Shirley Frasier plans to leave her position as a Fort Stewart public-health nurse this year after providing care and services to military families for more than 33 years.  She feels it is finally time to retire.
Born and raised in Midway, Frasier didn’t move far after attending the old Liberty County High School and earning her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She began her career at St. Joseph’s hospital in Savannah as a registered nurse. She later earned a master’s of maternal child care from Georgia Medical College in 1977 while teaching nursing at Armstrong Atlantic State University.
Today, Frasier serves the community as a member of the Liberty County Board of Health. The Frasier family maintains strong ties to the Liberty County community. Frasier’s husband, Charles, has been a Hinesville City Councilman for 28 years, and their son, Justin, is a county commissioner.
“We are very involved in the community,” Frasier said. “And I plan to continue volunteering in the community when I retire.”
Frasier’s service to military families began more than 33 years ago. She now works as a health consultant for the Child, Youth and School Services on Fort Stewart. She inspects more Shirley Frasier plans to leave her position as a Fort Stewart public-health nurse this year after providing care and services to military families for more than 33 years.  She feels it is finally time to retire.
Born and raised in Midway, Frasier didn’t move far after attending the old Liberty County High School and earning her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She began her career at St. Joseph’s hospital in Savannah as a registered nurse. She later earned a master’s of maternal child care from Georgia Medical College in 1977 while teaching nursing at Armstrong Atlantic State University.
Today, Frasier serves the community as a member of the Liberty County Board of Health. The Frasier family maintains strong ties to the Liberty County community. Frasier’s husband, Charles, has been a Hinesville City Councilman for 28 years, and their son, Justin, is a county commissioner.
“We are very involved in the community,” Frasier said. “And I plan to continue volunteering in the community when I retire.”
Frasier’s service to military families began more than 33 years ago. She now works as a health consultant for the Child, Youth and School Services on Fort Stewart. She inspects more than 40 child-care facilities and evaluates children to help facilities provide the best possible care.
“We are responsible for the health and wellbeing of the children on post,” Army Public Health Chief Capt. Marla Washington said. “Mrs. Frasier has provided excellent care to the children on post.”
Frasier meets with parents to ensure the needs of children in the Exceptional Family Member Program are being met.
Any child who suffers from a physical or psychological condition is referred to the Special Needs Accommodation Process, a subcommittee of the Exceptional Family Member Program. This team works to evaluate physical, emotional and learning issues that affect a child to determine how CYS can best meet their needs.
“We let them know right away that we are here to help make the best experience for them,” Frasier said. “We want the parents included in their child’s care, and we provide them with the resources for that care.”
Frasier said she works mostly with children who have asthma and behavioral disorders, which are predominant childhood medical concerns on post.
“The behavioral health problems can be very stressful on the family,” she said. “Sometimes, families are at their wits’ ends, so we try to help them in every way we can.”
For parents who need a break from stress, CYS offers respite care, a program that provides a temporary rest period for families. This service is provided in a family’s home and includes basic care, companionship and assistance with medication needs from a person who is licensed and certified by the state of Georgia.
“A lot of times, the father is deployed, and the mother is with the special-needs child 24-seven,” Frasier said. “Sometimes they just need an outlet for a few hours.”
Frasier has focused on the health of the installation’s children for the past 20 years. Before stepping into the position from which she will soon retire, she worked as an obstetrics and gynecology nurse for four years and as a delivery nurse for eight years.   
She served as the head nurse of labor and delivery on Fort Stewart during Desert Storm.
“Watching a baby come into the world is such an amazing experience,” she said. “I loved being a part of that family’s special moment.”
Although most families take home healthy babies, Frasier said that hardest part of her job was watching other families deal with the loss of an infant.
“You always hope for a healthy baby to come out, but that’s not always the way it goes,” she said. “It was very difficult seeing families go through that.”
Being in the health-care field comes with highs and lows, she said. Nurses deal with many obstacles in their careers.
“You truly have to be a caring person,” Frasier said. “Nursing is a lifetime commitment to others. … It is never about you; it is always about them.”
After 33 years of service to military families, she said she feels like it is time to retire but is quick to add that she will miss the people she has worked with and the families she has served. Frasier now plans to turn her attention to her own family and is looking forward to spending time with her six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
“We are going to miss her,” Washington said. “She has been an available asset to our team. Her service was exceptional.”