24 Mar
Fatima Arteaga is eager for the opportunity to help people.
She started in her community care coordinator position at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center on Thursday, March 12.
Fatima wasn’t sure at first what the position would entail, but she always wanted to work in a medical clinic or hospital. As she checked into it, she learned the role involves helping people determine eligibility for health insurance and other programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, assisting them with filling out applications, arranging for transportation to the health center, and doing interpretation and translation for Spanish-speaking patients.
She noted that many people are hesitant to go in for a checkup because they struggle to pay for their medical bills, but she discovered that Promise makes the process much easier for them in various ways.
“I had no idea that Promise offered so much help, and I wanted to be part of it,” Fatima said.
Fatima graduated from Boyden-Hull High School in 2013 and earned an associate’s degree from Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon in 2014. She started working as a bilingual secretary at Christ the King Church in Sioux Center and St. Mary’s Church in Rock Valley in October 2013 and continues to do so on a part-time basis.
She thinks her past experience will be beneficial in her new full-time role at Promise.
“Through my church, I have met a lot of people, and some of them I have seen here at the clinic, so I hope they will be able to confide in me if they have any medical needs or transportation needs,” she said.
Fatima lives in Hull. Her interests include going to see movies and spending time with family.