Jessica Kings

Review of Lake County Tribal Health Cons...

My experience as a patient here was pleasant and s...

My experience as a patient here was pleasant and some of the staff is patient-oriented. I was a medical assistant here for about 3 years, I quit working here when I moved out of state but got re-hired after moving back as a temp and asked to go through another interview process, I then got hired full-time. During the last three months that I was there, there was a large turnover in nurses/management/providers more than i d seen in any other health clinic, at that point, I had began seeking new employment. There was also a large focus on reaching certain quota, as we were considered the best clinic in the state based on numbers that we met and were offered incentives for meeting these measures, we would actually call patients to come in for what could be multiple office visits$ until we met our numbers. The office is an at-will employer which is made clear when you are hired, they reserve the right to terminate anyone at anytime without reason. My overall experience as an employee was obviously good because I accepted the position twice. I enjoyed helping patients and many times they reciprocated their gratitude. The salary and benefits are also competitive for that county. That being said one of the things I didn t enjoy was the gossip, not amongst or in regards to patients but sadly in between staff members and administration (some of which were related) which was bothersome because it almost seemed political and bias. Everything is a business, including medical clinics, so in addition to patient care there has to be some sort of revenue. To maintain internal revenue we made as many internal consults as possible, even if the internal specialists so to speak were not the best suited for the patients. I met many great and knowledgeable providers and nurses in this office for this I m thankful and I do believe that most of them have good intentions. On thanksgiving I received an email from HR to have a meeting in his office later that afternoon. When I showed up to his office we were joined by the compliance officer and they immediately gave me a letter of termination and asked if I needed a box. My manager was out of the office that week and I felt very uncomfortable and confused being handed this letter because these were people that I didn t see everyday nor my direct supervisors, although the person who signed the letter was not present. Part of me wanted to ask questions but I felt like judgments had already been made because I was never given a warning or asked to discuss any potential problems. I had, however, been reprimanded in the past about my punctuality but I feel like if that had been the case it would ve been more straight forward because why would I try to deny FACTS. I felt that they were being sneaky for not giving me a benefit of the doubt. What bothered me most is that I was not a stranger here, I worked with people that I considered like family it felt like they turned their back on me. It was a reflection of character. This is not based on facts so I did not speak on the matter when I heard about it but a couple weeks before my termination I guess there was a federal case being investigated against LCTH involving a company vehicle and other employees who were involved including upper management (who are still currently employed for the company). My theory is that they either needed a storyline for these illegal actions (mind you I m Hispanic and I drive a luxury vehicle), they had something to hide as everything is considered confidential , or it was simply personal. Reason I m speaking about this is not to encourage anybody not to work or be a patient here because there are many benefits, but be mindful about who you think has your best interest.