Jan Murota
I had the distinct pleasure of working in the orthopedic Dept at Kaiser Oakland when Corinne was the manager. She was smart, savvy, and the phrase “go to the mat” was written with her in mind. Corinne worked hard and all of us working with her were the beneficiaries as were the patients. Morale is so high when you are surrounded by capable nurses and a smart receptionist/manager Lorinne, all with a strong work ethic. The staff nurses were prepared any time to help patients out whatever their problems might be. Some patients would call orthopedics – which meant Corinne or Janice Renaldi (another smart move by Corinne – having Janice R as triage nurse) for any problems or questions when they couldn’t reach their regular medical doctors. Corinne and Janice would go to work – they had great clinical skills, could assess the severity of the problem, and knew how to get things done. They would steer the patients directly to what they needed – an appointment, a test, the ER, a cardiology referral, whatever level of care the situation required. The department worked like a dream. Corinne made it possible for a physician to do what I wanted to do – which is simply to take care of the patients with the knowledge that seasoned, smart clinical staff were there to support you and the patient every step of the way. Corinne had high standards and hired staff who could meet those standards. She created a satisfying work environment where we all knew we were giving the patients the best care possible. When she retired she had the good grace to give us another great manager, John Williams. Corinne’s work benefited her co-workers, the entire dept, and countless patients. She made a real impact.