Eastern Plumas Health Care would like to congratulate the co-winners of our Employee of the Month Award: Tracy Allara and Debbie Espana.
Tracy Allara gives multi-tasking a new meaning–overseeing Infection Control and Employee Health as well as working in Utilization Review and Quality Assurance. Finally, she serves as an Acute/Emergency Room RN and an Operating Room RN. According to Tracy, who has worked for EPHC for nine years, the “strong feeling of family and community make [EPHC] a warm and welcoming place to work.”
Teresa Whitfield, Director of Quality and Operations, said of Tracy: “Above all else, Tracy is a team player who lives our mission—‘The patient comes first.’”
Debbie Espana works in Health Information Management/Medical Records. She said, “I especially enjoy and love the people I work with.” Like Tracy, she wears many hats. She works closely with many departments, helping the Business Office with Medicare audits and Treatment Authorization Requests, and helping out as needed in the Skilled Nursing Department. She also works closely with doctors and the clinics.
Debbie has worked for EPHC since it came to the aid of the Loyalton Hospital in 2003, where she worked as a unit clerk and in medical records. She’s also worked as a CNA, Ward Clerk/Heart Monitor Tech., Coder, and throughout the Billing Dept.
Debbie speaks from experience when she says that what she likes best about working at EPHC is that “it is like a big family—everyone is very kind and considerate.” It’s likely that Debbie helps bring that out in her co-workers. According to former HIM Director, Lydia Wahab, Debbie “is the ‘glue’ of the department, keeping it all together.” She is meticulous in chasing down missing pieces of documentation, she answers all questions knowledgeably and promptly, and is adept at communicating with physicians. All of this she does, “professionally, with graciousness and, always, with a smile,” said Lydia.
Finally, Debbie has strong ties to this community. She was born in the old Portola Railroad Hospital and has lived in this community on and off throughout her life. Her relatives have lived here since the early 1930s. “Many of my relatives lived, loved, married, and are buried here in this community. It is a great place to live and work—my hope is, for many more years to come.”