Specialty Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Facility Sacramento Medical Center Department of Medicine - Hematology/Oncology Address 2025 Morse Avenue Sacramento CA 95825 Map & Directions Telephone Receptionist: 916-973-7342 E-mail your doctor View your preventive services

My Office Hours

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	8:30 am 5:00 pm	8:30 am 5:00 pm	8:30 am 5:00 pm	8:30 am 5:00 pm
Closed during lunch, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm

I am pleased to offer my home page as a means to introduce myself and also, to provide you with high-quality health information through useful handouts and helpful web links.

My Specialty and Why I Chose It

I am a nurse practitioner in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. This means I care for children who have a blood disorder or cancer. I have always loved children and knew that I wanted to be a pediatric nurse from a very young age. In the course of my studies, I found that I loved caring for the children (and their families) who had cancer. I really like being able to develop a relationship with the families that I care for. It is very rewarding to me to be able to help families cope with this crisis in their lives and to maintain as much normalcy through the process as possible. I really love what I do!

My Credentials

Bachelor’s Degree	Nursing; California State University, Sacramento
Master’s Degree	Nursing; California State University, Los Angeles
Specialty	Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Board Certification	Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Expanded Education	Pediatric Oncology Nurse Practitioner Fellowship; Texas Children’s Hospital

My Practice Philosophy

Good communication is one of the main goals of my practice. Our team believes in truthful interactions with our patients and their families............even when the truth is difficult to hear. Our motto is: "If we have information about your child, we are going to share it with you." I believe that the families that we treat have a great trust in the care that we provide because we keep the lines of communication open.

I believe that by empowering families to care for themselves and seeking the support they need to do that throughout the treatment of cancer for their child, enables them to feel powerful throughout the rest of their lives. I also believe that by showing great compassion for the families that I care for, I take better care of them. I always try to think about how I would feel were I in the same situation.

My Tenure with Kaiser Permanente

I’ve been a part of Kaiser Permanente since 1998. During that time, I’ve really come to appreciate the ability to get testing done in a timely manner when a diagnosis of cancer is suspected in a child. I've worked for many organizations and I have to say that Kaiser Permanente is the best one yet! I really do love working at Kaiser Permanente.

Why I Like Practicing Medicine at Kaiser Permanente

I really love the team approach that we have here at Kaiser Permanente in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology service. The physicians I work with are top-notch! As I already stated, I am thrilled with how quickly we can get tests scheduled and done on children that we suspect have cancer. I have built a good rapport with many employees in other departments and we are willing to work with each other to get things done promptly for the patient. Kaiser Permanente physicians are very "down-to-earth" and are truly colleagues to the many nurse practitioners that also work in the organization.

My Professional Interests and Affiliations

I have a special interest in grief and bereavement. I think how people get through the death of their child (or loved one) really affects the rest of their life. I strive to get them through that process in the best possible way. It is important for them to feel cared for during this time and to give them honest answers to the questions they have. Just being there to listen is the most important aspect of this care.

On the opposite end of that spectrum, I also have a special interest in the psychosocial aspects of childhood cancer. I am especially interested in the siblings of the children with cancer and how they are coping. They are often "the forgotten" people in this scenario. On our team, we strive to include the siblings in the patient's care as much as possible and as appropriate of the child's age. We have a wonderful Child Life Specialist that can work with siblings to help them understand what is happening with their brother or sister. Our Social Worker is also a great asset with siblings.

Basically, total family-centered care is what I believe in. I also believe it is important to stay abreast of new information related to pediatric hematology/oncology. I attend the National Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses annual conference each year, and the Children's Oncology Group Nursing Symposium every other year. It is great to network with my peers at those meetings and gain new ideas and information that I can use in my practice.

On a Personal Note…

I have been a nurse since 1987 and a nurse practitioner since 1995. As I said above, I have always loved children and from the age of 3 years have wanted to be a pediatric nurse. While working as a pediatric nurse, I was always drawn to the children with cancer and their families. I think what drew me to them was the long-term relationships that are established in this kind of care. I enjoy getting to know families and helping them to find coping strategies during this time in their lives.

I am a single-mom-by-choice to a beautiful little girl! She is the light of my life! I became a parent later in life than most, which has its pluses and minuses! The plus being that I have more life experience to draw from and the minus is I have way less energy! But, she and I are a great team and really enjoy each other. Photography is another passion of mine. I have had a camera since about the 4th grade and took some courses in high school and college and have taken additional courses over the past several years. I recently started a very part-time photography business and enjoy taking portraits of other people's children and families. I feel it is important to have interests outside of work in order to stay healthy and well-balanced, and this is definitely one of my big ones! I also enjoy many crafts including cross-stitching, crocheting, and most of all scrapbooking! (The last goes along well with my love of photography, but makes for very LARGE scrapbooks!)

About My Home Page

Thank you for your interest and taking the time to learn more about me and the Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Kaiser Permanente. There are a number of links to clinical information as well as a link to the websites of other members in my department. You can even use this site to refill prescriptions, or request an appointment with your personal physician. If you have any questions about your care in our department, please feel free to call me at anytime. Our entire team and I want to be certain that all of your concerns and needs are addressed. If you need to schedule a follow-up appointment in the Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, please call (916) 973-7342 and ask to speak to our medical assistant. Thank you.

Links You May Find Useful

If you are going to search on the web about childhood cancer, please visit CureSearch! It is very comprehensive and we know that the information provided here is reviewed by experts in the field. There are many websites out there that are anecdotal in nature (people's individual stories) and not medically correct. We want you to have accurate information when finding out about your child's diagnosis. This is the website for you! There are sections for healthcare providers (a good site for your regular pediatrician to visit), parent, and patients. The information for patients is divided into appropriate age groups as well. Check it out!

Another great website with accurate information is cancersourcekids.com. This site is also divided into information by age-group and has a section for parents as well.

And just for fun, visit Creative Memories

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

This site may contain links to other web sites outside of www.permanente.net. Kaiser Permanente has no control over the content or the availability of these sites, and is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Web links are provided as an educational tool, and should not be relied upon for personal diagnosis or treatment. A link or reference to a web site should not be construed as an endorsement of the site or its contents. Any medical content that you feel may be important to your health should always be discussed with your Kaiser Permanente physician.