Meet Our Nurses!

In honor of National Nurses Week 2021, we spoke with nine wonderful Clover nurses within our Care Management Team about their experience in the field.

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretched throughout New Jersey last year, our nurses quickly transitioned from caring for our most vulnerable members in their homes to providing care through Telehealth and Telemedicine services. From reviewing members’ medications, to discussing their health, and being a listening ear for our members, Clover’s frontline team plays a crucial role in our mission to improve every life.

While the official celebration may only last a week, Clover appreciates the care and compassion that nurses provide — as do our members, their families, their communities, and the entire health care system. We’re honored to share just a few of the stories of nurses who are making a positive impact.

“My name means ‘helper of mankind’ and I am staying true to my calling as a Nurse Practitioner at Clover. I’ve been in the field for 20 years, but I’ve never worked for an insurance company until now. In the past, when I worked in a hospital or small practice, I felt like I was in a bubble — always working with the same people, repeating the same routine, in the same place, over and over again. What I love most about my role at Clover is getting to collaborate with so many amazing people who each brings their own knowledge, clinical experience and unique perspective together to make sure every member gets what they need to live a healthy life.

I’m especially grateful to Clover for what they’ve done for my family. One of my family members is a Clover member, and at the start of the pandemic, he — who is a high-risk patient because of his history with Diabetes Mellitus — was diagnosed with COVID-19. All of the horror stories that you hear about COVID-19, we lived them. On April 25th, he was rushed to the ER and soon intubated in the ICU. I got a call that he was coding; it was a nightmare. Being his family member while advocating for him as a Nurse Practitioner was a challenge — at the time I was also homeschooling my child because of COVID-19 school closures, so I was dealing with a lot and experiencing every emotion all at once. Thankfully, he survived, but having lost a limb due to dialysis complications, his life was changed forever and going to the doctor’s office to get care was no longer an option. So, Clover’s in-home care team started caring for him in his home, got him the prosthetic he needed, and has been keeping him safe and as healthy as possible ever since.”

–– Sandra Thebaud-Young, Manager, Nurse Practitioner

“My grandmother had 12 children and eight of them were in the medical field in some way, including my mom. She started as a Nursing Assistant, then became a Licensed Practical Nurse and then a Registered Nurse. My mom is now an Assistant Director of Nursing as well as the Nurse Manager of a facility. I witnessed her struggles and heard her share so many amazing stories. Her stories, coupled with my natural love of science, pushed me into the amazing world of nursing, where I’ve been for the past 17 years.

One of my most memorable experiences as a nurse happened one night while working in the emergency room. A patient came to us in cardiac arrest. We performed CPR on him for over 45 minutes. After multiple rounds of medications and continued chest compressions, he became stable enough to transfer to the ICU. Most people do not survive CPR for that long, and if they do, they sometimes have debilitating effects, such as brain damage. Two weeks later, the son of the patient came to the Emergency Department and thanked us for saving his dad’s life. A month later, the patient himself walked in and thanked us. Not only did he survive, but he had very little to no signs of brain damage. This reminded me of the beauty of what we do. Saving one life, even out of thousands, is the most rewarding feeling in the world.”

–– Nakesha McPherson, Manager, Nurse Practitioner

“I grew up with my grandparents in our house and often saw nurses come to take care of them, and decided I wanted to do that for people. Now, 11 years later, I’m a Nurse Practitioner Manager at Clover Health. Over the past 4 1/2 years at Clover, it’s been really exciting to see the company grow and blossom, and specifically, to see our Nurse Practitioner team expand from a handful of individuals into a large, nationwide network. I feel like my voice can be heard here, that my thoughts and concerns are always welcomed and addressed, and that I have the power to affect change.

The majority of my nursing career has been in home care. I remember working right after Hurricane Sandy and being the support for homebound patients when they felt alone and stranded without electricity. I went grocery shopping for them on off hours, brought them a hot cup of coffee or meal during my visit, and provided the emotional support they needed to help keep them calm so they didn’t go to the hospital if it wasn’t necessary. I’ve strived to bring that holistic level of support to Clover members. One accomplishment I’m particularly proud of was overseeing the development and rollout of Clover’s COVID-19 Nurse Practitioner hotline. At the start of the pandemic, we quickly set up a hotline for members to call with COVID-related questions. Our ability to be there for them, even just to answer a simple question or provide emotional support, was really special. People don’t think of an insurance company as someone who’s willing to help. But that’s exactly what we do and what sets Clover apart from other payors.”

–– Melissa Evans, Manager, Nurse Practitioner

“As a child, I always wanted to help when someone got hurt. Fast forward to now, and I can’t believe it’s been 37 years since I started my nursing career! As a Wellness Nurse Care Manager at Clover, 100% of the work I do is over the telephone, which gives me a lot of flexibility. Even though I don’t get to meet members face-to-face, talking on the phone allows me to develop a great rapport with my patients and to be that support system many of them need, especially those who live alone or who’ve lost loved ones. It’s the best feeling when a member trusts me enough to call me months after our first phone conversation with a question or need, says they’re grateful for my help, or tells me that our conversation made their day.

One of my biggest focus areas is medication adherence, meaning I identify any barriers to our members getting their medications and find ways to overcome them. If a member doesn’t have access to a car or can’t afford transportation to get to the pharmacy, for example, I can ensure they get access to reliable transportation, have their prescriptions delivered to their home, or recommend that their PCP writes them a 100-day prescription instead of a 30-day one. Education is also a key part of what I do. I educate members on the importance of taking their medications as prescribed by their PCP because, sometimes, they may not understand why they have to take those specific medications or why they need to be taken consistently. I do whatever it takes to not only get members what they need, when they need it, but also to make sure they know that they are supported and cared for, always.”

–– Janet Jones, Wellness Nurse Care Manager

“My Great-Aunt was a community health nurse. When I was a child, I would visit her in her office, and it spurred in me a lifelong desire to help others. For much of my 26-year career in nursing, I worked in home health care and hospice care in patients’ homes as a Registered Nurse. I decided to advance my education to become a Nurse Practitioner so I could care for my patients on a different level and to give provider care as well. I then worked in primary care for a while before joining Clover in 2020. I ultimately decided to join an insurance company because I knew I would be able to leverage Clover’s amazing clinical programs, resources and nationwide network of multidisciplinary teams to improve patients’ lives and deliver comprehensive care on a whole new level.

I absolutely love working with our members. I provide comprehensive health assessments and education, and make recommendations so our members have the resources they need to stay healthy and happy. Members are very thankful for the information and guidance I provide them with and often comment about how pleased they are with Clover. It’s funny, many of our members don’t understand why their insurance company would call them to see how they’re doing. I mean, have you ever heard of an insurance company that proactively asks its members if they need things? All-in-all, the biggest reward as a Nurse Practitioner comes from making a difference in the lives of others. In this role, I can make a difference in the life of my patients, their families, and the nurses that I mentor.”

–– Cindy Wesloske, Nurse Practitioner

“I’ve been a nurse for 10 years now. I was actually inspired to pursue this career path after watching the NICU (newborn intensive care unit) nurses care for my nephew, who was born with cerebral palsy. I’ve worked with all types of patients in different settings throughout my career, including children, adults and seniors, both bedside and in outpatient facilities, but one of the things I enjoy most is caring for Clover’s most in-need members.

I’ll never forget when I performed a wellness visit for a member who lived alone. I could tell very quickly that she was lonely and very depressed. She told me she had no one to speak to, no support system to turn to. So, I enlisted the help of our behavioral health team and we were able to provide her with much-needed support and help her cope with her depression. And because Telehealth capabilities are integrated into the Clover Assistant, I’m able to provide that high, personalized level of support and make a difference in our members’ lives through virtual visits as well as in-home visits. It’s cases like this and the flexibility to work with patients in whatever way works best for them that make my job so rewarding.”

–– Binal Patel, Nurse Practitioner

“While nurses wear many hats in terms of helping people, as a Clover Nurse practitioner, I am well-equipped to prioritize the wellbeing of my patients to ensure their body, mind and spiritual wellness. Clover is doing an excellent job in this regard through various initiatives, such as the medication adherence program, MedMinder — one of my favorite programs through which we assist members with medication administration — and our in-home care program, through which we care for members with impaired activities of daily living (ADLs) or end of life illnesses. I take these programs seriously and make sure our members benefit from them.

It feels good knowing that, because I care for members directly in their homes, I am able to conduct a proper assessment and, if necessary, act fast to put measures in place that can save their lives. One such instance occurred when I conducted an in-home visit with a member with Parkinson’s disease. He lives alone and because of his illness, he has a hard time taking care of himself. During my assessment, I discovered that his house was cluttered and difficult to move around, his cabinets hadn’t been stocked for months, he wasn’t taking his medications, and his caretaker only came by for a few hours each week to check in on him. It was clear that he wasn’t getting all of the benefits he deserves and the care he needs, so I made numerous arrangements to help him live a better life, including mail-order prescriptions and a caretaker who visits his home at least five times a week to ensure he is taking his medications and has healthy food to eat. Even though I only visited him once, I was able to drastically improve his quality of life. Knowing the impact my work can have on those who are vulnerable and need help is incredibly validating.”

–– Rashidah Afolarin, Nurse Practitioner

“I have been a nurse for 12 years. I wanted to become a nurse because I thought I could illuminate the gradations of health and wellness, lifestyle, emotional and social stability and self care. I’ve carried this goal and mindset with me to Clover. I love incorporating functional medicine wherever appropriate, which takes an individualized approach to care and focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause (and often causes) of a disease. I also truly believe that laughter is medicine, and have found that comic relief really helps the members I work with.

There’s something to be said about being your patient’s advocate beyond administering medications or providing other clinical care. Sometimes it means being a shoulder to lean on, or a friend to confide in. I remember sitting with a patient in the hospital, listening to her story. She was a woman in her late 80s, and she missed her husband, who had passed. I pulled up their wedding song on my phone and continued to play songs from that era, us both finding a certain gentleness in the moment.”

–– Jennifer Sullivan, Wellness Nurse Care Manager

“I come from a long line of nurses and it was expected that I earn my RN before I did anything else, as my parents weren’t completely sold on my plan A. However, the adrenaline of the inner-city Level 1 trauma rooms which hosted the gang war aftermath in the ’90s hooked me. At Clover, helping prevent vulnerable members from falling through the cracks and helping them live their best possible lives sustains me.

In all of my 28 years in the field, coming full circle as a patient advocate has been the most rewarding moment for me as a nurse. On my last official day as a Pediatric ICU nurse, an attending walked up to say goodbye and asked me why I would ever want to leave the PICU. He thought that I was joining the “dark side” and would no longer be a patient advocate who directly impacted these tiny little lives at the bedside with all the tubes, multiple IV drips, monitors, ECMO, etc. I look back at that time and think about how, as the Director of Quality Improvement at Clover, I’m now able to impact people’s lives at scale and feel part of something so much larger than myself. I feel that I’m a patient advocate now more than ever.”

–– Julianne Eckert, Director, Quality Improvement

Thank you to each and every Clover nurse for all that you do for our members!