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For as long as she could remember, Wendy Siefert has always had a deep desire to help people.

“I remember in grade school wanting to be a nurse,” says Siefert. That early passion guided her through a career path that eventually led her to Chestnut Health Systems™.

Before joining the team, Siefert worked in a hospital’s newborn nursery and in pediatric home health, each step reinforcing her commitment to making a difference.

“I’ve always been interested in mental health.  That’s what interested me and led me here.”

Today, Wendy primarily works with psychiatric patients alongside other dedicated providers. Her role includes administering patient injections, vital checks, prescription refills, medication-assisted recovery/treatment (MART), and more.

“I learned about medications and how they help with substance use, which really helped me,” Siefert reflects. “I used to believe that addiction had mainly to do with a lack of willpower. Now I see that it can be caused by things such as trauma, genetic predisposition or chronic pain conditions. With this perspective, I can be less judgmental and more encouraging when it comes to interacting with patients or friends or family.”

The atmosphere at Chestnut motivates Siefert to do her best work every day. The variety in her work and relationship-building keeps her fulfilled.

Siefert is a Registered Nurse, but her role challenges the typical image many people have of nursing because of Chestnut’s integrated care approach. While many think of routine assessment questions or managing short-term medical conditions, Siefert’s work involves seeing patients regularly as they undergo long-term, individualized treatment plans. Many patients return with encouraging updates, sharing that their treatment plan is making a real difference. “Patients who are out there using opiates daily—at constant risk of overdosing and dying—come in, receive treatment, start medication, engage in counseling, and it literally saves their lives,” she says.

Siefert sees firsthand how much these services are needed in the community. “There’s such a need for mental health and substance use treatment,” she says. “I don't think there's a whole lot of this in this area, or at least not people that have been doing it for as long as Chestnut has. We’ve been around for more than 50 years.”  

With the high number of patients Chestnut serves daily, the demand is clear. Even with the overwhelming need, Siefert stays grounded in her role and the impact she makes. “I come in and I do my little part. I’ll refill medications and I’ll set up appointments. And that's just my small part of it.”

While Siefert describes her role as a small part, the truth is that her work moves the needle in advancing Chestnut’s mission of providing excellent service and care.

In honor of National Nurses Week (May 6-12), we proudly thank Wendy and our entire nursing staff for the compassion and support they extend to every patient that walks through the doors of Chestnut.

 About the Author

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Chestnut Health Systems

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Chestnut offers a comprehensive scope of behavioral health and human services in Illinois and Missouri. Our professional and experienced staff is committed to providing high-quality care and services to the communities we serve. From drug and alcohol addiction treatment facilities (residential and outpatient) to primary care medical homes, to a research institute, Chestnut continuously works to achieve its mission to make a difference and improve quality of life through excellence in service.

If you or someone you love needs help, we can help. It all starts with a phone call. In central Illinois call 888.924.3786 and in southern Illinois/Meto East area call 618.877.4420.