Pinay nurse hailed as 'HMO hero' in US

LOS ANGELES – What qualities define an everyday hero?

 

“Integrity, partnership, diversity, accountability, flexibility, innovation, quality, service, compassion, and results,” says Benjamin K. Chu, M.D., president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Southern California Region. “They are the qualities you will find in an everyday hero. At Kaiser Permanente,” Dr. Chu, who also has a master’s degree in Public Health, added, “Our physicians and employees are our biggest assets and we celebrate and honor these talented groups of people through the Everyday Heroes program. We each have a gift of opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Our Everyday Heroes program proudly celebrates how Kaiser Permanente employees use this gift in everyday extraordinary ways.” 

 

Twice a year, during springtime, Kaiser uncovers select employees for exceptional care. At the recent ‘Employee & Physician Recognition Program,’ Filipino American nurse Ester Mojica-Candipan, from Huntington Beach, Calif., shared accolades with 15 other honored heroes. 

 

“Mojica-Candipan, Ann Marie Huerta told Philippine News, “always seeks to do the right thing for our members, no matter how busy she is.” Huerta is a physician scheduler at Kaiser in La Palma, Calif. where the Fil Am nurse from Cavite works. She narrated how Mojica-Candipan had a patient on the phone, who was extremely upset that she didn’t have her biopsy results. “Ester gently tried to explain that the results weren’t yet available, but the patient hung up in anger.” 

 

“She was not even my patient,” Mojica-Candipan told PNews. “She wasn’t under the care of a doctor in our nurse’s module,” she added, “but I felt a need to calm her fears.”  Mojica-Candipan tracked down the patient’s physician on his day off and expressed concern about his patient. Then she went even further, and set up a four-way teleconference to include the patient, her physician, the department administrator and herself.

 

“Ester’s phone call went a long way toward reassuring the worried woman that tests take time and that getting results to her in a timely fashion was Kaiser’s top priority,” stated Huerta. “And even though the patient was diagnosed with cancer, she deeply appreciated Ester’s outstanding efforts on her behalf during a stressful time.”

The FilAm nurse dropped everything to ease the patient’s mind. 

 

“Everyday heroes are individuals or teams of people who exemplify the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region’s core values at work or in the communities we serve,” said Edward Ellison, M.D., executive medical director, Southern California Permanente Medical Group. “The Everyday Heroes program honors our exceptional physicians and employees who remind us that, if we are open to them, opportunities to make someone’s life better are all around us. Some have saved lives while others have inspired members or fellow employees through their acts of kindness and goodwill.”

 

Heroes are humble and feel they are just doing their job, but ask the people who have received their goodwill, and they will tell you it made all the difference. “The legacy of a hero,” said British statesman Benjamin Disraeli “is the inheritance of a great example.” 

 

“I’m very proud of my sister,” said Dr. Ami Belli of Valencia, Calif. “She truly has a caring heart, and she’s a very good nurse, who has worked at Kaiser for 40 years.” Dr. Belli is vice president, International Liaison for Health Rhythms at Remo, Inc. 

 

Equally proud of Ester Mojica Candipan is her husband Ron Candipan, and her aunt Alicia Santamaria of Costa Mesa, Calif.  - Philippine News