Craig Daily Press

Craig — Gisela Garrison’s family likes to get to know the world, she said.

In her 55 years, she’s moved from her homeland, Germany, to Chicago, and now plans to move to Craig to join the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association as clinic manager.

ALthough her world is perhaps about to become a little smaller, Garrison said she is happy to move where she has wanted to live for the past 10 or 15 years.

“I love the snow and I love the mountains,” she said. “I’ve visited a very good friend in Steamboat every year for the past couple. I feel very fortunate. With this new job opportunity, this is the place I want to be.”

Her background in health care is as varied as it is seemingly suitable for her role with the VNA.

She worked for seven years as a doctor in a children’s hospital before leaving Germany. While in Chicago, Garrison did a little bit of everything, including develop a clinical support program at Lake County Health Department Community Health Center in Waukegan, Ill.

Which brings her to what she plans to bring to the Craig VNA.

As clinic manager, Garrison said she hopes to help the VNA establish itself as a federally qualified community health center — bringing in federal dollars to treat under- and uninsured patients — and create the kind of physician support structure she developed in Illinois.

She will assume duties in case management, a phrase she doesn’t like.

“It puts people as cases, and that’s not my philosophy,” she said.

Case management means ensuring that all aspects of a person’s treatment are fulfilled, Garrison said.

For instance, a person with a respiratory infection — or any condition — may need to see specialists beyond his or her nurse or family doctor.

“This is where my medical background has been so beneficial for all these things,” Garrison said. Because she knows what treatments could be needed, she knows what specialists to look for in each case.

Recruiting physicians — and outside physicians to the area —is a lot of what Garrison wants to develop.

“The biggest challenge will be finding those resources to provide comprehensive health care,” Garrison said. “Giving appropriate care to an individual means having to give good case management.”

The Memorial Hospital’s new facility should help draw providers to the area, she said, and once they start coming, it will be easier to draw in more.

“The more resources you can offer to a physician’s work, the more attractive the position,” Garrison said, referring to having a group of specialists to help general practitioners provide specialized treatment. “This is the concept I know needs to be realized.”

Garrison herself didn’t need such support to make the leap from Chicago to Moffat County, she said.

“I’m always one who likes challenges,” she said. “Deep down I’m kind of an optimist. It won’t be easy to find doctors to come out there, but not easy doesn’t mean impossible.

“I’m pretty much aware this is just a beginning. There are a lot of holes in the fabric to fill. To make the patchwork a little tighter, a little closer, make a little more services available to the people who need them there, that’s what I hope to accomplish.”

Garrison plans to retire in Craig, she said, but not for another 10 years or more. She expects to start at the VNA on March 10.

Collin Smith can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 209, or cesmith@craigdailypress.com