Alumna celebrates success at Muskegon clinic

Nearly 10 years ago, a gastroenterologist closed his medical practice, leaving a large number of patients with Hepatitis C without a provider.

That prompted Elaine Leigh, who then worked as a nurse in private practice, to enroll in Kirkhof College of Nursing's Doctor of Nursing Practice program because, she said, she had a solution to a community problem. Leigh was in the first cohort of DNP students in 2009 and earned a degree in 2011.

As part of her DNP project, Leigh established the Hepatitis C Clinic at Hackley Hospital in Muskegon in 2011. It's the only dedicated Hepatitis C clinic in Michigan; in May, Leigh and the other staff members celebrated having 500 patients who were cured of the disease.

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the liver. "I knew the real limits of care for Hepatitis C patients in Muskegon," Leigh said. "It's what drove me back to school; I wanted to come back to the community and make a difference."

Treatment for patients now involves taking one pill daily. Leigh said treatment used to mean patients needed pills plus injections, which caused "brutal side effects." The clinic averages 50 people daily who are treated for 12 weeks; before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved usage of pills for treatment, Leigh said the clinic staff only treated 10-12 patients daily.

To establish the clinic, Leigh drew from the experiences she had during her DNP classes. "I used my DNP essentials: a knowledge of interdisciplinary health care and evidence-based practice, which combines clinical experiences and patient preferences," she said.

People from eight surrounding counties travel to the Muskegon clinic for treatment. Leigh said she specifically chose Muskegon as a clinic site because it's in an urban area and able to serve residents of Northern Michigan.

Other clinic staff members include a pharmacist and nurse case manager.

Cynthia McCurren, dean of the Kirkhof College of Nursing, said Leigh is a textbook example of transferring what's learned in DNP courses to real-world issues.

"Students are taught to critically evaluate evidence for applicability to practice," McCurren said. "They learn to locate, evaluate and synthesize the best available evidence to address the clinical issue to improve patient outcomes."