Generations of Care

For sisters Cindy Ulloa and Mindy Nicholson, working at Adventist Health Portland is a family affair. Like the hospital, which has served the community since 1893, the Nicholsons and Ulloas have long been devoted to caring for locals through their healthcare and administration careers.

“There has been a Nicholson relation working here since the late 1950s,” says Ulloa, who has been a financial analyst with the clinic system for nearly 22 years. “Our grandmother started as a phone operator from the late 1950s and worked in several departments until she retired in 1989,” Ulloa explains. “Our mother was a clinic manager, and our father worked in maintenance and nutritional services during his summer breaks when he was in high school.”

Even as teenagers, Ulloa and Nicholson served as volunteers alongside their brother and cousins. “It doesn’t feel like work — it just feels like home for me,” Ulloa says.

Following a pattern

Nicholson, a property manager for Adventist Health Portland, says that she and Ulloa see a pattern in their family.

“Our grandmother enjoyed working for Adventist Health, so she inspired our dad to work here,” she says. When he shared stories of working for Adventist Health, he inspired Ulloa to join the team, who in turn connected Nicholson when a job opportunity arose.

“It all started from enjoyment and passion for the Adventist Health mission and for taking care of people,” Nicholson says. Ulloa and Nicholson, a property manager, say joining the organization was a no-brainer for them. After all, they say, working for Adventist Health feels like being part of a big family.

“It’s a happy place to work. People are smiling all the time,” Nicholson says. “There’s a lot of collaboration — everyone is working together for the ultimate goal of taking care of our patients.”

Now, Ulloa’s two sons have joined the team, too — one as a nurse in the emergency department, and the other as a security officer — and are carrying on the family legacy of serving the community.

Trusting in local care

When Nicholson, Ulloa, and their loved ones need care, they know they can turn to Adventist Health Portland for their needs. Both are established patients with primary care physicians and specialists.

“When my kids have needed surgery in the past, we always chose Adventist Health Portland,” Ulloa says. “The people on our care teams were so helpful and really there for us when we needed them — not because they know I’m an employee, but because that’s how they genuinely treat every single patient and their family.”

Even in the hardest moments, care teams have shown the sisters compassion. “When our mother and grandmother passed away, those were such uncertain times for us,” Ulloa says. “We were in the hospital and we knew their time had come. The care and concern from everyone meant so much to us as we navigated those final days with them.”

Teaming up

Nicholson says that even though she isn’t in a patient care role, she sees how everyone at Adventist Health Portland works together for the goal of helping people achieve their best health.

“I went for a walk at lunch one day and a woman had fallen in the parking lot,” she recalls. “People were coming from everywhere to help her.” Thankfully, the woman didn’t have any injuries, but “so many people were so happy to be there for her — their first instinct was to come and help and make sure she had what she needed.”

Ulloa agrees. “Even though we don’t work in clinical jobs, we’re happy to help people in any way we can,” she says. “You don’t have to be a medical professional to work here — there are so many skills needed and so many opportunities to do good for our community.”