The UN Declared October 11 the International Day of The Girl, a movement dedicated to raise awareness about gender equality. Of the issues this movement is taking on, some are tragic in nature, such as female mutilation, rape, and sexualization of young girls.
Sexual health expert and nurse with over 56 years of experience, Dr. Grace Blodgett, aka “Dr. Gracie”, is calling for all healthcare providers to become informed about issues around the sexual health of our girls.
A veritably friendly and knowledgeable personality, Dr. Gracie has interview opportunities around the release of her new book, Understanding Patients’ Sexual Problems to discuss the following issues about young girls in advance of October 11th, Day Of The Girl:
- The sexualization of young girls, how does it happen and what are the consequences
- Female Genital Mutilation exists in the United States- How and why?
- Her experience with the varying levels of Healthcare professionals abilities to treat young girls’ sexual problems
- Issues around rape such as: Underreporting, shame, and living a sexual healthy adult life as an child-rape victim
About Dr. Grace
Dr. Grace Blodgett grew up in the outskirts of London, England, and attended nursing school at The Royal London Hospital. After emigrating to the U.S. at the end of 1967, she worked as a staff nurse at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, until she was promoted to a head nurse position there a few years later. She became a nurse educator and then medical/surgical nursing director at Roosevelt Hospital.
After moving to Salt Lake City in 1975, Dr. Gracie was a head nurse, and then director of nursing for medical services and post-intensive care services at Holy Cross Hospital over the course of 15 years. In 1989, Dr. Gracie was awarded Utah’s Humanitarian Award for Service to People with AIDS. She then developed a successful consultation business to prepare general and rehabilitation hospitals for review by Joint Commission evaluators.
Dr. Gracie opened the University of Phoenix, Hawaii Campus, on Oahu, where she partially developed and fully implemented undergraduate and graduate degree programs in nursing, business, counseling, and teacher education, growing the student body to approximately 900 students. During these years, she also opened a small private practice for the management of sexual issues.
She and her husband Peter are retired and live in Hawaii, and they have 4 children and 6 granddaughters.
Credentials include an RN to BSN, MSN, MBA, and a PhD in Human Sexuality. Awards include Utah Excellence in Research Award, Sigma Theta Tau Excellence in Nursing, and Hawaii Nurse Executive of the Year.
Understanding Patients’ Sexual Problems is available at Amazon.
Learn more about Dr. Gracie at understandingpatientssexual
