although she consistently downplays her influence, it comes from Executive Director Sandra Hill. As she walks greets janitors, doctors, nurses, and staff by name. She doesn't need to squint at their name tags because Hill knows them all. ing at a window looking lost, she stops to help. Hill doesn't tell the woman who she is; instead, she simply finds someone to speak Spanish with the patient and then moves on. most vulnerable or underserved doesn't mean less quality care. A lot of times, people think a federally qualified health clinic is `Herd them in and herd them out.' That is not true! HRSA [the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration] demands quality care, and we provide that here." family physicians, one internist, one obstetrician/gynecologist, two pediatricians, an HIV specialist, a part-time podiatrist, and two nurse practitioners. Also on staff are 14 nurses, nine med- ical technicians, six dentists, one dental hygienist, and seven dental assistants. One social worker, two HIV case managers, a nutritionist, a pharmacist, and a medical interpreter round out the medical caregivers. October. Hill arrived a decade ago, after putting in 20 years at the Veterans Administration (VA). a capital L," she says. "You name it, we had to do it--read mag- azines to patients, or serve patients if a patient needed to be fed." father was a longshoreman--Hill considered becoming a pedi- atrician. From East Orange, she moved to Virginia, where, in her freshman year at Hampton University, she forged what would become lifelong friendships. These women have seen one another through everything. She isn't the sort to flaunt her degrees. Although most people reveal that she earned a bachelor of science degree in biology and a master's degree in religious studies. She is a proud mem- ber of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as well as the Golden pletely, Hill--a Baptist--enrolled her son, now a risk opera- tions manager in Miami, in a Catholic school, Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark. makes Hill uniquely suited for this post. "My parents would always say, `Prepare for where you want to be,'" she says. "After school, I applied for a job at the VA." her in running Chandler. Where other clinics' executive direc- tors have one boss, Chandler reports to the board and to the senior associate dean for community health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. G. Jahn, MD '88, associate professor of family medicine and community health; chief, division of community health; and sen- ior associate dean for community health. "Rutgers is huge. There are lots of challenges in terms of getting our day-to-day tasks done. And her ability to be diligent and carry Chandler through, and help it thrive--that leadership is, to me, exceptional." while acknowledging the work of her predecessors. ronment, she has motivated staff to have a very patient-centered facility. That includes staff and faculty." anyone who crosses her path and that she truly cares about people. "Because of my faith, there are certain principles that help me in doing my job," she says. "I want, when staff or patients see me, they see a person that is kind and compassion- ate, and that aligns with my faith. I envision after I leave here, I would like to do pastoral care." Nurse Michelle Hawkins-Nunn has worked there for 11 move on from being an administrative coordinator "because I see the good work done here, and I want to help people. Once my youngest son was out of school, it was time for me to go back to school. I had a lot of encouragement," she says, looking toward Hill. |