Meet your local Alpha Home Health & Hospice team

||| FROM SHILA WACHTEL for ALPHA HOME HEALTH & HOSPICE |||

Some of you may know a few of our Island Team clinicians with Alpha Home Health and Hospice and some may be curious as to who is providing home health in the San Juan Islands. Alpha Home Health and Hospice has been providing home health services in our region for over four years, offering skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and social work. We are soon to expand our services in the islands by adding a much needed home health aid. Our team lives in the islands and all are active members of our community.

Our team includes (from back left to right):

Scott Schoultz, Occupational Therapist. Scott has been an OT for 17 years, 15 of those years spent in the San Juan Islands. Scott has been with Alpha for four years, previous 11 years working with Island Hospital Home Health. He specializes in functional mobility and upper extremity rehabilitation; wheelchair seating/positioning and environmental modification. He enjoys helping people in his community and spending time with his family.

Julia Thompson, Physical Therapist. Julia was educated at Oberlin College and Duke University School of Medicine. She has been a PT for over 32 years, 24 of those years on San Juan Island. She has been with Alpha for nearly four years. She specializes in orthopedics, neurology, and spinal rehabilitation, and holds multiple certifications. Julia enjoys early music, religious studies, poetry, and literature.

Shannon Sullivan, Licensed Practical Nurse and Quality Assurance Specialist. Shannon provides our team with much needed “back office” support. She has been an LPN for 19 years and with Alpha for nearly one year, living on San Juan island during that time enjoying gardening, reading, and outdoor adventures with her dogs.

Max Marquette, Registered Nurse. Max has been a RN for two years and involved with healthcare for 11. He grew up on San Juan island and moved back two years ago and joined Alpha. He is OASIS certified.

Roma Rozanska, Physical Therapy Assistant. Roma graduated this past March with her PTA and started with Alpha right after. She has been visiting the islands for many years and landed on Orcas island in April. She plans to get specialized in Pelvic Floor Therapy in the near future. Roma is a soccer athlete and enjoys being
active outdoors.

(From front left to right):

Shila Wachtel, Registered Nurse. Shila has been in healthcare for nearly 30 years, starting out in home health. With Alpha, she has a dual role: clinical RN and Transition Care Coordinator/Community Liaison. Her focus is to help educate and support clinicians and clinics in referring their patients to home health services and provide assistance to patients and families in coordinating home care. Shila lives on Orcas island where she enjoys gardening, playing with her animals, and spending time with family and friends.

Melissa Martin, Physical Therapist. Melissa has been a PT for over 23 years, the last 21 years in home health. She initially paved the way for the home health commuters going to Island Hospital, serving Skagit and San Juan County. She was with Island Hospital Home Health for 17 years and now with Alpha for four.
Melissa enjoys spending time with family, watching her kids grow and outdoor activities.

Patti Bjarnason, Speech Language Pathologist. Patti has been an SLP for 30 years, graduating from the University of Washington. She has worked in ACUTE care, acute rehab and transitional care in-patient settings, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient settings. She has worked home health for more than 20 years, the last 16 in the San Juan islands, previously with Island Hospital Home Health for 12 years and now with Alpha for the last four. Patti enjoys spending time with her family, walking, knitting, sewing, reading, traveling, and chocolate.

Kim Stetz, Medical Social Worker. Her role as a medical social worker, living on Orcas, and working with Alpha all coincided this past March. She graduated with her Master’s in Social Work from Simmon’s University in Boston. Her specialties within the practice are as a mindfulness spiritual counselor. She believes seniors need to be heard especially when there is so much isolation with being homebound. Kim enjoys photography and writing. She recently published her first book Heavy Metta, and co-founded the non-profit Recipe For Humanity, a no space for waste mission.