Two years ago Mountain Park gained one of the friendliest and energetic Medical Assistants. Stephanie Santiago, now a Lead at our Goodyear Clinic, radiates passion for her patients from miles away. No matter the mood, Stephanie’s personality brings joy to everyone in the room.

People come to medical facilities for medical care, which can be a time of stress, worry and nerves. Stephanie has the gift to make all our patients feel happy and comfortable from her first “hello” to her last “goodbye.” Everyone that has ever worked with Stephanie has seen what she can do for our patients.

“Patients love her easy going approach and friendly nature,” Roseanna Martinez, Operations Director at our Baseline Clinic told us. ”Her helpful and genuine personality helps patients feel comfortable and at ease.”

Her teammates tell us that when Stephanie isn’t in the office, patients can get disappointed. Her love and dedication to the profession and her patients demonstrates why she was meant to work in healthcare.

“At first, I wanted to become a Medical Assistant to see if I would even like healthcare,” Stephanie told us. “I wanted to explore the field and I quickly fell in love with being an MA. My favorite part is helping people. It’s a gift to be able to do that.”

Motivated by her patients, she is able to share her gift with everyone who comes in contact with her.

“My patients make it a point to tell me what a huge difference I make in their life and how much I’m needed,” she said. “That’s why I continue doing this. I love it, but my patients are my motivators. Every morning they inspire me to be the best Medical Assistant I can be.”

Coming in for an appointment can be stressful, but Stephanie knows how to make her patients feel at ease and it doesn’t take much for them to feel comforted.

“It’s important to talk to the patient like they are a regular person, because that’s exactly what they are,” she explained. “You have to make them feel as if you’ve known each other for years.”

“Working at Mountain Park is rewarding because we provide our patients with resources that other organizations don’t have the ability to provide,” she said. “Whatever your income, or wherever you come from, you get all the help you need at Mountain Park without being turned away. You get the sense of inclusion from the minute you walk in.”

Reaching our Communities
In addition to Stephanie’s amazing work ethic during business hours, she devotes a lot of her free time to participating in Mountain Park’s Community Ambassador Program which gets Mountain Park staff engaged in our community.

By giving her time during the week and on weekends, she is always helping the community she works and lives in.

“I volunteer because I don’t have all the money or resources to help others the way I would really like to,” Stephanie explained. “I give my time, which is so valuable to everyone because it is the one thing in life that is not ever promised. I may not be rich but I have a mind, a heart and an able body, so I give everything I can possibly give of myself. I have noticed while volunteering that you touch a lot of hearts because you’re creating memories with strangers, which nowadays is truly a gift.”

Stephanie spends so much time at work and helping her community that it’s hard to believe she has much time for much else, but she does. Stephanie and her wife Cynthia have two awesome kids, 6-year old Daniel and 3-year old Jay.

“I am so proud of the family we have created,” she said. “Marrying Cynthia was the best day of my life.”

Stephanie loves to sing, and one day hopes to be on “The Voice.” Stephanie and her family are all outdoorsy people so you can often find them doing activities outside, like hiking in Sedona. Stephanie is also a sports lover and you can catch her watching the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Yankees when she’s not working, volunteering or being out with her family.