VC, The Magazine | Issue 35

July. 2023 | ISSUE 35

BREAKING GROUND

with

Employee of the Month: Isela Lopez Page 4

Erasing the Stigma Page 8

Cover Story Page 6

Welcome to the Team!

Page 12

Isela Lopez Anita Garcia Medical Assistant Dental Receptionist Lafayette VARIETY CARE | 4

Employee of the Month: Determination You were nominated for exemplifying the character core of Determination because you anticipate the needs of your clinic and work hard to make sure everything runs smoothly. What does determination mean to you?

Determination means setting as many goals as possible and completing them all. I try to learn as much as I can to help improve my skills, improve the experience of our patients, and improve the workflow.

How long have you been working at Variety Care?

I have been working with Variety Care for 11 months.

How does the work you do impact you personally?

I feel that my social anxiety has improved. I have been more outgoing due to the things I face daily at work.

How does it feel to be recognized as Employee of the Month?

I feel honored to be Employee of the Month!

Determination means setting as many goals as possible and completing them all.

What has been the most rewarding part of your job?

The most rewarding part of my job has been that I have learned so much and have improved as an employee and as the person I am!

What do you hope your Tell us about your family. teammates learn from -Isela My family includes my you? hardworking parents and I hope my coworkers see three amazing siblings! They have always my determination and it motivates them to supported me in everything. I wouldn’t be be determined as well. where I am without them.

What are some things you love about working for Variety Care?

I love working and meeting new babies every day! I also love working with my coworkers here at Lafayette.

What is the most interesting thing about your work at Variety Care?

The most interesting thing about working at Variety Care is that every day there is something new to learn!

Describe yourself in 3 words.

I would describe myself as Kind, Understanding, and Determined!!

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Breaking Ground Exciting changes are coming to Variety Care! We all know about the ongoing construction projects at our Lafayette and Straka clinics, but did you know we are also building three new clinics from the ground up? On top of that, we have recently unveiled a new mobile dental van and are anticipating the arrival of a mobile mammography unit!

Straka for dental services, but once the new clinic is completed in December 2025, they will have access to everything you would find in our other major clinics.

Variety Care Executive Vice President and CFO Tim Reddout says that one of the biggest projects is the complete remodel and 8000-square-foot addition at Straka. “That expansion and remodel will add six additional providers,” Reddout explains. The estimated completion date for that project is September 2024. The remodel of our Lafayette clinic will add four new providers and is expected to be completed in November 2023.

Other projects in the works include a mobile mammography unit that is expected to arrive in the next 12-14 months and a Straka distribution center that will be used for inventory storage, including fleet vehicles.

Recently, ground was broken on the first of three new clinics – Crooked Oak. Interim COO Shauna O’Brien says there’s already a Variety Care RN embedded in the elementary, serving approximately 1700 students. “She helps with vision screenings, she does dental screenings, and she oversees immunization statuses,” O’Brien says. “Now there will be a brick-and-mortar across the street.”

Percentage Covered by Grants

Currently, the land is being finalized on the other two clinics being built – Yukon and Norman. The identical, 22,000-square-foot integrated healthcare centers will each have 12 providers. “It gets back to our model,” Reddout commends. “One location, surrounded by all of our services.” He explains that our Norman patients are currently traveling to

While the construction projects seem quite costly, Reddout explains that they were paid for largely in part or in full by government and grant monies.

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The Crooked Oak health center will have pediatrics and behavioral health, as well as telehealth. The project is expected to be completed in April 2024 and will add four providers. “It’s a very high-need area for the patient population that we serve,” Reddout says. Not only will it provide new services to Crooked Oak schools, but the surrounding community as well. He explains that the addition will alleviate the number of patients seen at Mid-Del.

The clinic in Yukon currently has four providers, but once the new health center is completed in December 2025, it will have the potential for 12 providers!

He says both the mobile mammography unit and the mobile dental unit were paid for by American Rescue Plan dollars.

Additionally, Reddout excitedly notes that despite schedules being decreased by 25% during the Epic transition, Variety Care just finished the fiscal year right on budget!

Courtney Sharpe Communicable Disease LPN

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Erasing the Stigma We all know that Variety Care staff is one-ofa-kind, but did you know that we have the only HIV/AIDS certified nurse in the state of Oklahoma? If you’re familiar with our Sequoyah health center, you know it is just as unique as the staff it employs, with service lines such as Teen Clinic and HIV and Viral Hepatitis care.

continuing trend of growing numbers.

Along with her personal accomplishments, Sharpe championed efforts for Variety Care to meet the standards set by the Human Rights Campaign – an organization that strives to end discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.

Just two months after Sharpe was hired as a That’s where you’ll find Licensed Practical Nurse communicable disease nurse at the Sequoyah Courtney Sharpe. Sharpe has worked as an LPN location, Variety Care hired its Director of HIV for 11 years, but during her and Viral Hepatitis Services, Phil time with Variety Care, her Burke, PA-C. Burke tells us he is passion has driven her to lucky to work alongside Sharpe seek additional certification in the HIV and Viral Hepatitis to better serve the patients Department, emphasizing that come to Sequoyah. her dedication to serving the populations of patients they “When I came to this specialize in. “This passion is department, I tried to grab shown in her commitment to every resource that was educating patients, friends, available,” Sharpe says. That and co-workers about our determination led her to seek services, as well as in how the her ACLPN certification. She patients react to her,” he says.

-Courtney explains that her certification “On most days, I am pretty sure not only allows her to better the patients would rather talk serve her patients, but also to her than me because of the opens a line of communication between herself relationship that Courtney has forged with all of and other healthcare professionals around the them over the years.” world. “It has been really interesting to see what is still happening in other countries, whether it’s Sharpe’s specialized certification requires two behind or an advancement,” Sharpe explains. years of experience in HIV care and continued education as determined by the board. After She recognizes that while it is interesting being completing 51 hours of studies, she obtained the only AIDS certified nurse in the state, it’s her certification in March 2023. also discouraging. “HIV wasn’t just discovered yesterday – there’s just still so much stigma,” Sharpe emphasizes “I get frustrated because everyone knows someone who has diabetes or hypertension, and you know somebody who has been affected by or has HIV - it’s just not talked about.” Sharpe attributes that stigma to the

You know somebody who has been affected by or has HIV - it's just not talked about.

Variety Care teamed up with Walgreens for National HIV Testing Day this year! The team from Sequoyah showed up to provide free walk-up testing and raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Together we can END HIV

We're getting closer to our goal of 100% participation in this year's United Way campaign! If you haven't made your pledge yet, there is still time.

Scan the QR to donate today!

Would you like to purchase a pass that will allow you to wear jeans to the office? For just $30, you can wear jeans from Monday, November 27 – Friday, December 29. Your funds will support Variety Care's 2023 United Way Campaign! *Jeans must be clean (with no rips, tears, holes, shreds, patches, discolorations or stains), and worn with a CLICK HERE TO ORDER! Variety Care logo top.

to our team Ashley Alford

Joanna Castaneda

Hester Fulton

Lizette Gomez

PSR, Portland Baptist

AP Clerk, Admin

MarTesha King

Medical Assistant I Float, Putnam

Danny Perez

Medical Assistant I, Britton

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Adilene Esparza

PSR, North Portland

PSR, Reno

PSR, Straka

Louise Johnson

Claims Resolution Specialist, Admin.

Mayra Mozqueda-Martinez

Sherel Nuncio

Referral Specialist, PAC

Medical Assistant, Straka

Yessenia Perez

Rebeca Posadas

PSR/ Dental, Straka

PSR, Yukon

Katy Reyes-Argueta

Cristina Ramos

PSR, Norman Family

PSR, Reno

Paulina Segoviano PSR, Straka

Taneasha Thomas Medical Assistant, Britton

Specialization: Dentistry Dental School: Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry Emerald Ferguson, DDS, is a provider whose goal is promoting access to care for all, understanding a patient's needs and expectations, and providing excellent care.

Emerald Ferguson, DDS Dentist, Straka

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