Impact > Finding Joy Connecting Communities With Care

Finding Joy Connecting Communities With Care

By Christine Tully Photography by Paul Flessland

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Valerie Guimaraes, D.N.P., always knew she wanted to help people. Valerie’s grandmother became ill and frequently visited the hospital for care when Valerie was young. During her times of recovery, Valerie would pretend to be a nurse or doctor caring for her. Those experiences shaped her career aspirations as she reached adulthood.

“I was always interested in healthcare,” says Valerie, who pursued nursing school, then a master’s degree and doctorate in nursing practice. “It was through my doctorate that I became aware of just how much more I could do for my people.”

Valerie, a descendant of the Ho-Chunk and Dakota nations, is the first patient experience ambassador at Mayo Clinic who works solely with Native American patients.

Her priority is to help hospitalized Native American patients and their families navigate the healthcare system at Mayo Clinic, which includes patient advocacy, spiritual care and tribal outreach. She also provides educational resources for Mayo Clinic staff about cultural differences and traditions.

Her proudest achievement is bringing the traditional ritual of smudging to Mayo Clinic. Smudging is a practice throughout many Native American tribes. It is a ceremony that helps to cleanse, purify and rid negative energy to provide healing of the mind, body and spirit. Thanks to Valerie’s efforts with hospital and clinical leaders, the Art Owen Smudging Room opened in Rochester, Minnesota, in 2019. It is named for the spiritual leader from the Prairie Island Indian Community near Red Wing, Minnesota, who often came to Mayo Clinic Hospital to provide spiritual support for Native people.

“I am honored to have this role and feel like many of these things are the least we can do because it’s another way of helping patients heal,” Valerie says. “And that’s what we are all about.”

Valerie also has been instrumental in providing fundamental resources for Native American patients and their families. She helped to establish the Native American Family Fund to help families facing a healthcare crisis with incidentals like food or travel expenses. It has made the difference for many families who otherwise couldn’t afford to be close to their loved one.

“What gives me the most joy is helping patients,” she says. “I don’t know what would happen to many of them if this role didn’t exist.”