Kristen Ely has been supporting families at Children's Diagnostic and Treatment Center as a social worker for the past 13 years.
Meet Kristen
Name: Kristen Ely, MSW, Patient-Centered Medical Home Quality Manager
Years at Children's Diagnostic and Treatment Center (CDTC):13
What I do at CDTC: I manage two medical care management grant programs at CDTC – Lift a Child to Health (LCH) and Transitioning Adolescents Forward Into Tomorrow (TAFT). I also manage the ongoing recognition requirements and quality efforts necessary to maintain CDTC’s Patient-Centered Medical Home certification.
What motivates me to come to work each day: What I love about my job is the variety in my everyday work experience. I maintain a caseload, which gives me a direct connection to the families CDTC serves every day. Over the years I have worked in or with every department at the Center, and I can truly say that my connection with my colleagues inspires me to work harder and aim higher every single day.
My favorite CDTC moment: I can’t pick just one – there are too many. Every year I look the most forward to CDTC’s annual fundraiser – the Waterway Soiree. For me, it is the must-attend event of the year!
Some advice I’d give to a new employee just starting their career in healthcare: I stress the importance of having a good work-life balance to every newcomer I encounter. If we do not take care of ourselves first, how will we be able to help the patients and families we serve? It’s like they say in the airplane speech before take-off – put the mask on yourself first before helping others.
How I like to relax: Brunch with family or friends might just be the best stress reliever.
What I’m most proud of personally or professionally: Marrying my husband and the life we have created together will always be my biggest life accomplishment. We have a son who is almost three and another baby on the way. We are very blessed.
What’s on my music playlist: Anyone who knows me at all can tell you that – Dave Matthews!
If I could have dinner with anyone in the world, alive or dead, it would be: I would have a nice family dinner with my late great-grandparents so that they could meet my husband. During one of my last conversations with my great-grandmother she promised to send me a man worthy of marrying that she would approve of. She kept her promise!