I’ve always wanted to work in the medical field. I witnessed many family members struggle with their health due to a lack of financial resources and limited education. In my village in the countryside, there was a clinic operated by nuns, and seeing their work inspired me. I decided that one day I wanted to be part of a team of people who shared the vision of improving health for all, regardless of their ability to pay or their country of origin.
My role here at CRCH is Chief Clinical Officer. However, what people might not know about the work I do is that some days, by lunchtime, I have switched hats so many times moving from scheduling chaos, to reviewing data and trying to make sense of an unexpected spike in metrics, to addressing Epic concerns, to answering workflow questions, that I am not always sure whether I am a nurse, a counselor, a provider, or an investigator! Despite all of this, I truly enjoy the opportunities I get to change lives in so many meaningful and beautiful ways.
I love knowing that the work I do directly impacts the health and well-being of underserved populations in our community. I remember a patient from Guatemala who was on several expensive medications for hypertension and depression. He was concerned about the cost of his medications while also providing groceries for his three children as a single parent. I stayed beyond his appointment time to switch his medications to the Walmart $4 list so that he could afford all of them. He was overjoyed to know that he could pick up his medications and still have money left for groceries.
It can sometimes be frustrating that we are under-resourced and unable to do more for our patients and staff, but I wake up every day happy to come to work with people who share the same mission and values as I do. I love that I get to wear different hats in my role because it allows me to interact with everyone, from providers to front desk staff. In doing so, I really get to know our team and understand what makes this place such a welcoming environment.
About Klavdia: I migrated to the U.S. from Haiti in my teenage years and lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. through my high school graduation. I then moved to Massachusetts and attended a Christian college in South Lancaster, MA, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in nursing. My family and I later moved to Indiana, where I completed my Doctorate in Nursing at Valparaiso University. I met my husband while I was in college in South Lancaster, and we now have three beautiful children, including a set of fraternal twins.