Columbia Memorial | Health Compass | Fall 2016

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Name: Shantija
LaRue, CNA 2
Title: Certified Nursing
Assistant 2, Medical/
Surgical Unit
Time at CMH: 7 months
Name: Porsche
Brunzell, CMA
Title: Certified
Medical Assistant,
CMH Medical Group
Time at CMH: 6 years
caregivers
Porsche Brunzell’s interest in health care began as
aWarrenton High School student in CMH’s Health
Occupations class, which was taught at the time by
Kendra Gohl, RN.
“That’s where the fire was lit,”Brunzell says. “I
want to help people and make a difference in their
lives. And I also think the human body is fascinating.”
Although she has worked in several of CMH’s
clinics, and fills in wherever she is needed, Brunzell
has found that working with wound care nurse
Lisa Harris, RN, in the Specialty Clinic is a great
combination of her interests. “What I enjoy most
about wound care is that you see patients more
often and you get to establish a relationship with
them,” she says.
Patients who need wound care generally visit the
clinic at least once a week for care. Beyond taking
the patient’s blood pressure and other vital signs,
Brunzell sees her job as one of distraction. “I most
enjoy making people laugh,” she says.
By the time a patient no longer needs wound
care, it’s a bittersweet parting. She’s glad that their
body has healed, but she’s sad that she won’t be
seeing them regularly.
“I think it’s important that we treat our patients
like someone we really care about,”Brunzell says.
“You’re seeing someone’s father, someone’s mother,
someone’s grandmother.”
Brunzell and her husband, Aaron, live in Astoria.
She loves to travel and spend time with family
and friends. “I’m a huge social butterfly,” she says.
She enjoys going to coffee shops and breweries,
dancing, karaoke, game nights, and hosting parties.
She is always ready to lend a hand or a laugh
whenever it’s needed.
WE’D like to introduce you to some of
the dedicated caregivers at CMH. They are
among the caregivers at CMH for whom
service to others is more than just a job;
it’s a way of life. These caregivers make our
region a better place to live.
The gift of laughter
school to learn to be a nursing assistant.
“It’s a different environment in a hospital than anywhere
else because people are more supportive,” she says.
LaRue has been a certified nursing assistant (CNA) since
2010. She has worked both in the hospital setting and in
long-term care with patients with Alzheimer’s. She now
works at CMH on the medical/surgical unit. In July 2016 she
earned her CNA 2 certification.
LaRue works nights, which is a hard time of the day for
many patients. She finds that her down-to-earth and
reassuring attitude helps her as she cares for patients’
physical and emotional needs.
“I like to make people smile on the crappiest day of their
lives,” LaRue says.
In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, sewing and working
on her house in Astoria. She and her husband are building a
retaining wall and a patio to make room for their two young
grandsons to play.
For LaRue, the Columbia coast region is now home. “I
like the community,” she says. “I like that there’s always
something to do.”