The Napartet News will be featuring articles with the Who’s Who in the Human Resources Department over the next few weeks, to introduce readers to a team that encompasses employees who have been here longer than many YKHC staff, and a few new hires who are returning to Bethel because they enjoy the service HR provides to our healthcare community.
Our culture is what makes YKHC unique. Human Resources staff are driven to provide individualized experiences for their customers: the employees, family members, and potential hires they serve. Human Resources staff work hard to fulfill the promise: you matter more, into everything they do.
Every day, they work hard to create a caring, diverse culture and a place our YKHC employees can be more, do more, and most importantly – matter more. Through career advancement opportunities, continuing education programs, employee recognition, and health and wellness programs, our entire YKHC team is part of creating something better for all – our employees, patients, and communities.
At YKHC, our employees are our most valuable asset. We are the workplace choice for over 1,500 dedicated, diverse, motivated individuals who are passionate about serving the patients and communities in which they work and live. The first point of contact with YKHC is often YKHC’s Recruitment Team, so we’ll start off our weekly series on “Who is HR” with a bit about each member of this team. We’ve asked them to tell us about who they are and why they are working here in HR.
Devon Jeppesen, RN Professional Nurse Recruiter has worked for YKHC for eight and a half years. She relocated to Bethel and started as a floor nurse in OPC in June 2013, then became a Charge Nurse for about 2 years, then became the OPC Nurse Manager for a year. She moved offsite and continued to mainly help OPC with their recruiting process, transferring to HR at the beginning of January 2022. Devon has learned a lot about recruiting nurses, providers and med techs in OPC over the years, and is excited to bring that knowledge to the HR Team! From working various positions within OPC Devon has a good foundation regarding how YKHC functions in different capacities within a department. Devon relocated back in 2013 with her husband and two small kids, so also have lived the “relocation experience” and can share that with candidates who are considering moving to Bethel and our village clinics.
When asked why she likes working in HR at YKHC, Devon says she fell in love with the YK Delta and all the wonderful people who call this part of Alaska home. She did not want to leave Bethel, and tried so hard not to, but her family circumstances changed, so she made the decision to leave. Devon loves that she has been able to stay working as a Recruiter in a remote capacity, to serve the folks of the YK Delta Region. She says, “I can’t provide nursing care from afar, but I can sure try to recruit the best healthcare team for this region”. Devon will always consider Bethel home, and says, “I love to come visit, and I love to continue to provide the services I can to our awesome population! So corny but so true”!
Izayah Liu, Professional Recruiter, has worked for YKHC for 2 years. He was born and raised in Bethel, and started as a Summer Hire/Intern in May 2016, then became an Admin Assistant the following summer, then became a Services Coordinator in the beginning of 2021. Izayah transferred over to HR in December of 2021, when he moved back to Bethel due to Covid-19 heavily affecting his college courses. Izayah states he has learned a lot about recruiting for a wide variety of departments and continues to learn more each day! Due to his experience working various positions within the YKHC organization, he has a good foundation regarding how YK functions in different capacities within a lot of the various departments he supports as a Recruiter.
Izayah enjoys working in HR at YK Health because, in his words: “ Working at recruitment gives me the satisfaction that I hired someone that will continue to keep our organization operational. Hiring someone gives me the satisfaction that I am changing someone’s life, and starting/writing a new page in their career own book”. Bethel is home for Izayah, and he states, “I grew up here, my family is here, and my whole life is here. Traditional values and a subsistence lifestyle are important to me. I left for a little while, but there was something that drew me to come back home. And that was to serve my people, my community, and my region”.
Our HR staff member who has the longest length of service for YKHC is David J. Friday, YKHC’s Native Hire Recruiter. David has worked for YKHC for twenty-five and a half years. He relocated to Bethel back in 1982 and then started working for YKHC as EMS Instructor/Provider. After an injury, David moved over to Human Resources as a Recruiter Assistant. Through his many years of employment, David went on to become Professional Recruiter and most recently has become the Native Hire Recruiter, helping YKHC increase the Alaska Native Workforce, one of our focuses as an organization.
When queried on why he likes working in HR at YK Health, David states, “I like working for YKHC because they are a Native Health Organization that promotes Native hire for ALL their positions. They have a very good benefits package that increases as you continue to stay working here”. David stressed that YKHC has a very friendly atmosphere in all departments. “Thank you, YK for the opportunity to help our Alaska Native community”, says David.
Laurie Luke, Professional Recruiter and Tribal Human Resources Professional has a passion for serving our people! Laurie’s family is originally from St. Mary’s and it is fulfilling to know that she is serving the people of her home region. Laurie had been in many HR department roles with ANTHC since 2014, including Program Assistant, Relocation Administrator, Nurse Recruiter, Program Administrator, and Statewide Recruiter. Laurie recently joined YKHC in September 2022 as Professional Recruiter.
Laurie states, “I like working in human resources because I love working with and meeting new people. The healthcare professionals that are hired just want to help and serve our indigenous population and it’s very fulfilling to know I can give back in one form or another”. Having studied and passed the exam to become certified through the National Native American HR Association as a Tribal Human Resources Professional, she brings to YKHC the commitment to service our Alaska Native People. Finally, Laurie shares, “I look forward to continuing to serve our people and meeting YKHC’s mission of working together to achieve excellent health”!
Jabari Campbell, TDY Corporate Recruiter, brings many skills and much experience to the Human Resources Department team. He is passionate about service, as well as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Growing up, Jabari always loved to learn and interact with others from all backgrounds. This was nurtured by his parents, through traveling the world at a young age. Because of this love of travel, after college Jabari became a flight attendant so he could travel the world. During this travel time, he was volunteering all while working toward his Master Degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology. Jabari eventually retired his wings and started working in HR in many different capacities. He has worn many hats from HR coordinator, to recruiter, and to HR Business Partner. But no matter what role he was in Jabari always used the knowledge he collected through his travels and education to make himself a better HR professional and has continued to do the same since he joined the YKHC family in 2021.
Jabari likes working in HR at YKHC for the same reason why one of his mottos is, “First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All.” He is big on service and helping his community, and feels the HR team here at YKHC all believe the same thing. Jabari states, “even though I’m not physically located in Bethel, I do still consider it my community. I have always believed the fastest and quickest way to help and change a community is by increasing wealth/ income, and by providing better resources. As a recruiter, I do both by bringing in health care professionals and by helping members of the community get jobs”.
The leader of this highly motivated group of recruiters for YKHC is Recruiting Manager Garrett Osumah. He brings over fifteen years of healthcare, technology, and K12 centric Talent Acquisition Training, Full Lifecycle Recruiting/Management, and DEI experience to the role he holds at YKHC. Garrett has a can-do attitude regarding hiring/training talent for success at YKHC. He states, “I love to get passport stamps, enjoy cooking and also eating different foods”. A strong passion of Garrett’s is mentoring youth, and helping them see there are no limits on what they can do or become. As a DEI professional interested in helping YKHC develop its diverse workforce, Garrett relocated from Washington DC in 2021 for the opportunity to be a part of the YKHC family. Garrett is “eager to continue learning about Alaskan Native culture, and in shining a light on the vast cultural history and beauty within the region”.
