(L to R) Gail Hamilton, Emily Bolusky and Judy Gibson

IHCRC Employees Recognized by the Indian Health Service

The Seventh Annual Oklahoma City Area Office Indian Health Service (IHS) Director's Awards Ceremony and Banquet was held on July 22, 2010 in Oklahoma City. This annual event recognizes individuals and health teams who have helped advance the goal of the Indian Health Service to ensure comprehensive health services are provided in a culturally competent manner to American Indian and Alaskan Native people. Individuals working at federal Indian health, tribal health and urban health (I/T/U) facilities within Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma were recognized at the awards ceremony for excellence in job performance. Four exceptional employees: Gail Hamilton, Emily Bolusky, Dr. Taylor and Judy Gibson of Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa received an Area Director's Award. Read more:

Judy Gibson, CFO, Superior Management Award

Judy Gibson joined Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 1996. Since that time, she has distinguished herself with her expertise and skills by managing the annual budget and ensuring the financial statements are maintained in good order. She is responsible for the leadership, supervision, performance, output and vision of the 28 staff members under her direction, including those employees working in Eligibility, Information Technology, Accounting and the Patient Business Office.

During her tenure, Judy has been instrumental in making the following changes and improvements, which have been key to the success and growth within her departments and to the clinic as a whole:

• Creation of the Patient Benefits Coordination office (Eligibility department) in 1997, which is currently comprised of five employees who conduct insurance verifications, SoonerCare enrollment and medical referrals.
• Creation of the Information Technology department in 1999, whose three employees keep the technologically based operations of the heath organization running smoothly.
• Expansion of the Accounting department from three to
  five employees.
• Expansion of the Patient Business Office from three to 18 employees.
• She is ultimately responsible for the $14.9 M annual budget at IHCRC and is responsible for the coordination of 15 to 20 grants and contracts in any given year and ensuring that all grant/contract specific guidelines are met and followed for each.
• Instituted the live month-end closing for the Patient Business Office. All charges and payments are posted in month incurred or received.
• Prepared with the support of the Accounting Supervisor the pro formas and projections needed to formulate the financial package used to facilitate the building expansion and remodeling project for the main clinic.
• Has consistently achieved an unqualified annual audit with "no findings" since coming to work at IHCRC.

Judy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Langston University (Summa Cum Laude,) and became CPA certified by the Oklahoma State Board of Public Accountants in 1992.

Judy serves on IHCRC's Leadership Team (LT,) is a staff representative on the IHCRC Board of Trustees Financial Committee and serves on the Indian Health Service (IHS) Area Director's Awards Committee.

Laura K. Taylor, DO, Area Director's Excellence Award

Laura Taylor, DO a Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrician joined Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa on a part-time basis in September of 2001 and transferred to a full-time status in 2006. During her tenure, she has doubled her volume of care from 1,000 patient visits annually when working part-time to a current annual average of 2,000 visits as a full-time employee.

In her role as a Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrician, Dr. Taylor evaluates, counsels and provides treatment for children, adolescents and their families with a wide range of common developmental and behavioral difficulties that includes:

• Learning disorders including dyslexia, writing difficulties and math disorders
• Attention and behavioral disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and others including oppositional-defiant behavior, conduct problems, depression and anxiety disorders
• Tics, Tourette syndrome and other habit disorders
• Regulatory disorders including sleep disorders, feeding problems, discipline difficulties, complicated toilet-training issues, enuresis (bedwetting) and encopresis (soiling)
• Delayed development in speech, language, motor skills and thinking ability
• Behavioral and developmental problems complicating the full range of pediatric illnesses and disabling conditions (for example, genetic disorders, epilepsy, prematurity, diabetes, asthma, and cancer)

Dr. Taylor earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Cell Biology from the University of Tulsa and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Oklahoma State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa. She went on to receive a fellowship in Developmental / Behavioral Pediatrics at Boston City Hospital, Boston University.

Emily Bolusky, Public Relations Manager, Merit Award, Non-Clinical

Emily Bolusky joined Indian Health Care Resource Center in November 2001 as the Public Relations Specialist and has worked her way up to the Public Relations Manager position. Emily earned her BS degree from the University of Tulsa. Prior to working for IHCRC, Emily worked in Corporate Marketing doing product management, forecasting and inventory management for Tyson Foods, Inc. and was the Marketing Coordinator for Thermatran, Inc.

Emily works hard to ensure that Indian Health Care's brand is carefully protected and presented to the public. In working with local associations, Emily keeps the name of Indian Health Care out in the community for both local and state-wide recognition by serving on committees, attending events and participating in the "scene" in Tulsa. Emily works hard each day to ensure IHCRC is promoted in a positive light by:

• Providing all media (newspapers, TV, radio, web sites, etc.) with press releases and notices of upcoming productions, newsworthy events, and advertising.
• Developing multi-media material for community awareness of the agency and special events. She coordinates and helps write the IHCRC Healthy Spirit quarterly publication.
• Conceiving, developing and conducting agency fund-raising events and promoting various IHCRC programs, activities and events.
• Hands-on involvement in a variety of marketing logistics, including event production, scheduling and shipping, collateral coordination and premium ordering.

One of Emily's highest profile duties is the presentation of IHCRC's annual fundraiser, Dance of the Two Moons. Emily has an unrivaled commitment to carrying out her public relations responsibilities with the Dance of the Two Moons and its goal to raise funds to support IHCRC's children's wellness programs.

Gail Hamilton, Eligibility Clerk, Peer Recognition Award

Gail Hamilton joined Indian Health Care's Eligibility department in September 2002. Through the years, she has worked in several different positions within the Eligibility department. Gail consistently goes above and beyond in her job expectations year after year. Gail has a desire to make sure patients are serviced to the best of her ability. She has developed and implemented new processes to enable the Eligibility department to become more efficient. During 2009, Gail helped establish a stable and efficient system setup between IHCRC and the Claremore Indian Hospital's Contract Health department to help keep track of contract health referrals.

Gail received computer training from the American Automation Training Center in Kansas City, Missouri. She is a Certified Insurance Counselor for the Oklahoma Insurance Department's Senior Health Insurance Counseling Program (SHICP) and has undergone Community Information and Assistance Training (CIAT) from Life Senior Services of Tulsa.

In her position, Gail's responsibilities include:

• Obtaining information to add newborns as new IHCRC enrolled patients
• Researching and preparing correspondence as per requested from health providers, insurance companies and vendors
• Serving as prior authorization and referral specialist to verify eligibility, submit request for prior authorizations and referrals for Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance. She also sets appointments, orders home health equipment, tests, etc.
• Assisting patients in social services and resources, CDIB and tribal verification and benefits.