Charles Moore, Jr., a Licensed Practical Nurse at the Forsyth County Detention Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, smiles ear to ear talking about his patients. He loves what he does and believes how he does his job reaches the patient differently. But before Charles knows what a patient’s chart says, he wants to know how the person in front of him is doing.
Looking Beyond the Chart
The daily routine is the same: chart review, medication pass, and various other clinical checks. But the most important part of my day is figuring out how the person in front of me is actually doing.
"I want to hear their voices. I want to look them in the eyes. And that gives me insight on how they’re really doing that day, long before I know what their chart says."
The way I was raised taught me to dig deeper and really speak to others with intention. That has greatly influenced the way I provide care to my patients. I believe demeanor, how we carry ourselves and interact with others, can change a patient’s experience and create an opportunity to reach someone in a way that clinical care alone may not.
I grew up an only child in a home where affirmation was just part of the air I breathed. Somebody was always telling me I mattered, that I was capable, that today could be better than yesterday. I didn't realize how rare and impactful that was until I got older. I knew I wanted to be a nurse by the time I was eight, and I spent years striving toward that goal. I’ve been a Certified Nursing Assistant, a Phlebotomist, a Medical Aide, and finally, in 2024, I became an LPN with NaphCare. Every one of those roles taught me something about caring for others and meeting people where they are but also asking them to meet me there, too. Correctional healthcare has taught me that the delivery matters just as much as the medicine.
Why I Lead with Positivity
Most of the people I care for are carrying something heavy whether it’s a diagnosis, a difficult decision, or their circumstances. There are many days they don't want to engage with me, or anyone else for that matter.
But I know the interaction still matters.
How the morning begins sets the trajectory for the day, so we’re going to start off on the right foot. When it’s time for medication pass, I greet every patient by name, and I ask them to say good morning every morning. I wait for their response before I move on to the treatment aspect knowing that hearing their voice is a mind and a body check.
I want to hear their voices. I want to look them in the eyes. And that gives me insight on how they’re really doing that day, long before I know what their chart says.
NaphCare's intake process is designed to understand each patient’s physical and mental health needs so the right plan can be developed for each patient. In addition to our model, I make sure each person feels seen. It’s important to me for them to know that someone in that building is genuinely glad to see them. I remind them that everyone has a past, and that the only direction worth focusing is forward.
Choosing to Respond, Not React
One Tuesday morning during medication pass a few months back, I noticed a patient was agitated, frustrated, and next thing I knew they were letting me have it. They called me every name in the book, and in that moment, I had words of my own I wanted to say right back. I'm human, too. But I've trained myself to pause and remember something: this person is facing obstacles I can only imagine. And they deserve excellent care from me regardless of the kind of day they’re having.
So, I didn't react.
And a few hours later, when I came back around for the second med pass of the day, that same patient apologized to me.
My face softened slightly and I asked, "What do you have to be sorry for?"
He said, "Because you don't treat us like that."
That was one of the moments that confirmed everything I believe about this work. The care itself matters, but it’s the demeanor I bring to the day that actually reaches people, sometimes faster and deeper than anything else. Our patients might have the opportunity to re-enter the community, and some might return to a correctional setting later down the road. Wherever their path takes them, I want them to remember they were treated with care.
I love this work, I love my team, I love showing up for my patients as a person first.
Charles has been with NaphCare for two years now and is working towards becoming a Nurse Practitioner to advance his career in corrections.
Interested in correctional healthcare? Visit NaphCare's Careers page to learn more.
