MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NURSING • NURSING.MSU.EDU
OUR PRACTICE FACULTY
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Care Free Medical and Dental Clinics
Care Free was conceived in 2004, as a
post retirement “ma and pa” clinic to be run
by Founder Dr. Barry Saltman and his NP
wife Suzanne as a way to give back to the
community. Now serving 5,000 uninsured
or underinsured patients, this mid-Michigan
nonprofit organization provides high quality
compassionate primary care for underserved
individuals and families in the community.
A team of dedicated volunteer professional
providers work hand-in-hand with each
patient to create a wellness plan that fits
the patient’s ability and goals. Staffed by
physicians, NPs, and physician assistants,
it is an educational site for medical residents
and students in nursing and medicine. They
deliver comprehensive preventative care,
including medical, gynecological, pediatric,
dental, optometric, behavioral health, and
substance abuse services.
Early on, we received support for our mission from Kate Lein, a competent,
compassionate and committed Nurse Practitioner. Initially Kate volunteered more than 12 hours
per week of comprehensive primary care to our most complicated and neediest patients. Her
contributions were so meaningful that we eventually entered into a cooperative contractual
arrangement with the College of Nursing. We are now privileged to serve as a training center for
graduate students in the Nurse Practitioner concentration. We have been consistently pleased
with the quality of the students and their contributions to our patients. As a result of Kate’s
passion for our mission, she encouraged other faculty members to volunteer in our clinics and
we are currently blessed to have five caring and competent faculty who collectively provide
over 32 hours of weekly meaningful patient care. Last year we hired a graduate of the program
who had been with us as one of Kate’s students. The contributions of the College of Nursing
have unquestionably allowed us to care for hundreds, if not thousands, of patients who might
otherwise have gone without needed medical care. I am so very grateful to Kate and to the
College administration and associate faculty for the tremendous help they provide.”
Barry E. Saltman, MD
Founder and President, Care Free Medical and Dental
CATHERINE (KATE) LEIN
MSN, FNP-BC
Assistant Professor, Health Programs
“There’s no such thing as a typical day at the
clinic,” reports Kate Lein who has worked there
for the last five of her 14 years as an FNP. Many
patients arrive with heavy burdens of chronic
disease. Others are in acute pain with conditions
customarily treated in the hospital.
Lein’s fellowship in psychosocial medicine
prepared her to help those with mental health
challenges. The high incidence of diabetes led
her to establish a successful three-session class
on disease management, during which average
Hemoglobin A1c results for patients dropped
from 8.2 to 7.2. She got students involved too,
first as observers and then as teachers.
“Originally I thought about being an architect.
But I’m glad I didn’t,” Lein reports. “I love
science, people, and teaching. I have all the
things I care about in the nursing profession.”
She believes that nurses diagnose and treat
the human response to illness, and her
practice is guided by systems theory, Florence
Nightingale, and Hildegard Peplau. Focusing on
family dynamics and other systems that affect
patient outcomes, she uses patient-centered
interviewing and mutual decision making to
set goals with her patients. The balance of
research, teaching, and practice provides real
life examples for her students and keeps her
current on practice guidelines for both students
and patients.