Community & Culture

We Are IH: East Shore admin assistant enjoys ‘garden therapy’

December 15, 2022

Name: Kathy Smith (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Administrative Services
Years of Service: 15
Worksite: East Shore Community Health Centre
Community: East Shore/Crawford Bay and Surrounding Communities
Ancestral Territory: Kootenay/Ktunaxa
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: The best gift you can give someone is your time.

Kathy Smith was born in Edmonton. She lived in the towns of Calmar, Warburg and Whitecourt, Alta., before moving to Riondel, B.C. in 1999. Kathy considers herself “loyal to a fault at times” and likes to help people.

She believes this career chose her. “When asked if I wanted to work as a receptionist in a small clinic in Riondel for Dr. Savory, little did I know that it was so much more than just answering a phone and making appointments. I have been able to help people who have a hard time trying to navigate our ever-changing system. It has been a very huge learning curve for me, which I love.”

Learn more about her journey with IH

White-haired woman wearing glasses and a coat, leaning on railing of a ferry boat.
Kathy on the ferry to Nelson.

Not many people know that at one time, Kathy worked in the kitchen at a small hospital in Whitecourt, where she took her dietary aide course. She was also a showroom manager for a plumbing wholesale, which required a lot of people skills. On top of this, Kathy has delivered many speeches over the years, something she trained for through Toastmasters.

One of her favourite hobbies is gardening, or “garden therapy” as she likes to call it. She enjoys sewing, photography and spending as much time as she can with her five grandchildren.
 

Garden with large green leaves, trees, lawn, bird bath and feeder.
Kathy feels that gardening is therapy.

But when it comes to her career, Kathy is clear about her motivation and its rewards. 

I will always be grateful for everything I have learned in this role and the great people I have been able to work with. In this organization, there are truly exceptional people who have a common goal, which is to help our patients.

-- Kathy Smith

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