Jeff Tromberg conducted a very interesting Craft Talk with Club member Rachel Huerta, APRN.
With over a decade of experience, Rachel provides patient-centered care both in the office and hospital settings. She believes that knowing your patient and creating a relationship with them is vital to helping them achieve their wellness goals. She provides “full-service” medical care and includes in-house lab draws, imaging on-site, hospital care and same-day appointments if needed.
Rachel is married to her husband Jody. They have three kids ages 9, 6 and 4. Thy fostered seven kids over the years. For fun, they love to go boating on the intercoastal.
She was introduced to Rotary by a doctor in a private practice. She loved that Rotary was all about service.
Rachel went to Africa (see below) and then went back to school to become an APRN where she is now in private practice. She has a business model of having members pay a monthly membership fee. She doesn’t take insurance but does provide afterhours care.
Lobbying: Rachel has gone to Washington D.C. on multiple occasions to lobby for patients to have better access to care by allowing them to use funds in HSA and FSA accounts for health-related expenses. She states that removing barriers to health care is a priority and she has made it a priority to make her practice an affordable option that provides excellent care for patients.
Insurance: Rachel believes that everything has its place, including health insurance. She thinks that health insurance when used for major medical expenses is very helpful but can be cumbersome for the every-day-health needs for generally healthy individuals. She believes that everyday care (such as primary care, sick visits, imaging, generic medications, etc.) can be affordably provided through the private market just like car owners budget for routine care of their car but carry major insurance for accident situations.
Africa: Rachel has served in overseas medical mission work in Tanzania, Africa. She was able to make a connection with the people in a small village called Makwale and assist to provide support to their staff by raising funds through our Rotary Club for new beds, medications, and medical supplies. When she visits the clinics, she assists in patient care and supporting the staff of the clinic.
Fostering: Rachel and Jody began their fostering journey almost on accident. They called to find out how to promote the idea of creating more foster homes but did not plan on actually fostering themselves. Before they knew it, they were in a class, licensed, and taking in their first child. They had the privilege of fostering seven children over five years. They adopted 3 of the 7 children they were able to foster.