Pasco-Hernando State College Volume XIV, Issue I Spring 2020 | Page 30

ALUMNI
PROFILE
Janine Hammett Kell, RN, S.A.N.E.
CLASS OF ’08, ’10, ‘13
A
fter earning her Associate in
Arts degree in 2008, Janine
Kell began her career at
the Children’s Advocacy Center
(CAC) of Hernando County,
a local organization that
responds to the needs of
children who are victims of
sexual and physical abuse,
neglect, threatened harm, and
drug endangerment.
Not long after Kell started her
role at CAC, the facility’s nurse
resigned and they quickly learned how
difficult it would be to find someone who
could handle cases that were often times heart
wrenching. Passionate about the organization’s mission,
Kell made the difficult decision to leave her position
for a year and enroll in the Licensed Practical Nursing
program at PHSC in order to become a sexual assault
nurse.
After earning her practical nursing license, she decided
to continue her education and pursue her associate’s
degree in nursing, only this time she needed to work in
order to pay for her schooling. Working full-time at CAC
while also attending nursing school was not an easy
journey. However, she persevered and completed her
RN degree with a 4.0 GPA.
28
PHSC
Kell currently serves as the Director
of CAC where she oversees the
services provided to victims
including forensic and
specialized interviews, social
assessments, forensic medical
exams, advocacy, and court
accompaniment. In addition,
therapy and support groups
are available to child victims
and caregivers. Ensuring
a response that is sensitive
to the child’s emotional and
developmental needs, the CAC
utilizes a multidisciplinary team
approach that includes partners such as
the Department of Children and Families (DCF),
the University of Florida (UF) Child Protection Team
(CPT), law enforcement, and mental health professionals.
During her time as a nursing student, Kell realized the
need for additional training in the area of child abuse
and neglect. In response to this need, Kell has provided
training sessions throughout the year to PHSC’s
maternal child nursing students for the past nine years.
Nursing faculty and students presented Kell with a
plaque at a recent training, recognizing her many years
of dedication to the College and the community. “I am
thankful for the opportunities that PHSC provided to me
and this is just my way of giving back,” she said.