THE DALLES, OR — Veronica Quintero, Certified Nursing Assistant at Columbia Basin Care, has been named 2018 Caregiver of the Year by the Oregon Health Care Association.
The honor is awarded to an individual who demonstrates a commitment to quality care through their dedication to residents, staff, and the long term care profession. OHCA is the largest long-term care trade association in Oregon, representing 1,000 organizations and nearly all long-term care providers in the state.
Columbia Basin Care, located in The Dalles, is the region’s only community-owned, not-for-profit facility for long-term care and short-stay rehabilitation. Founded in 1964, Columbia Basin Care employs 100 people and has served the community for over 50 years.
Humble and energetic, Quintero has worked at Columbia Basin Care for three years, and serves as a mentor to new aides, working side-by-side to share proper protocols and procedures, infused with empathy and warmth. “I just like to help,” says Quintero, with a smile and a shrug.
When she’s not caring for others as a full-time CNA, she is saving up her vacation time to work with her mother in the local cherry orchard. Since childhood, she has spent summers in the orchard, often toiling from dawn to dusk. “I like helping my mother. That time together is so special,” says Quintero.
Though young and early in her career, Quintero is a leader who carries a compassion beyond her years, says Aubree Olmstead, executive director of Columbia Basin Care. “Helping is such a natural reflex to Veronica that she doesn’t even realize compassion is part of her every action, both personally and professionally. Veronica is dedicated and caring, and so deserving of this honor.”
Columbia Basin Care is located at 1015 Webber St., The Dalles, Ore. 541-296-2156, colbasin.com, @Columbia Basin Care.