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Family First Health

A community health care center

Staff recognized for going above and beyond over past months

wowcardDid you know that at Family First Health we have “WOW” cards?

It’s a chance for staff to nominate other employees who they see doing something the exemplify our guiding principals.

What are our principals you may ask:

“Patient Centered” – “Respectful” – “Serves Everyone” – “Fiscally Responsible” – “ Continuous Improvement and Innovation” – “Integrity” – “Collaborative”

Not only does the employee, supervisor and CEO get to see who’s WOWing who in the office, but each month, a drawing done by HR will choose the winners of 3 $50 Giant gift cards. [Read more…] about Staff recognized for going above and beyond over past months

Meet the staff: Lawrence Spector

Lawrence Spector

Lawrence Spector was working in New Hampshire doing internal medicine but felt as though he was lacking something when it came to providing overall care for patients.

That’s what drew him to Family First Health — the idea of having one organization that has medical, dental and social services. The whole package for the whole patient.

York might seem like a random jump from 25 years in New Hampshire, but Spector has family here. His sister lives in the area and had a baby a few years ago. The rest of the family came down to be close to his nephew. So in a way, moving to York is like moving home for him.

Lawrence Spector spent time in the U.S. Army in the early 2000s before completing nursing school, working 10 years in an ICU and going back to graduate school for more education. He brings all that background to our Lewisberry Center where he’s just starting as a new provider.

When he’s not working or house hunting, Spector says he’s looking forward to spending more time with his family and checking out the outdoors in central Pennsylvania. From hiking trails to teaching his nephew to fish, he’s excited to see what the area has to offer. He also loves taking his nephew to Hersheypark.

This is NOT Adam but I had to Google English sheepdog puppies. How cute are they!?

Lawrence Spector also has his hands full with his old English sheepdog puppy — Adam.

Meet the staff: Dr. Terrence Walker

Terrence-Walker-DDSDr. Terrence Walker joined Family First Health in August 2015 — seeing patients at our George Street and Hanover centers. He remembers exactly the month when it puts it into context that it was around the time he injured his Achilles tendon playing basketball and needed surgery. Since then, he’s hung up his basketball shorts.

He received his Bachelor of Science from Hampton University. He received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. After doing a residency in Tennessee, teaching back at his dental school and doing another residency in Connecticut, Walker decided it was time to come home to York.

Terrence Walker was born and raised here, going to St. Patrick’s, York Catholic and York Suburban for school. It was at Suburban where he discovered his love of dentistry. A high school teacher told them to choose an occupation, shadow someone and do a report. The teacher suggested they choose something they were strong in — and for Walker that was science and art. So Walker decided to shadow his own dentist — Dr. Charles Stein in East York. From there, he knew he wanted to be a dentist.

His favorite part of being a dentist is interacting with patients. “Everyone’s different,” he said. And he works to “connect with patients as people.” It’s been fun along the way when patients come in and say they know his grandparents or aunt. “It’s cool to see how small the unit is,” he said.

When he’s not working in York or Hanover, Terrence Walker loves to travel. Mostly, he goes to Atlanta to see his fiancee (they’re getting married this October). The two met while doing their residencies in Tennessee. They’ll be doing their first big trip together after the wedding, when they head to Aruba for the honeymoon.

He loves comedy —too many comedians to pick, though Chris Tucker and Larry the Cable Guy come to mind (he blames living in the South). When it comes to sports — it’s Penn State football, the Philadelphia Eagles and North Carolina Tar Heels basketball. But he’s a giant Penn State fan.

His favorite food is anything Italian – mainly lasagna and pizza. And then it comes to his favorite dental procedures, he admits it’s got to be the restorative and aesthetic work. There’s just something about seeing the immediate turnaround on a patient’s smile and how that makes them feel.

Meet the staff: Victoria Lorenz

Victoria-Lorenz-PA-CMichigan native Victoria Lorenz was looking to try something new. So she left the only place she’d ever lived to move to Pennsylvania and attend school at Salus University. She wasn’t totally alone though, since her sister — 4 years her senior — lived in nearby Lancaster.

Once she graduated from school, she started looking around for options. She knew she wanted to work with the underserved. And she was always interested in family medicine. She stumbled across Family First Health online, liked our website and the rest is now history — or at least the start of a new story.

“I always wanted to do this,” she said. So far, she’s loving what she does working with patients at our George Street Center. She thinks the staff is pretty great, too.

When she’s not working at George Street, Lorenz admits she’s a Netflix addict. Some of her favorite shows to binge watch include The Walking Dead, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and The Vampire Diaries. She also loves watching movies, reading and shopping. When it comes to sports, Victoria Lorenz played volleyball in school and is also a fan of basketball, baseball and soccer.

Her teams? All Michigan, of course.

Meet the staff: Alexander McKinley

mckinleyWe want you to get to know your staff at Family First Health in and out of the doctor’s office. It’s a daunting task, but we’re starting with some of our newer providers.
Meet Alexander McKinley — one of our dentists working in the Hanover and Gettysburg centers.

Alexander McKinley is a graduate of the Temple University Dental School Class of 2015 and joined us here at Family First Health after graduation. He’s also recently engaged!

Why did he decide to pursue a career in dentistry? “I wanted to help people achieve their best oral health and alleviate any problems that may arise with their oral conditions,” he said.

And at Family First Health, he believes our “open and welcoming atmosphere” emphasizes “putting the needs and well-being of the patients ahead of profit margins.”

When he’s not here working on your teeth, Dr. Alexander McKinley likes to go on hikes, read books, learn new languages — he’s learning Spanish and Mandarin — and cook.

He’s a New York Giants and Philadelphia 76ers fan and when it comes to eating and drinking, his favorites are sriracha and egg sandwiches and unsweetened ice tea.

 

Meet the staff: Angel Wagner

angelTitle: Clinical Support Staff Supervisor, Lewisberry

Years at Family First Health: 10

Angel Wagner, a clinical support staff supervisor at our Lewisberry office, loves nursing and loves to serve.

“I believe everyone deserves to have the best health care possible,” said Angel. “A lot of our patients have enough barriers in their lives to overcome, and finding a health care home they can trust to get the quality care they need, is awesome. That’s why I work at Family First Health”

In her free time, Angel is involved in several outreach ministries including the Power Pak Program, Soul Food Ministry and Neighborhood Fun Night. Her work in the community also allows Angel to have a fuller connection with patients, as they benefit from many of the programs.

“I love working at Family First Health and plan to stay until my nursing career ends” Angel said.

Meet the staff: Missi Ensminger

missiTitle: RN, Nurse-Family Partnership program

Years with Family First Health: 32

Missi joined Family First Health’s medical department in 1983 seeking hours and an environment that would work for her young family. As an RN, her work allowed her to care for the same patients she had been seeing in a hospital setting, but on a schedule that worked for her new family. As part of her job, she received training in HIV testing and counseling.

She grew her role to become the nursing supervisor of the Hanover, Lewisberry, George Street and Hannah Penn centers for five years before starting work with the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program.

The Nurse-Family Partnership program allowed Missi to get back into what she loves: Interacting with patients. By meeting with patients in their home environments, the program allows Family First Health to tailor care to each family in order to provide the best possible outcomes for mothers and babies.

Through her work, Missi has the opportunity to assist patients throughout the York area that may not otherwise have a voice in their health care.

In her spare time, Missi enjoys working in her garden; cruising in a 1962 MGA convertible recently restored by her husband, Tom; and bragging about her son and daughter-in-law’s photography business.

Meet the staff: Brittany Hanchett

brittany

Title: Nurse Educator
Started at Family First Health: June 2015

Brittany has always wanted to help people — it’s one of the reasons she decided to go into the field of healthcare.

“In the medical field, you see people at some of the best and worst times in their lives,” Brittany said. “Being able to be a part of those good moments and offering support in difficult times is a very special privilege.”

For her, one of the best parts about working for Family First Health is its connection to the community.

“I love the way this organization reaches out to the community to offer assistance wherever it can,” she said.

When not working at Family First Health, Brittany can be found outdoors. She enjoys everything from running and hiking to spending time at the beach. She also has an adorable 1-year-old daughter who has no trouble keeping her busy!