A Flint native, Charlotte Williams is a woman of few words but big actions. When she sets out to do something she does it and loyalty, respect and compassion are high on her list of values to live by. Raised by both parents with 4 sisters, Charlotte loved interacting with her siblings and learned some of these very things from her family. She has two children, a son who lives near enough to visit her every Sunday and a daughter that calls her every day from Florida. Both of which she attributes to her motivation to overcome her challenges with substance abuse.
Charlotte is 10 years sober now and a completely different person with a whole new perspective on life, but that isn’t the only thing she is proud of. Her life changed again for the better with her transition to finding a new medical home with Hamilton Community Health Network.
Prior to her becoming a Hamilton patient at Hamilton-McFarlan Senior Health Center, Charlotte was working with a physician that she felt did not treat her as a whole, instead would give her a short-term fix for each problem. She is an amputee due to a knee replacement procedure that turned into Osteomyelitis which is inflammation or swelling in the bone, along with being a diabetic, bipolar, and bladder problems.
“I felt they were just giving me medications and pain pills and writing prescriptions for someone who was addicted to pain pills, that’s scary,” Charlotte stated. “I wanted solutions to all these problems, not short-term fixes. I wanted to be healthy again.”
Things were becoming burdensome for Mrs. Williams, dealing with the effects of these different health challenges, which also created sorosis from the pain pills that she was prescribed. She knew something had to change. That is when she was introduced to Hamilton Community Health Network through administrators at McFarlan Home.
With its own health clinic serving all seniors in the McFarlan Court Street Villages and nearby neighborhoods, Hamilton turned out to be Charlotte’s solution.
“I had an appointment with Sheila Thomas, LNP-C and we hit it off. The first week I worked with her she was so thorough. It the first time in a while I understood what was going on with me and was able to comprehend it,” Charlotte explained.
For Charlotte, it’s about a relationship, she wants to feel like she is being taken care of – mind, body, and even sometimes emotionally and that is what Sheila Thomas provides. “I have never had a doctor be as invested in seeing me get better through methods that don’t involve just prescribing medications.”
Sheila explained, “When Charlotte and I began working together, the first thing she mentioned to me was that she wanted to cut down on the medications she was taking and get control of her diabetes. I told her that I would help her do that, but it would take discipline and commitment to changing her diet. She began doing all the things I recommended and over time she eventually no longer classified as a diabetic. “
“Charlotte is an amazing person and her drive to be better every day in her health made her one of my favorite patients to work with, I admired her tenacity and drive. Now she is off many of the medications she was on and her health outlook is much more positive than when we met.”
Today, Mrs. Williams looks forward to doctor visits, is in control of her health, and believes that Hamilton Community Health Network gave her a “second chance at life”.
Being proactive about your health and finding a medical provider that you can work with is critical at all ages and stages of life. Here are some things to consider when you look for a physician:
- Do you feel at ease with this provider?
- Did the provider show an interest in getting to know you?
- Did they answer all your questions?
- Did they explain things in a way you understood?
