2018 Rural Health Rock Star Honorees Announced

​Ukiah, CA – For the third year in a row, Family Medicine Education for Mendocino County (FMEMC) will award the title Rural Health Rock Star to four individuals who demonstrate exemplary qualities in serving medical patients. The awards are part of the popular Rural Health Rocks concert, the organization’s annual fundraiser. This year’s winners are:

• Advanced Practice Clinician: Cindy Arbanovella
  Family Nurse Practitioner, Anderson Valley Health Center
  Arbanovella has been a family nurse practitioner at Anderson Valley Health Center for more than ten years. She works with patients across the lifespan at a health center where she says colleagues feel like her “second family.” Arbanovella thrives in the rural community that she both serves and calls home.

 

• Advocate/Leader: Nancy Johnson
  Support Services Manager, Inland Office of the Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino County

Says Johnson, “As a patient navigator, my role is to make sure anyone diagnosed with cancer has access to the knowledge needed to understand their diagnosis and treatment options, the confidence to make informed decisions, and the support to move forward,” Johnson has a reputation as a caring individual with a special talent for helping people.

• Nurse: Leanna Sweet
  RN, Director of Population Health, Adventist Health Ukiah Valley

Sweet explained that population health includes several hospital services: Outpatient Care Management, the Street Medicine Program, and the Medical Respite program. “I’m passionate about empowering people, walking alongside others in their life journeys, assisting with navigation along the way when needed, but mostly helping others find the courage to go beyond their self-imposed limitations and discover their true potentials,” says Sweet.

• Physician: Dr. Lynne Coen
  Family Physician, Director of Community Medicine Education, Family Medicine Residency Program

After serving in the Peace Corps, Dr. Coen returned to her native Northern California roots in 1993 to practice medicine in Mendocino County. She has actively participated in efforts to improve community health as a founding member of the Mendocino County Public Health Advisory Board (1994-2007) and as medical advisor to the local Headstart Program (1994-2003). She enthusiastically supports the Family Medicine Residency program as a means of providing adequate care for future generations of people in Mendocino County.
 
The third annual Rural Health Rocks concert featuring Michael McDonald and friends will be held on April 14 and 15 at the Mendocino College Center Theatre. During the April 14 concert, FMEMC members will present the Rural Health Rock Star Awards in recognition of exemplary commitment and leadership in caring for the health of people in our rural communities. Honorees will receive a custom, locally carved bowl designed and made by Dr. Larry Hartley and Redwood Empire Woodturners Neil Elmer, Nick Pearson, Dave Peck, Larry Hartley.
 
Community members in Lake and Mendocino Counties submitted more than 100 nominations and the selection committee — comprised of community members, doctors and FMEMC board members — chose the winners. Selection criteria included their level of professional skill, emotional support of patients, community service, diversity and years of experience, innovation, special qualities exemplified during this year, and the number of nominations they received.
 
FMEMC is a community-based, non-profit organization that serves as an independent advisory board to the family medicine residency (doctor training) program starting at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley in 2019. FMEMC also improves local health care through its support of the street medicine program and local nursing.
 
Previous Rural Health Rocks concerts in 2016 and 2017 raised more than $130,000. From those proceeds, FMEMC donated almost $40,000 toward advanced training scholarships for Mendocino College Nursing program graduates, and more than $100,000 toward the development of the upcoming residency program. To see all the honorees for the last three years visit the Honorees page.
 
For more information about FMEMC, visit www.fmemc.org or find it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fmemc. To learn more about Rural Health Rocks, visit www.ruralhealthrocks.org.
 
PHOTO CAPTION: The 2018 Rural Health Rocks Rockstar Honorees. From left to right: Leanna Sweet, Nancy Johnson, Lynne Coen, Cindy Arbanovella.