Women are proving that they are capable of doing marvelous things regardless of the limitations society tries to place on them. Camylle Appiahene is another example of someone who is blazing the trail for women in her community. She has been in the health care field for about fifteen years. She started out as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) before she became a nurse. Camylle, currently a nurse practitioner, teaches medical students at a university, where she is pursuing her doctorate in nursing and will be completing it next year.

When she worked as an employee, Camylle recalls that there were many patients and limited staff, so she often felt overworked and underappreciated. She was tired of being an employee altogether and wanted more for herself. This made her tap into her creative side as an entrepreneur. Camylle started her practice, a primary health care clinic, at the beginning of 2021. She enjoys her work more now because she can move and do things at her own pace while still helping her community in her own way. Now that she has started her own practice, she believes there is flexibility in what she does and how she does it, and that makes the difference between when she was an employee and now that she is an entrepreneur.

Interestingly, Camylle thought of starting her clinic for about five years, but she never felt the push to start. Flashback to when the pandemic began, she felt that that was the right time to start. Of course, she did some research and took some necessary courses to understand what she was trying to do. Immediately, she began to look for buildings that were fit for what she wanted for her clinic. She put up a sign, wrote a business plan, narrowed in on the core values, mission, and vision, and was referred to someone who created a website for her business.

Innovative Healthcare of Connecticut, Camylle’s clinic, is focused on helping people with or without health insurance. Many people without health insurance do not visit clinics because they cannot afford the fees. However, at Innovative Healthcare of Connecticut, one can pay monthly for a membership fee and have access to unlimited appointments with Camylle. The purpose is to provide affordable health care to patients, thus meeting a need of the people in her community.

Balancing work and family is a tough one for Camylle Appiahene. However, she has consciously made it a point to give enough time to work and family because both are important. She believes that it is essential to find balance in life. One can work hard, but work does not have to take over your life and keep you away from the important things such as family or time for yourself.

Challenges are a part of life for all people. Camylle is not an exception. One challenge is getting patients to understand how they can benefit from her services. Although word of mouth helps, the most challenging part for her has been marketing because of the consistency it requires. As you know, passion combined with consistency produces success. Seeing her ideas come to life stands out as a “wow” moment for her despite the challenges. Also, the shift in her mentality from being just an employee to being an entrepreneur serves as a highlight for her.

Family is important, and that is one of the things that keeps her going because she wants to create a better work-life balance for her family. Another thing that keeps her going is when she sees her patients. Maya Angelou says, “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” Camylle loves her work and has devoted herself to creating something that gives her purpose and meaning.

By Victoria Oyebande

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