LAKEPORT, Calif. – In early December, Kimberly Tangermann began her tenure as Mendocino Community Health Clinic’s Lakeside Health Center site manager.

Tangermann is no stranger to health care in Lake County, having spent the past five years as associate director of clinic services of St. Helena Family Health Center in Clearlake.

She said she looks forward to helping MCHC provide Lake County communities with the health care they need.

“I love health care, and Lake County is my home,” Tangermann said. “When I found out about this position, I knew it was meant to be.”

In her short time with Lakeside, she said the employees have impressed her with their dedication and knowledge.

She sees her role as integrating the health center more with the local community, partnering with organizations who serve the same population.

“I’m excited to build connections so we can support each other, and in so doing, support our patients,” she said.

Tangermann wasn’t always in health care, but she certainly has a passion for it now.

She explained that when one of her sons was 16 years old, his appendix burst. While he was hospitalized, she marveled at the passion of everyone who cared for him, from the doctors and nurses to the chaplain to the housekeepers.

“I thought to myself, ‘I have got to figure out a way to do this,’” she said.

She began in health care working in patient registration, and moved up as a result of her hard work and a knack for solving problems.

She served as a clinic manager, then a program director for the Live Well Program. After that, she took on the challenge of associate director of clinic services and helped to manage multiple clinics.

Tangermann noted that Lakeside Health Center’s recent remodel makes the facility even more inviting.

As a federally qualified health center, Lakeside is held to high quality standards and does not refuse care based on a patient’s ability to pay.

The health center provides medical, dental, and behavioral health care and accepts Medi-Cal and other insurance.

Lakeside Health Center is owned and operated by Mendocino Community Health Clinic. To learn more, visit www.mchcinc.org or call 707-263-7725.