Humankindness at Work: Mia Harvey sets up non-profit to support heart health

Two people visiting with Mia Harvey after Sunday church services a few years ago complained about the confusion they felt when trying to figure out their parents' blood pressure medication. 

Mia, program manager for the Liver Transplant & Hepatology at Baylor St. Luke’s, was ready to help. “I have no problem with you bringing your medications next Sunday,” Mia recalls telling the two people. “I will make a list and help you understand the medications.”

The two families that Mia began helping quickly turned into 13 people. Soon after, those 13 people ballooned to 40 people. Helping such a large number of people spurred her to organize a church health fair that garnered great attendance. The need she was witnessing in her Angleton community led her to create a webpage for people to reach out to her to secure resources and free medications. 

Mia’s efforts to improve the health of her community now have evolved into Cardiac Community Care, a non-profit dedicated to bridging gaps in cardiovascular health through mobile health outreach, blood pressure screenings, education focused on medication adherence and advocacy. She has her sights set on securing a grant by next year to expand her non-profit’s mobile services and further reduce disparities in heart health across other underserved communities.

Mia began working at Baylor St. Luke’s in 2009 as a department secretary in the Cardiovascular Operating Room. The dedication of the nurses around her inspired her to pursue a nursing degree. She received renowned heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley’s Friends of Nursing Fellowship Scholarship and attended the University of Texas at Arlington. Shortly after graduating in 2016, the hospital selected Mia for its Graduate Nurse Residency Program.

Over the years she gained diverse clinical experience in Med/Surg, Cardiac Telemetry, Cardiovascular OR and Quality Management. To broaden her leadership and administrative skills, she got her MBA in Healthcare Administration from the University of Southern Indiana in 2023. She is currently working on obtaining a Master’s of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) degree.

Mia says she began noticing disparities in people from disadvantaged communities as a nurse in the Cardiac Telemetry floor. “I saw a lot of patients from minority communities who did not understand or have the resources for healthcare, insurance and medication plans,” Mia said. “That touched my heart.” 

One patient who remains close to Mia’s heart is a homeless woman in heart failure and substance abuse issues. Challenges included the inability to educate the woman about her medications since she couldn’t read and no way to deliver free medicines to her because she lived on the streets. Mia leveraged her church connections so her team could secure a spot at a shelter where the woman could receive the vital medications. 

“I made the lady feel whole,” Mia said. “She rehabilitated, got a job and is now part of the workforce. We got her the resources she needed.”

The intervention, driven by empathy and a commitment to holistic care, is a testament to the comprehensive approach Mia brings to her work.

Securing resources for people in need is the role she envisions for her non-profit. “It's my way of touching people and paying it forward,” she said. “The purpose of my non-profit is to help support communities with medication adherence, cardiac education and advocacy.”