RACINE, WI – After thinking she would never attend school again, Jeannie Belsky Cornell enrolled at Gateway Technical College. She traded her dishwashing gloves for medical exam gloves. For the past 40 years, she’s resided in a job that she loves.
The bridge between the patient and the lab is Belsky Cornell. And phlebotomy isn’t a job for the faint of the heart. When people are searching for answers, she’s the go-to person. Underappreciated, but an essential person in healthcare.
The choices your doctor makes, the prescriptions you take, and the treatment patients receive is based on the work that Jeannie does. She assists people with some of the most grueling of conditions.
Hopefully, when people leave ‘my chair’, they feel a little less apprehensive about what is happening to them,” Belsky Cornell said.
All-day long she accesses ports to get blood samples in the laboratory at the Aurora Cancer Care of Aurora Health Care Metro, Inc.
Playing various roles in the medical field, including, medical assistant, she always finds ways to help.
Overcoming Challenges Despite COVID
“Drawing blood from someone is a skill and takes practice.” says the phlebotomist. A requirement that is necessary, wearing a mask, brings difficulty when drawing blood.
An indicator of a negative reaction to a blood draw is based on the color of someone’s lips and facial expressions. Without the visibility, Jeannie must be extra in tune with her patients. Making a person comfortable is more complex than we think.
Keeping a sterile area has always been at the forefront. It’s a no brainer that every precaution is worth the safety of her patients. Jeannie Belsky Cornell’s hope is that people know that she’s smiling at them, even when covering up.
Help Our Hero
Surrounding Jeannie is a team of doctors, nurses, pharmacist, and patient coordinators. Especially, in the cancer center, there are uneasy moments. Everyday it’s the people she works with and those she helps who continue to put a smile on her face.
The golden rule to be kind is taking our hero far in her career. Simple kindness goes a long way and by practicing kindness you can honor our hero.
Read about our other hometown heroes here. If you know someone who is a hometown hero, click here to nominate them.
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