The many nurses employed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico help members get the care they need and improve their health. In recognition of Nurses Month, we honor our nurses for their empathy, compassion and commitment to our members.
Their experience is diverse. Many devoted decades of their lives working long shifts and countless nights, weekends and holidays caring for patients in clinical settings before transitioning to their jobs as case reviewers, care managers and care coordinators and other roles.
Here are a few of their stories.
Ada Lee
Quality Management Specialist
Government Programs
For Ada Lee, caring for people was the family business. Through the experiences of her mother, a midwife, and her older sister, a nurse, Lee learned how nursing could help people through struggles and affect their lives.
“It seemed right up my alley,” she says.
After decades of providing direct patient care, Lee joined BCBSNM in 2008. Working in Albuquerque, she tries to help New Mexico Medicaid members receive prenatal and postpartum care they need.
Poverty, geography and lack of resources can make health care access difficult for many of New Mexico’s new mothers. “We try to zero in and see how we can improve the health of members,” Lee says.
“It’s a spiritual-type of experience to try to be present wherever they are in their lives.” She understands her members’ struggles and listens for clues that could help her find ways to assist them get what they need. Despite the challenges of the work, Lee says she appreciates BCBSNM and the opportunity to advocate for members.
“If somebody could come alongside them and offer the smallest act of kindness it could go a long way,” she says.
Rachel Wolfe
Medical Review Unit Nurse
Health Care Management
Raised in a family of health care professionals, Rachel Wolfe believes she grew up with a caregiving mindset.
“I’m a helper by nature,” she says. “I always want to be a voice for the underdog.”
After years of working at a family practice clinic and home health, Wolfe joined BCBSNM in 2013. As a medical review unit nurse, she enjoys the challenge of resolving complex situations and advocating for members.
“Nursing is such a wide field,” Wolfe says. “There are so many different things nurses can do and so many directions they can go.”
She credits her clinical experience with the ability to assess cases, work within processes and find ways to do what’s best for members and providers.
“There’s a real-life person behind those case reviews,” Wolfe says. “I think that’s the most rewarding part of my job — I’m really affecting people’s lives. I’m still providing the same care, compassion and advocacy as I did in my clinical roles.”
