FEATURE | By Robin Gerber

The Real Nurses of Ojai Hospital

On January 15 of this year, my husband fell from the ,effects of Parkinson’s and started screaming “Call 911, call 911, I broke my back.” He was right. After a few days at the local trauma center, he was transferred to our own Community Memorial Hospital branch here in Ojai. 

Our hospital evokes a Spanish mission with its belltower, front plaza graced by a generous tiled fountain and a lobby welcoming visitors with lemon-and-orange infused water. The lobby is rarely crowded. Same for the handful of main hallways. Most beds were full, yet I didn’t sense the barely controlled chaos that pervaded the county trauma center.

I visited my husband several times each day. The days stretched to weeks, and I got to know the doctors, certified nurse assistants, maintenance and food staff, various therapists, and most of all, the nurses.

I noticed the respect and camaraderie among all the staff whether they were cleaning, serving food, doing physical therapy, or seeing patients as the doctor on call. As a leadership trainer, I recognized not just a well-run organization, but one where people genuinely enjoyed their jobs. I realized that Ojai hospital is far more than a beautiful building. The extraordinary culture of service of those who work there is what makes our little rural hospital so special.

Ed Pulido, director of nursing, will tell you that he hires people for their attitude. “This is the best team I’ve ever worked with. They are doing their best, working for patients, making personal connections. We focus on patient satisfaction because it’s tied to great patient care.”

Ed began his hospital career in high school. While his friends worked in fast food, he volunteered at Ventura County Medical Center. At 16, he started training to be a Certified Nurse Assistant. That meant he missed Friday night football games, but he had a fascination with disease and healing that pushed him forward.

He’s been with Community Memorial Healthcare for 35 years. He and his family have been part of the Ojai community even longer.  “The other day my Dad’s friend came in,” Ed says, “I’ve known him since I was five years old.” He laughs as he talks about the moment he realized that another patient was his former first grade teacher at Oak View School.

Over the years many of Ed’s family and friends have been cared for at Ojai hospital. “I am proud to be part of this community,” Ed says, “and even prouder to lead such a fine group of professionals.”

These are the connections, the deep roots, that make the hospital staff so special.

In the early days of my husband’s hospital stay I met Clarissa Swallows, a nurse with a quick smile and great warmth in her eyes. She was six years old and living in Bakersfield when her father had a quadruple bypass. She spent two years taking care of him as best as a little child could. Her mom worked to support the family. But even after her father recovered, Clarissa was not done with caregiving. At 16 she dropped out of high school, finishing through independent study as she cared for her mother and grandmother, who were both ill. Her grandmother died the next year, but her mother’s illness, lupus, grew worse. Meanwhile, her father was developing Alzheimer’s.

Clarissa took care of her parents and took over her mother’s building management job to support them. Their needs were complex, her mom was on a rollercoaster of illness, and Clarissa’s job was demanding. But she didn’t regret or resent her life. “I knew what my destiny was,” she says with absolute conviction. “I knew I would have to take care of them, but we always had joy. My dad would dance with me, and when I had a baby girl, we named her Sunny Valentine.”

After her parents died, Clarissa got requests from family friends to care-give. Within a year she had a waiting list. Her clients loved her and encouraged her to become a nurse. “It’s very hard to become an RN without even a college degree,” Clarissa says with a smile that makes it clear nothing was going to stop her. In 2023, she graduated from nursing school. She was sent to Ojai to practice interviewing, but was told she should work at the main hospital in Ventura.  “I ended up with eight offers,” Clarissa says, “but I had left my heart in Ojai. I’m so glad I came here.”

You can feel Clarissa’s energy and joy as she walks the halls, busy with her duties. “We create our own family here,” she says, “and you don’t often find that.”

If there’s an anchor to the nursing ‘family,’ at Ojai Hospital, it is Hollie Priddy, nursing case manager. Hollie has the tough job of being a patient advocate, coordinating and facilitating the services and support needed to improve people’s health. Hollie’s the person who helps you navigate the health care system and get the right resources. This is a massive task, as you quickly learn if you have a major health crisis.

Hollie’s the oldest child of a ranching family from Redding, California and started her nursing career in the San Francisco Bay area. Her family noticed early that Hollie was always taking care of everyone, and the sometimes-bloody work around ranch animals didn’t bother her.

Hollie says she misses ranch life, where you’re “very connected to the earth, notice the seasons change, can hear the grass grow, ride horses, and move cows.” But she said there are parallels to her hospital work. “On the ranch you go out and check on everything and become very sensitive to problems and suffering.”

Hollie’s been at the Ojai hospital for 26 years. “Before I came to Ojai,” Hollie recalls, “nursing had become about higher pay rates rather than a ‘calling.’ Then I came to Ojai and everyone cared.”

In her long tenure, Hollie has also mentored others as they discovered their path to nursing. Gloria Martinez was hired by Hollie right after high school. Gloria says, “Nurses like Hollie inspired me by leading by example. You could see their love for nursing, their compassion, their inclusive attitude toward nursing assistants, and their smiles and dedication.”

Gloria’s parents came from Mexico. She’s the first in her family to get a professional license. It took her six years full time, and she had two daughters as she studied and worked to become a nurse. “In the city, I never saw the people I treated when I was outside the hospital, but in Ojai it happens a lot,” Gloria says. “Some patients are repeats.” Gloria smiles, “They’re like part of the family.”

As Gloria spoke I remembered her coming into my husband’s room as her shift started. He had only been at the hospital a few days. He was still in a lot of pain.  “Did you have a nice break from here?” I asked Gloria as I got ready to pepper her with questions. She smiled. “Honestly, I couldn’t wait to come back to work. I love my job.”  I could see she meant it. She answered every question patiently and with clear compassion. That’s when I started to realize I was in a special place.

Susanne Grigsby is another RN at Ojai Hospital, where she’s spent 23 years in a variety of jobs. She loves being a Resource RN on the medical/surgical unit, along with giving IV infusions and doing pre-op for same-day surgeries. On Med/Surg, as it’s called in hospital lingo, Susanne says, “There’s a variety of diagnoses. Everyday I’m learning and expanding my education.”

Suzanne also loves the teamwork and respect between and among the staff. “This is a very welcoming place. There’s no such thing as ‘That’s not my job’ here. We team up to help each other. I look forward to coming in every shift.” She smiles. “Work is my happy place away from home.”

Nobody wants to end up as a patient at any hospital, but if the worst comes to pass, Ojai hospital’s extraordinary staff is there for us. So, when you see that nurse or other hospital staff person in the community, the one who took your vitals, or brought your food tray, or helped with your pain, give them an extra smile. They deserve it.

Back Row, L to R

Samantha Lee-Hernandez CNA, Nick Pizano RN, Denise Garcia CNA

Front Row, L to R

Ed Pulido, Director of Nursing, Guadalupe (Lupe) Rodriguez EVS, Hollie Priddy RN,
Susanne Grigsby RN, Clarissa Swallows RN, Guillermina (Gigi) Paniagua EVS