I Am Jericho Road
My work at Jericho Road started in the front office as a receptionist. There, I had one on one interactions with our patients, and to me, that was everything. Being able to help our patients with their needs, whether it was scheduling an appointment, helping with Spanish interpretation, or just answering the phone, I thought direct contact was key to demonstrate God’s unconditional love—a way I could put my faith into action, each day at work.
As the years went by, I was blessed with the chance to join the Data Team. Three years after that, I got the chance to join the Quality Improvement Team. This work, however, took me away from the “frontline” or “patient-facing” work I had been so moved by and I often questioned if I was actually helping our patients. In Quality Improvement, I worked with a lot of data and I was a point of contact for staff and partners. Even though I didn’t always get a chance to see how my work was impacting our patients, I quickly discovered the value it held.
One day, one of our fellows was doing outreach regarding Cologuard—a colon and rectal cancer screening test. During the call, the patient told our fellow that he was still waiting for a call regarding a breast cancer screening referral. This patient was having a lot of pain and breast cancer ran in his family. When the fellow asked me how to guide him, I sprang into action. I will admit, I was more concerned than the average person about the combination of the pain, family history, and the need for the screening because of my own family history with breast cancer. That connection and mutuality I once felt with the patients I had cared for in the front office came rushing back. While the fellow was still on the phone with the patient, I immediately called the appropriate local radiology office and set the patient up for a breast screening and ultrasound. By God’s grace, they were able to find an opening on that same day. From behind the scenes, I was able to continue caring for our patients in real and potentially life-changing, ways.
Earlier this year we had an all-staff meeting centered on the idea of a puzzle and all its pieces. Each staff member that spoke told us how their work fit into the larger work of Jericho Road. As they spoke, they held up a piece of the puzzle. They each ended their remarks by saying, “I am Jericho Road.” That really resonated with me. It reminded me that we are one body (JRCHC), with many parts. It doesn’t matter where in the organization we are tasked to work, we should know that every single effort will somehow impact patient care. Whether one on one interactions or just behind the scenes, our work matters. We are one. I am so very proud to say that I am Jericho Road.
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” -1 Corinthians 12:12-14
-Michelle Pantojas, Service Support Manager
In her new role as our Service Support Manager, Michelle provides management and leadership to the Prior Authorization, Patient Navigator, New Patient, and New Refugee departments. The work that she and her team do often involves strong advocacy and requires that they stand in the gap for our patients in their time of need.
