Archive for category: Employee Spotlight

Editor’s Note: In celebration of 30 years of providing quality, affordable and accessible health care, we are profiling three individuals who have graciously shared their story about their connection with the clinic.

Veronica Flores, Patient Services Manager at Health Partnership Clinic

Veronica Flores has converted her daughters’ 2012 dental visit at Health Partnership Clinic (HPC) into a career she never imagined.

Veronica, HPC’s patient services manager, oversees a staff of 11 at four locations: Olathe, Paola Ottawa and Shawnee Mission. She and her team provide nearly every non-provider, patient-facing service, from intake and scheduling to working hand-in-hand with the Billing department to ensure accuracy. Along with taking prospective patients’ original requests for appointments and care, they manage the paperwork required for financial assistance or insurance reimbursements.

Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico — and speaking little English — Veronica first came to the Kansas City area in 2006 at the suggestion of friends and family already here. Back then a divorced and single mother, her two daughters followed once Veronica was established with a job and place to live.

Impressed by the high quality of care and reasonable cost for her daughters’ dental visit, she became a patient herself in 2013, seeing Gwenyth Wagner, DNP, APRN — then a primary care provider — and quickly decided that HPC appeared to be a great place to work. With a customer service background and the encouragement of others, she became a patient care representative in 2014 and has been an HPC mainstay ever since. Through transitions, Veronica became assistant manager in 2016 and then department manager in 2018. As the longest-tenured HPC associate who is not a direct patient care provider, Veronica has been credited by managers with raising HPC’s level of patient service and as one who inspires others to follow her lead.

When asked, Veronica enthusiastically says that being able to help HPC fulfill its mission is among her greatest satisfactions. She excels at patient interaction and especially loves to help HPC’s older and Spanish-speaking patients resolve issues often rooted in nothing more than a language or translation misunderstanding. She delights in receiving a card or small token of appreciation from HPC’s patients. It’s not the gift that necessarily matters to her, but more the thought.

Having trained as a bilingual secretary and private accountant at age 16 back in Chihuahua, Veronica is grateful for the unimaginable journey that has brought and kept her at HPC. She became a permanent resident in 2017 and plans to apply for U.S. citizenship after completing a required five-year wait this year.

Along the way, she married her husband, Eduardo, in 2008 and has set a strong example for her daughters, Victoria, age 24, and Valeria, 21, son Angel, 10, and grandson, Mateo, five.

When she’s not leading and inspiring her HPC team and colleagues, Veronica enjoys spending time with her family, reading, traveling and viewing Spanish-themed Netflix programs. An occasional glass of wine with friends she considers family is an added pleasure.

HPC is grateful to Veronica Flores for her dedication to HPC and her daily concern for our patients as we celebrate 30 years of serving the community.

We are very excited to highlight one of our most valuable assets, our employees! Each month, get to know the HPC team in a fun, new way.

Name:  Maureen (Mo) Caro

Department: Medical

Title: Family Nurse Practitioner

Primary work location: Olathe

How long have you worked at HPC?  

I’ve been at HPC for two years.

How did you get into your field of work?

My baby brother is severely disabled, and I started working with that population in high school. There was a nurse there who told me that I should look into nursing.

Do you speak any other languages? If yes, which ones?

I speak Spanish.

Do you have a favorite quote? If yes, what is it?

I have a favorite poem by Anna Akhmatova—Why then do we not despair?

What values are important to you?

Values that are important to me are kindness, self-respect and respect for others.

What is something about you that would surprise people?

I am taller on the inside.

What is on your “bucket” list?

I would like to learn a third language as well as teach my kids a second language.

What is your favorite food?

My favorite food is sushi.

What is your favorite movie?

My favorite movie is “Hot Fuzz”.

What is your favorite hobby?

I like to knit and quilt.

Are you an animal lover?  If yes, how many pets do you have and what kind are they?

I have two dogs—both are some kind of sheepdog mutt.

By Catherine Rice, Vice President of Marketing/Outreach

Health Partnership Clinic (HPC) is pleased to welcome two new providers to our team—Eva Clark, MSN, APRN, WHNP-BC, who is certified as a Women’s Health/Nurse Practitioner, and Monica Masters, MS, LCPC, LCAC, NCC, a Behavioral Health Clinician. Both professionals began working at the clinic in January 2022.

Eva Clark, MSN, APRN, WHNP-BC

Eva joins HPC following 10 years’ work on the OB unit at KC’s Research Medical Center, providing a full range of labor, delivery and post-partum services. During that time, she also returned to school at Drexel University of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for online coursework – and nearly 650 hours of clinical experience at Midwest Women’s Healthcare Specialists — to become board certified as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner in 2018.

At HPC, Eva will pursue her passion of working with patients in or from underserved communities. Expanding on her OB focus, she’ll provide comprehensive gynecologic care to women at all their life’s stages.

Originally from Kansas City, Kan., Eva completed bachelors and masters degrees in the business-related fields of accounting, management and information systems at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. After working at prestigious companies, she rediscovered a passion for health care that began in high school and a desire to work long-term in a more people and care-centered environment.

A fan of cooking, baking, reading and beach vacations, Eva and her very supportive husband are parents to three children – sons, ages 11 and 1, and a daughter, age 5. The family is excited for their mom to pursue her professional passions in a clinical environment with greater work-life balance.

Summarizing her ongoing journey as a healthcare provider, Eva said, “I like working with underserved populations and want to give them the best care that I possibly can.”

Monica Masters, MS, LCPC, LCAC, NCC

Monica joins HPC following nearly 15 years of counseling patients at community-based organizations including Lakeview, Johnson County Mental Health, Wyandot Behavioral Network and the Salvation Army Harbor Light Village. She also has 10 years’ experience as a certified nursing assistant, mostly occurring during her college years.

Monica is no stranger to HPC. When she served as a dual-diagnosis Johnson County Mental Health therapist, she would refer her clients to the clinic for services.

At HPC, Monica will continue her passion for serving patients in the community who struggle with knowing where to reach out to for assistance, don’t have the financial means to do so, or are apprehensive about their ability to heal. She’ll focus on helping them manage comorbidity, depression, anxiety, grief and loss. Some have a history of trauma and substance abuse disorder. Her ability to help these patients has been strengthened by coping with the loss of a granddaughter and her own visual impairment beginning at age 39.

Originally from Emporia, Kan., Monica earned bachelor degrees in sociology and rehabilitation services, and a Master of Mental Health Counseling degree, all from Emporia State University. Her early-career work included substance abuse counseling, which she misses and hopes to renew at HPC. More recently, she has found a newer calling in helping patients cope and manage the effects of a medical diagnosis. “It is an honor for me to help someone with that process, to help them embrace the future and accept what it is, not to resist or deny it, and learn to live with it,” Monica says.

Both providers work at our Olathe location.

We are very excited to highlight one of our most valuable assets, our employees! Each month, get to know the HPC team in a fun, new way.

Name: Dania Guzman

Department: Billing

Title: Patient Account Coordinator

Primary work location: Olathe

How long have you worked at HPC?  

I’ve been at HPC for nearly two years.

How did you get into your field of work?

I have always loved the medical field and have aspired to work in a clinic. I learned so much working in my prior role as a Patient Services Representative at HPC. I loved it.

Do you speak any other languages? If yes, which ones?

I speak English and Spanish.

Do you have a favorite quote? If yes, what is it?

“Tough times do not last, tough people do.”

What values are important to you?

Humility is a very important value to me.

What is something about you that would surprise people?

I don’t know, I am pretty boring!

What is on your “bucket” list?

For Christmas, I would love to bring toys and food to kids who are living on the streets in my hometown in Mexico.

What is your favorite food?

My favorite foods are tortas and pazole!

What is your favorite movie?

I don’t have a favorite movie.

What is your favorite hobby?

I love to dance and watch other people dance.

Are you an animal lover?  If yes, how many pets do you have and what kind are they?

I am not an animal lover, but my kids have a dog in Mexico. His name is Toby, and they love to see him when they visit.