May brings special recognitions to Nurses and Patient Services Representatives
By Debbie Sparks, Development and Marketing Manager
National Nurses Week is May 6-12.
In 1993, the American Nurses Association declared May 6-12 as the national week to celebrate and elevate the nursing profession. Each year the celebration ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer and statistician and the founder of modern nursing.
This year’s theme for Nurses Week is Rooted in Strength. According to Beth Wathen, President, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the theme was inspired by the difficulties in a year beset by public health, social and economic crisis. “Nurses are rooted in strength, forged in fire and growing in power, says Ms. Wathen. “Rooted in Strength we create our new path forward as leaders in healthcare.”
At HPC we celebrate the important roles that nurses play on the frontlines of the health care system. Special thanks to Araceli Coria, RN, BSN, Clinic Nurse, and Rachel Acuna, RN, Vaccine Outreach Nurse, for the special roles that they play at HPC.
As Clinic Nurse, Araceli is primarily responsible for triaging walk in and telephoning patients, medical administration and oversight and serves as a clinical resource for the clinic. In addition, she assists providers with patient care and education, medication refills, case management and referrals. She also plays a key role in our Hypertension Program initiative. Araceli is bilingual and is a resource for our Spanish speaking patients
As Vaccine Outreach Nurse, Rachel is responsible for increasing the availability of all lifespan vaccinations to our local communities. Much of her work includes partnering with local businesses, schools, churches and community groups to provide education about vaccinations in an effort to decrease vaccine hesitancy.
Thank you to Araceli and Rachel for all of the good work they do to improve patient care at HPC!
Patient Services Representatives Day/Receptionist Day is May 12
Since 1991, National Receptionist Day has been celebrated on the second Wednesday of May, this year falling on Wednesday, May 12. HPC would like to take this opportunity to recognize our Patient Services Representatives (PSRs) who fill the role of receptionist and so much more!
According to Billie Reese-Turner, Director of Billing and Patient Services, working in customer service is one of the most difficult jobs there is.
“I am so grateful to our PSR team for their hard work and dedication throughout the last year,” Billie says. “Especially considering we continue to struggle with staffing shortages. I appreciate every team member’s flexibility when we are looking for coverage. I cannot thank the PSR team enough for attending to our patients and the community with a smile and a positive attitude which helps make the intake process run smoothly. I am very grateful and blessed to work with such an awesome team.”
Thank you to our wonderful team of PSRs: Odaliz Arana, Ally Blume, Perla Cardenas-Baltazar, Jean Cast-Martin, Jenny Chavez, Joseph (JoJo) Delgado-Ramirez, Alejandra Gutierrez-Ortega, Nidia Hickman, Karla Nunez, Michel Ramirez, Martha Tavison and Veronica Flores Manager of Patient Services.
The PSRs are part of the Revenue Cycle Management team and work closely with Mayra Bocanegra, Billing Coordinator; Billie Reese-Turner, Director of Billing and Patient Services, and Diana Zamora, Enrollment Specialist.
