Throughout it all, one quality rose above the fray—grace. “I have been beyond impressed by the grace and compassion of our healthcare workers. They have faced an immense challenge and tackled it head-on,” Dr. Libby Richards said. “People are inherently good. I have been given so much grace during this pandemic. Our children have shown their resiliency. Our communities have stepped up and provided for those in need. I think we are getting back on track and facing the challenges of this pandemic as well as we can.”
With Purdue University’s nursing reputation and Dr. Libby Richards’ much-awarded professional history, media sources from the Chicago Tribune to ABC News to U.S. News & World Report have sought Richards’ expertise for their COVID-19 broadcasts and articles.
But Richards, valedictorian while earning a BSN from the University of Saint Francis in 2003 and now a Purdue associate professor, stays grounded through the guiding principle of public health—providing the greatest good for the greatest number.
She first experienced the discipline of community health at USF, and gradually came to understand its importance as she assumed various professional nursing positions later.
“I had a wonderful community health course at USF, but I did my final clinical in acute cardiac care, where I started my nursing career,” she said. She quickly learned the critical care environment was not for her, and became frustrated seeing the frequent readmission of patients for issues preventable by lifestyle change.
“That is what piqued my interest in prevention,” she said. “I got a master’s degree in community health nursing from Indiana University and started working PRN (as needed) at the Indiana Veteran’s Home. This experience further impressed upon me the importance of prevention. I then moved on to a case management role, and quickly saw our healthcare system’s burden from preventable chronic disease. I knew I needed to move my nursing career into public health.”
Richards then began as an educator with Purdue, advancing through positions of increasing responsibility until completion of a Ph.D. in health promotion led to tenure and the promotion to associate professor.
The focus on prevention became paramount when COVID-19 first hit American shores early this year. She quickly put her specialty in health promotion to work getting information out. “I was fortunate to have a strong relationship with local and national media, so I could do several different stories about prevention and protection. I also worked closely with our cooperative extension, which threads throughout all 92 Indiana counties, to produce some video myth-busters about COVID-19 which have had great reach,” she said.
She also helps families by leading a Facebook group, Families Tackling Tough Times Together (facebook.com/groups/HHSFamiliesTogether). “This group is all about promoting family resiliency during the pandemic,” she said.
The attack by a health enemy about which little is known, and with no vaccine or established drug treatment, came as a shock. “Students gave me an inside view of healthcare systems. I was shocked by the disparities in terms of personal protective equipment like masks being available. Some had access to state-of-the-art protection, while others reused the same mask for several shifts,” she said. “I was also surprised at the disparities between county and state public health departments in terms of resources with contact tracing.”
Other Issues Surfaced
“The impact on some people I am really witnessing for the first time,” she said. “It is clear we need expanded paid sick days and leave for all workers, and increased access to affordable healthcare. This pandemic has also shown we need to more adequately fund the Centers for Disease Control, which is critical to addressing the challenges of COVID-19.”
“This is uncharted territory, but has been a great learning experience for me and my undergraduate population health students. We use these real-time examples and unfolding cases in class,” she said.
“My hope is this experience will increase understanding of public health’s importance. Part of it is creating the most good for the most people. That sometimes limits the actions of individuals. Examples such as social distancing and face coverings are imperative to curb the spread of disease and protect everyone’s health. No one likes being told what to do, but when the health of our families, communities, nation and world is at stake, we need to take action and work together.”