A "Star" Amongst Us

On November 30, Sister Kathleen Wood, FNP, PHN, MS in Psychiatric Nursing and a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, was presented with the Community Clinics Association of Los Angeles (CCALAC)’s Clinical Leadership Star Award. This competitive award recognizes outstanding achievement by a clinic or an individual for their contribution to healthcare. It came with a trophy, as well as $5,000 for QueensCare and $5,000 for a clinic chosen for mission impact, which was L.A. Free Clinic. The financial award was sponsored by L.A. Care and Kaiser Permanente of Southern California. Edna Bush, Director of Case Management, nominated Sister Kathy for this award.

Sister Kathy has worked as a primary care provider at the Eagle Rock Clinic since 1999. She fits QueensCare’s mission to a “T” – to bring quality, primary healthcare that is accessible, compassionate, comprehensive and affordable to the uninsured and low-income communities in the greater Los Angeles area. True to her vows, Sister Kathy’s life has been dedicated to helping the poor and the homeless get access to basic healthcare.

In 2003, she helped run a medical mobile van for a hospital in East L.A., serving factory workers and the homeless in downtown Los Angeles. In the 1980’s and 90’s, she ran a center for the poor and homeless in her hometown of Sacramento and in downtown Los Angeles. She led a group that provided food and clothing, and developed a school advocacy program, a literacy program, and an ESL program for mostly Hispanic garment workers in downtown L.A. During this time, she and a few dedicated lawyers helped tenants win a civil action suit against their landlord. The landlord was sentenced to live in his own building, which had no hot water or electricity, and was infested with rats and roaches.

Sister Kathy has worked at a number of non-profit clinics in Los Angeles. Fluent in Spanish, she was in her element working at the L.A. County-USC Emergency Department in the early 1970’s doing crisis intervention with the single-minded pursuit of helping the poor get care.

QueensCare is very fortunate to count Sister Kathy as one of its caring providers who puts the welfare of her patients first.