For more than 20 years, Shawn Moran, Referral Coordinator at our Gateway Clinic, has been coming to work, her home away from home.

“Mountain Park is a place of comfort for me,” she said. It is a place that I want to return to, even when I’m on vacation, I’m always ready to come back.”

Like many employees, what once was a job, turned into a passion for helping her community have access to affordable, quality care. In her role, Shawn can connect the dots between Mountain Park and the external specialists that our patients depend on to live healthy lives.

“If a patient needs to see a heart specialist or someone who deals with cancer or kidney problems, I am there to help make that connection and follow the patient in their journey,” she said. “I may not see the patient face-to-face, but over the years I have been able to establish relationships—even over the phone. I am proud to be a part of this community.”

Shawn was never interested in the healthcare field, at least not until she started working at Mountain Park. Her mom worked as a housekeeper at our Baseline Clinic and when she left, Shawn was asked to fill her shoes.

“When I was working as a housekeeper I developed relationships and a woman by the name of Carol Iverson gave me a chance when a referrals position opened up,” Shawn said.

Ever since then, Shawn has been fascinated with the healthcare field. For 18 years she has worked in referrals and has never regretted being recruited into the medical world.

“There are days that I regret not going to medical school because I think I would have been a great doctor, but there are never days where I regret working here,” she said. “Mountain Park, especially Dr. Rachel Sy is my other family.”

Dr. Sy has worked with Shawn for 10 years and is amazed by her dedication and determination to make her patients feel taken care of.

“If Shawn is presented with a problem, she makes a real attempt to seek out the answer or get to the root of the issue, rather than sweep it under the rug,” Dr. Sy said. “She is very conscientious and takes her job seriously because she knows that anyone’s work here can affect the patient’s health—either positively or negatively.”

As a Phoenix native, Shawn has always wanted to get away from the desert, and one day hopes to retire with her husband somewhere where there are actually four seasons.

“But for now, while I’m here I really enjoy fishing because it is so peaceful,” Shawn said. “I’ve always been a nature person and my favorite area to visit is Payson or Show Low.”