Fort Gregg-Adams, Va. –
At Kenner Army Health Center, we take pride in providing our patients with excellent care and treating them like family. When a patients walk through our doors, they’re not just veterans or dependents, but valued members of our community who deserve respect, compassion, and care.
To support our commitment, our patient advocate acts as the liaison between patients and the healthcare system to ensure all patients’ voices are heard. Kenner AHC is here to give you the support you need, and we’re thrilled to have Mrs. Maria Parker as our new patient advocate.
As an Army veteran who was a Laboratory non-commissioned officer, Parker has always cared for patients.
In March of 2020, before the pandemic, Mrs. Parker started working at Kenner AHC inside of the laboratory clinic.
“While working in the lab, you do get a lot of face-to-face interaction with patients,” said Parker.
This time in the lab gave her a chance to hear about patients’ days and she enjoyed having the opportunity to learn more about their experiences at the clinic.
Hearing patient experiences, Mrs. Parker often referred them to different departments or to the patient advocate. But once she handed them off, she often wondered if the patient got exactly what they needed in the end.
Once a position opened for a Patient Advocate, Mrs. Parker knew right away she wanted to apply to help more patients and to provide a better patient experience.
It has been three weeks and Mrs. Parker is already excelling in her new role.
She finds that the most common concerns patients have are:
- The long wait time at the pharmacy
- A mix-up with appointment times
- Benefits questions
“When patients come to me, I try to listen and acknowledge everything they tell me, and I work with our staff to find solutions,” said Parker. “
I enjoy doing this work and couldn’t do my job without teamwork from members of every department because we all provide resources and answers from one another to help our patients.”
“I am grateful to be a part of this organization and to serve our patients within the community,” she said.
To reach our Patient Advocate, please email at dha.gregg-adams.kenner-ahc.mbx.patient-advocacy@health.mil