As a 911 dispatch training officer, Jasmine Flores always felt honored to support callers during their most challenging, heartbreaking, life-defining moments.
But when a 911 call ended, Flores was left without closure. Other emergency responders and medical professionals would see the case through, but she would always be left wondering.
“Did the mom whose baby I helped deliver over the phone end up being okay? Was her baby healthy?” Flores said. “Did the person I spoke to who tried to end their life survive? Did the little girl in the house fire make it? Those were the kinds of things that stayed with me.”
Today, Flores sees the answers for herself. Now working as a patient access lead at CommonSpirit St. Catherine Hospital - Dodge City, Flores not only helps her team properly register, schedule, and admit patients but also has opportunities to interact with them throughout their hospital journeys.
Since her career transition in 2017, Flores has found the same sense of passion and satisfaction in her work at St. Catherine that she once did as a dispatcher — but with some added bonuses.
“It [gives] me the chance to see the ‘other side’ of an emergency, what happens after the 911 call ends and the patient arrives at the hospital,” Flores said. “It also allows me to continue serving my community and helping people when they need it most.”
For Flores, who was born at St. Catherine and has lived in Dodge City her entire life, working as a patient access lead provides far more than a sense of fulfillment. It’s her chance to create lasting relationships, make a difference for patients, and give back to the community that shaped her.
“When I started at St. Catherine in April 2017, I had no idea how big of a part of my life this place would become,” she said. “I came here looking for a career change and a way to continue serving my community, but I found so much more than that.”
Brightening Days
No day at St. Catherine is “typical” for Flores, who handles everything from coaching and supporting her team members to covering shifts, interacting with patients, and answering their questions. As a team lead, Flores works to ensure her department runs smoothly and fills gaps as needed.
“More than anything, I try to show up every day ready, positive, and willing to be a team player,” she said.
That sense of positivity extends to Flores’ team members and her patients alike. As part of a team that handles patient documentation and admission, Flores and her coworkers are often the first people a patient interacts with upon arriving at St. Catherine, giving the team the chance to set the tone for a patient’s stay.
For Flores, that interaction is an opportunity to extend kindness, compassion, and care to every patient. She knows that simple gestures like a smile or words of reassurance can make the difference for an overwhelmed patient.
“I remind myself and my team that nobody comes to the hospital because they want to be here,” Flores said. “A day that feels like just another day at work for us could be one of the worst days of someone else’s life.”
Whether or not it’s the worst day of a patient’s life, Flores works to make the day brighter. She recalled one person for whom she made a difference — a patient experiencing homelessness who was being discharged and happened to walk past the pizzas Flores had ordered for her staff. On noticing the patient’s hunger, Flores gave them a pizza to take with them.
“It was simple and it didn’t take much effort, but that moment has always stayed with me,” Flores said. “They were grateful and in tears. Sometimes helping someone has nothing to do with your job description. It is simply about noticing another person, recognizing a need, and doing what you can in that moment.”
Building Community
As a lifelong Dodge City resident, Flores finds it natural to help and serve her neighbors, especially beause she’s continually seen the community rally to support those in need.
“There is a lot of heart and diversity here. There is also something really special about being able to serve the same community that raised me,” she said. “The people who come through our doors are our friends, family members, neighbors, teachers, and people we see around town. It makes the work we do feel even more personal and meaningful.”
Inside the hospital walls, Flores has built something equally meaningful. Across nearly a decade at St. Catherine, Flores has found a team that feels like family. Her work is shared with coworkers who care just as much about their patients and community as she does, Flores said. These teammates give Flores a shoulder to cry, laugh, and commiserate on, helping make sometimes-challenging work more than worthwhile for her.
“Some of the relationships I have built here go far beyond job titles or departments, and that is one of my favorite things about working at St. Catherine Dodge City,” Flores said.
