What is your official title?
Patient-Centered and Medical Home Coordinator; and I just finished a special assignment at the Teal Lake Medical Clinic.

What was it like organizing the Teal Lake Testing Center?
The day-to-day activity was reassuring and educating the public on COVID-19 symptoms and how to protect themselves, and whether testing was appropriate and the best path to getting tested. Much of our work focused on education because the community didn’t know what to expect. We had a great team of volunteers throughout the clinics, such as clerks, LPNs, MAs, and some providers who volunteered their time. It was 10 weeks of testing, and we evolved our processes so that we could do some efficient drive-by testing and manage those results. It was a very interesting experience.
It was rewarding to be out in the community, working with the health department, and personally getting to know other team members in the various departments.

What was your inspiration for getting into health care?
I received wonderful care when I needed it, and I thought that if I could make someone feel safe, that would be quite an accomplishment. That inspiration led me to nursing school. I eventually moved up to the Upper Peninsula and married a Yooper. Recently, I’ve been working in the clinic quality department. It’s been very interesting with the perspective of
population management and how quality metrics affect patient outcomes. We get out in the clinics and see how committed other departments are to quality care and the evolution of health care and what comes next. That’s great stuff. There’s much more happening behind the scenes than taking care of the patient on the floor, and to see that evolve is lovely.

What are some of your interests outside of work?
My husband and I have a new pandemic workout routine that we are hoping to stick to so that we can be made of steel by the end of summer. And I have a daughter who just graduated from high school, so we have a lot of family activities going on.

What is your favorite part about working at UPHS-Marquette?
The people. Being out and about in this capacity and with Teal Lake, I was able to work with new people. It was great to meet them and great to see everyone’s commitment to the community, especially with Teal Lake. Our team was there for the community because they wanted to be helpful.