeah, it's very. It's meaningful to me anyway.
Speaker 2:How did you get into the business?
Speaker 3:Oh boy. So originally I was working with a long term care group in the Pioneer Valley area and going into different nursing homes to take care of the geriatric population 60, give or take on up and during that time with my work there, martha Clay would rotate through the long-term care facilities and provide bedside geriatric urology services and I thought it was just very interesting what she was doing, because as primary care in the building we're focused on everything from head to toe and a lot of times we really kind of pass over that urogenital area and we leave it to the urologist and the specialist and to Martha and we would always put you know, deferred on exam. It just wasn't what we dealt with because they had so many other more chronic and complex issues going on. But when she would come through she would rotate through the building that I was in every couple months and you know, over a year or two. I would talk to her when she came in and you know she would tell me about what she's doing.
Speaker 3:And then it got to a point where she could see that I was interested and she was also looking to retire. So we started talking about. Do you think this is something you would want to take over and I thought about it for a long time and then I think it was probably about a year or so after that where I decided to leave primary care, long-term care, and focus specifically on geriatric urology, and I worked with her in her last year of retirement just to fine tune those skills that I hadn't used doing primary care, and I took over the practice in 2017.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's fantastic, and you're going strong ever since 2024. Here we are.
Speaker 3:A little blip through COVID, but yes, yeah, we're doing well.
Speaker 2:What are the myths and misconceptions within the urology industry?
Speaker 3:Oh, that is an easy one and we talk about this all the time. The misconception for specifically geriatric urology and it's a subspecialty of urology, and even more so in the long-term care facilities is, as I said prior, that once you're in a long-term care, really the providers can kind of skim over that area, like it doesn't exist anymore, that everything must just be a UTI. Let's give them antibiotics, and but there's so much more that they have going on, and sometimes it's even more complicated as the older they get. It is still a functioning part of their body, it is still one of their bodily systems and it's just not paid attention to enough. So definitely, you know, we want to focus on those issues. I always say there's five things in their day, and we're talking about long-term care residents. You know, like I said, the patients that I see are 60, give or take and older, but the average patient is probably 85. There's five things I always say that they worry about in their day. It's activities, sleep they want to get it pain, they don't want to be in it. They want to know what's to eat, and then bowel and bladder. They want to be comfortable. And then bowel and bladder. You know, they want to be comfortable and it's just not managed to the degree that it can be like I provide at the bedside in those long-term care facilities Patients, if they need to be seen because there's something going on where they might need a procedure, they'll send them out to the urology office.
Speaker 3:But that comes with this whole other host of issues in coordination and getting them out and et cetera.
Speaker 3:And patients are poor historians because they're elderly, they may have dementia or memory issues or maybe they can't get into the office physically they're in a wheelchair, they can't get up on exam tables, so we bring it right to them right at the bedside and many of them are so grateful because no one has paid attention to it.
Speaker 3:And I think one of the other misconceptions is that because a large part of the practice is urinary incontinence and urinary tract infections and as far as the urinary incontinence piece goes, a lot of even patients and people and providers think that well, it's just a part of aging, when actually it's not. Urinary incontinence is not normal at any age. I have some patients who are 100 years old and they are completely continent and use the facilities. And I have some patients who are 100 years old and they are completely continent and use the facilities and I have some patients that are 75 or just completely incontinent and they just have so many bladder problems and it just affects, like I said, their whole day, their quality of life, their ability to enjoy activities or their families or even to be taken out for the day with family. So it is a big impact on their life.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely, and it's good that they have you there to help navigate and kind of get through all of it, especially the five Bs life daily occurrences, for sure.
Speaker 3:Right, because their world is so small. So in that room, those are the things that they think about most.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely For you. I know you're staying so busy. How do you stay active outside work? What do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Well, in healthcare I mean, there's a shortage everywhere, so I work a lot trying to make sure that everybody gets seen and try to get to them as soon as I can. So, for fun, I mean, I enjoy my family. We live on a farm and so gardening and being outside, activities with my grown children, activities with my grown children, things like that Very family oriented, but work is such a big part of me that it's really 24-7.
Speaker 2:Well, it's good that you can seek nature in between, especially the great summer weather we've been having around here, especially this week. Let's change gears just for a moment. Can you describe one hardship or life challenges that you rose above and can now say because of it, you're better and stronger? What comes to mind?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think the takeaway from that question would be don't quit. Every day, just do a little bit more towards your goal. So just do a little bit more because there's always going to be challenges towards your goal. So just do a little bit more because there's always going to be challenges. It doesn't matter how long you've been in business or how old you are or how you know if you're just starting out, if you've been in business for a long time, there's all. As a business owner, there's always challenges. So just stick to itiveness and just you know, working through each of those things that come up and and just do a little bit again every day, working toward your goal.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Don't quit.
Speaker 3:Keep going forward, exactly, just keep your, you know, eye going forward.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It's almost like if you can give you know mail, a bunch of mail, five minutes a day, you know you'll get through your tasks.
Speaker 3:Exactly, you know pennies add up Anything. You know you just keep, keep at it and you know you get there.
Speaker 2:Apply it to everything for sure. Exactly what is one thing that we could tell our listeners that they might not already know about? Mk Urology?
Speaker 3:Okay, so the facilities that I'm not already in and I'm in about 50 to 65 facilities, I'd have to count again but somewhere in there between two states. So I practice in Massachusetts, western Mass, from Springfield to the, actually from Palmer to the Berkshires and then all of Connecticut, so I practice in both states. So every day I'm in a different demographical area, going into long term care facilities and seeing patients. However, I have connected with outside providers, like primary care providers etc, who have referred me patients who are in their homes, so that is a smaller population of the patients that I see. The majority of patients I see are in long term care facilities, but I do have a subpopulation of patients who are elderly and homebound and need services or, you know, maybe for whatever reason they can't get out to the urology office. So I, at request, I do go in and see patients or if they reach out to me and want to be seen, I will go out and visit them in their homes.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. That's important and very commendable that you're. You know you go around to all these locations and navigate and help so many people. That's fantastic.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's rewarding for myself because you're definitely it's definitely a niche, but it's just filling such a huge need, Right.
Speaker 3:That's the only one that does what I do in two states. So there's plenty of well that's even questionable plenty of urologists. I know that they don't have a whole lot in their population, the docs, and so many will be retiring so their population is dwindling. But I need them to be in the offices doing surgery, procedures, things that I cannot manage at the bedside for this subspecial population. And when those patients do go into the office they're again, for whatever reason, they're just not managed as well as they can be managed at the bedside. So I need those urologists to do those more complex procedures and surgeries and et cetera.
Speaker 3:But what I do is just very basic urology care that improves their quality of life, which is the important part, which is why we do what we do. It's just to improve quality of life. If, for some reason, someone does need to be seen in the urology office say they have a, you know, renal stone or kidney stone or something like that so I can work that up right from home or right from the bedside, and then what I can do is package that all together with all the testing, all the notes, all the information, blood work, and I can send that to you, the urologist's office. So when the patient gets there we already know what's going on, so it can be more targeted care and treatment.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely. Puzzle pieces working together. Essentially Right, exactly. How can our listeners learn more about MK Urology so they can reach me at email.
Speaker 3:My email is MKUrology LLC at gmailcom. They can call me 24-7 at 413-237-3232. They can find us on YouTube. We have a podcast that just just just started called Naked from the Waist Down. They can find us on Facebook at MKUrology LLC LLC. And I think that those are the best ways to reach me. So yes, definitely, and that's for if there's any long-term care providers or nurses or director of nurses out there listening, definitely get in touch. We can definitely do a lot of improvement in the geriatric urology arena in your facilities. And if you are a patient at home and listening and are having issues and you're not able to get to the urologist office or you think maybe you'd be better treated at home, definitely reach out and we can do a consult.
Speaker 2:Absolutely For sure. Thank you so much, melissa. I appreciate it and I appreciate you helping us navigate through the urology industry. Thank you so much, and we wish you and your business the best moving forward.
Speaker 3:Oh, thank you. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnppalmercom. That's gnppalmercom, or call 413-414-5940.