Yvonne Freeman helps vulnerable populations

In 1999, Yvonne Freeman was pregnant with her fourth child and homeless with no family support. The stress of being homeless caused her to deliver her baby early. The baby was very sick and needed a great deal of care. Freeman received support from the neonatal intensive care unit nurses at Women & Infants Hospital, which in turn sparked her interest in becoming a nurse so that she could give back to the community by supporting individuals that needed help.

“All of the obstacles that I faced were issues that mainly affected women. What I went through was not an isolated issue. Women across the nation face similar if not tougher problems. Once I graduated from nursing school, I chose to specialize in women’s health nursing so that I could be part of the solution.”

Freeman works in a supervisory role in the case management department of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island. She works with staff to help manage and coordinate quality care for health plan members.

In her personal time, Freeman is active in the community by educating and empowering girls and young women in their wellness and health care. Once a month she facilitates discussions with teen girls from different neighborhoods in Providence to empower them to make positive life decisions. Discussions include goal setting for neighborhood change, self esteem building to be able to stand up and out against women’s discrimination, developing healthy relationships socially and personally, safe sexual health, being responsible and exercising community leadership.
Freeman is also a certified diabetes educator and the president of the Rhode Island Black Nurses Association.

Dolores Burke, manager of case management, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island says, “Yvonne’s personal life experiences and her work in the community give her a perspective on her work that is both unique and powerful.”