May 6 to 12 is Nurses Week to honor the varying roles of nurses and the positive impact they have on the individuals and communities they serve.
Nurses make a difference as trusted professionals who ensure individuals, families, and populations receive quality patient care and services. They make up the largest group of health care professionals in the United States, and Partners in Care Foundation currently has 36 nurses employed in our Multipurpose Senior Services Program, Home and Community Based Alternative Waiver Program and our Network Services Team. They are essential workers and valued employees, and we are grateful for their hard work in ensuring quality care for our participants.
In honor of National Nurses Week 2023, we are highlighting 5 nurses in Partners and their stories on how they make a difference as a nurse. Thank you to Partners’ Senior Managers for their nominations!
| Aloyce Marie Rachal, RN, BSN, PHNNurse Care Manager for MSSP South | Aloyce Marie Rachal joined Partners right after graduating and earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Loma Linda University in 2011. She was instrumental in piloting programs like Face2Face and HCBA over the years and recruiting several RNs to the agency.Her passion for nursing was inspired by her mother’s love and dedication for helping others, especially the senior population, and Aloyce later found a similar passion in helping seniors when her grandmother had an extensive surgical wound, and she wanted to learn how to do wound care and tend to her needs during recovery. Her love for health in academia and her family was what solidified her interest in pursuing a career as a Nurse. Aloyce shares that being a nurse at Partners is rewarding and she enjoys “being a part of an organization that strives for excellence in providing care and improving health and wellness for those we serve.” |
| Heather Vallerand, RN, MSN,RN for Network Services | Heather Vallerand started as a contract RN in 2013. For the past 10 years, she brought her vast knowledge and experience to various programs within the agency, which include Community Wellness as a Guest Healthcare Professional, the Home and Community Based Alternative Waiver Program, Assisted Living Waiver, and more!She decided to pursue nursing when her daughter was hospitalized as a newborn and needed emergency surgery. She was inspired by the nurses that cared for her daughter and she wanted to provide that same care and support to families going through similar challenges. In 2012, she received an Associate of Science in Nursing and 6 years later, earned a Master of Science in Nursing from West Coast University. Heather reflects, “I have worked for Partners for a large majority of my career as a RN, and I love helping people in the community, remain in the community. Making a difference in the world is my passion!” |
| Vickie Hazard, BSN, RN, PHN | Vickie Hazard joined Partners in 2014. She has had a diverse and great career in healthcare, previously working for the California Department of Public Health, the State of California Department of Mental Health, the San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital, and more! With her vast experience, she brought a lot of strengths to Partners’ programs. As an RN for the Network Services Team, she conducts risk assessments for readmission, skilled nursing assessments for CBAS centers, and case management clinical assessments for healthplans. Vickie is highly passionate about helping others, especially those in need. She has certification as a Correctional Health Professional and in Psychiatric and Mental Health. She also has specialty training in Elder Abuse Training and Reporting and Domestic Violence Identification and Forensics. She reflects, “Doing the work of Public Health in all of its many arenas, whether it’s a prison cell or a free clinic, will be the memories I cherish forever.” |
| Colin Quisido, BSN Nurse Care Manager for MSSP North | Colin Quisido, Nurse Care Manager for MSSP North, joined Partners in 2013 as a nurse for the Face2Face program. He brought his skills to the Multipurpose Senior Services Program and now provides care to our senior participants. He has always been passionate about helping others and learning how to care for diverse populations with challenges that may prevent them from caring for themselves. He started his career working in a hospital setting but sees value in the work he does now as a nurse care manager where he is a part of a care management team that conducts home assessments and provides resources for seniors with complex health conditions in the community. Colin reflects, “Here at Partners, I love that I can speak with my participants on a more personal level. This helps to cultivate a trusting relationship where they can open up more and mention things they would not in a routine office visit.” |
| Valerie Lachica, BSN, Nurse Care Manager for HCBA | Valerie Lachica joined Partners in 2021. Since a young age, Valerie has always been passionate about helping people and dreamed of working in an operating room. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Western Governor’s University and has been an operating room nurse since 2010. When she became a mother, her dream shifted to her family, and she wanted to work somewhere with more flexibility to be able to homeschool her children. She brought her decade long experience as a nurse to Partners’ Home and Community Based Alternative Waiver Program in 2021. Valerie reflects, “What I love about HCBA, is working with family members to provide care for their loved ones at home, who I believe ultimately give the best care. I love being able to help our participants and their families, providing them with supportive services that allow for comprehensive care.” Nursing is an incredibly fulfilling job, and she is grateful to Partners in Care Foundation for her position as a Nurse Care Manager, that allows her to continue providing care to people with complex health conditions in the community, while also focusing on her children at home. |
