For the first nine years of her health care career, Talisalia Hood, Staffing and Central Supply Coordinator at Hunter Woods Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, worked as a med tech/medication aide. After the birth of her first child, Hood switched to home health care because of her need for more flexible hours with a new baby at home. But as fortune would have it, Hood eventually found Hunter Woods, and was hired as a CNA on the spot.
Hood’s tenacity and work ethic landed her a promotion to the staffing and central supply department, and throughout this time, she managed to earn an associate’s and bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. However, Hood expressed that her true passion is rehabilitation. “That’s what I wanted to do—to help people—but I wasn’t sure where to go [at first].”
Hood expressed her love for the patients and the general atmosphere at Hunter Woods. “I love the attitude here. We have become family, especially because some don’t have family. I have ‘adopted’ a few patients who don’t have family.”
But that’s not the only familial thread at Hunter Woods. Hood’s cousin, Juanita Rainey, introduced her to the care center back in 2006. Rainey originally started out as a CNA and worked her way up to her current position as Hunter Woods’s Director of Nursing. Hood described Rainey as a true leader who has left an indelible positive impact on her.
Hood is a natural leader herself, and she considers respect the most vital of all five Consulate core values. She said, “Respect goes a long way. People look up to me because I show them respect.” She also stressed the importance of “repping Consulate and the core values on and off work.”
Tiffany Murphy of the Medical Records department wrote: “[Talisalia] has great goals for Consulate, and always shows that she can help in any department to meet the expectations of Consulate core values. I see the dedication she puts in this [care center]. It gives other employees hope for success. Her dedication is amazing, and her spirit lights up everyone’s day.”
Hood embodies the power of a strong will. For those individuals still searching for their purpose and career, she said: “Whatever it is that you want to do: go for it. . . It’s always a rocky way, but you need to go for it and go through it. . . It’s been a journey, but I’m still here.”
When she’s off work, Hood enjoys spending time with her family, including her three children ages 24, 16, and 8.
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