Meet Michelle Cohen, BSN, RN

Michelle Cohen, BSN, RN, has worked within several health care specialties – from being a transport nurse to a shift coordinator in the Cardiac ICU, to becoming an administrative manager. Each experience has prepared her for the position she has today, which she truly feels is her calling.

In October 2023, she took on the role of behavioral health nurse navigator and has described the experience as an amazing ride.

“I felt like this could be an opportunity for me to give back in a way that I've not had the chance to do,” says Michelle. In her role, she works with patients who have autism spectrum disorders, learning disorders, and other neuro-diverse individuals who are part of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (CASD). Michelle explains that often the families of these patients experience barriers in terms of receiving the proper care and understanding what is required.

It’s a job that connects her to a personal and important mission.

While Michelle was working as an administrative manager, she learned that her youngest son had emerging special needs. She had to learn how to navigate the healthcare system and find the right care for her child. So, she took this job, in part, to make a difference in families’ lives.

Michelle takes care of each patient, working hard to make sure they are comfortable. This can involve individualizing a room and bringing in resources so that the child has decreased sensory triggers and reduced trauma.

She also serves as a support system for each parent and caregiver she encounters to provide needed services and assure their child is well cared for, allowing the caregivers to take a moment for themselves. She also tries to make sure that they receive the proper resources for their child. 

“A lot of times we find there's a specialist that they didn't even know about that their child could see, or there's some help at the school level that they're not getting,” Michelle explains. She wants caregivers to use every resource and tool available. “As a parent that's constantly having to fight for stuff, you have to pick your battles…and I don't want them to pick their battles.”

She says she will continue to support families through outpatient services, but she is determined to help until they no longer need her.

“Ultimately, my goal is to take that family that has a lot on their plate and empower them to take over their child's management of care and be able to do that independently,” says Michelle.

Since working in this role, she says she’s been motivated by the CASD team’s commitment to find and provide the proper programs and care for each individual patient.

“It made me proud as a mom that I have a patient that comes here, and as an employee it helps me see that even where we have some limitations, we're still going to go that extra mile,” she says.

Thank you, Michelle, for taking time to connect with patients and support their families.