Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | November 25, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 25 BY SLOANE M. PERRON Special to WBJ I f you would have told Ivelisse Delgado she would go from an entry-level secretary at the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center to operations practice manager of the organization's largest Worcester location, she never would have believed you. Born in Puerto Rico, Delgado moved with her family to Philadelphia at five years old before eventually settling in Worcester. Her 26-year career journey at the Kennedy Health Center serves as a testament for the hundreds of patients she has helped receive medical care. "She is humble. ere is just some- thing about her. She's a real advocate for patients. She's very kind, very compas- sionate. Patients love her, and staff really love her too," Leah Gallivan, former chief operating officer of the health center, who oversaw Delgado for 25 years. Delgado began as a secretary but quickly climbed the ladder into other roles, becoming a medical secretary, front desk team leader, insurance nav- igator expert, and benefits supervisor who oversaw the Outreach & Enrollment Program before reaching the milestone of operations practice manager in 2022. "When I was doing all these lead roles, it helped me see the whole entire operation of the health center. at's why in 2022, I decided to apply for the oper- ations practice manager, because I had a strong sense of the behind-the-scenes operations of the center. I'm happy that I held all these different roles because it provides a different perspective when I'm in meetings with others. For example, I can explain that this is the view from our patients, or this is how the patients see the flow here, or the impression of the front desk; and I'm able to add those viewpoints to our meetings," she said. One of the major challenges Delgado saw was patients were coming to the health center with inactive insurance or no insurance whatsoever. While the health center treats patients regardless of coverage, insurance is needed for spe- cialists. To rectify the situation, Delgado helped create a team assisting patients in navigating complex insurance hurdles. e insurance teams were so successful they were added to the health center's other sites in Framingham and Milford. Patients oen walked through the health center doors with serious diagno- ses like cancer yet had no idea where to get coverage or treatment. Delgado and her team worked with scared patients and connected them with insurance and resources, allowing them to receive the life-saving care they needed. "I always put myself in the patients' shoes, from the minute that they walk in the door, to their experience with check- ing in at the front desk, to how their experience is in the back end with their providers, and how we connect them to the proper care. Do we need to connect them to our clinical care managers? Do we need to show them the ropes in health care? Because many of the patients come from different backgrounds, so they're not familiar with our healthcare system," Delgado said. Gallivan remembers the day she first hired Delgado, whom she affectionately calls by the nickname Evy. For 25 years, Gallivan oversaw Delgado as her super- visor and watched her career blossom. "Health insurance is just about as com- plicated as you can get," Gallivan said. "Because of her, our health center always Delgado fulfills Kennedy health center's mission enrolled the most people and helped with Medicaid and Commonwealth Care. We always were right up there in numbers because she really made it a priority," Gallivan said. In addition to her intelligence, Gal- livan said Delgado's integrity and heart make her invaluable to the organization. She likes to think that Delgado and the organization both grew up together. "When I think about, 'Have we fulfilled our mission as a health center to help the vulnerable?' I think about people like Evy, and then I know that we have really achieved that mission," Gallivan said. H E A LT H C A R E F O C U S Ivelisse Delgado Operations practice manager Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, in Worcester Education: Certificate in community health and community health center management from Suffolk University, in Boston What are the best and worst parts about working in health care? The best part is the ability to positively impact someone's life by helping them live healthier. Patients have expressed their gratitude to me for our services. It is rewarding to be part of a team that cares and looks out for the community. The hardest part is not having enough physicians to meet the high volume of new patient requests. Many people are suffering, and navigating our healthcare system can pose a challenge for our most vulnerable populations. Outstanding Support Staff W PHOTO | COURTESY OF EDWARD M. KENNEDY COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER

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