2011 NURSE COUNCIL OFFICERS
CHAIR: Patty Choate-Ciletti
Director of Nursing
Los Altos Sub Acute & Rehabilitation Center
809 Fremont Avenue. Los Altos, CA 94024-5617
Phone: (650) 941.5255 | Fax: (650) 941.2822
Email: pchoate-ciletti@covenantcare.com
Patty Choate-Ciletti currently serves as the Director of Nurses at the Los Altos Sub-Acute & Rehabilitation Center and has worked in the long-term care field for twenty-two years. She considers herself fortunate in that she knew early on that this field was her calling.
She began her career in long-term care as a Licensed Vocational Nurse/Charge Nurse and Supervisor in 1988 and was quickly motivated by the responsibility of making a constructive difference in resident’s lives. Later as a RN supervisor, MDS coordinator and Director of Nurses, Patty sought to improve her skills and learn more about the meaning and application of quality care and be able to pass on her knowledge and inspire other nurses with the goal of improving the lives of residents and their families. As the Director of Nursing at Homewood, Mission Skilled and Los Altos, Patty was able, together with others, to significantly improve survey results over prior years and has received corporate recognitions, awards and promotions due to the positive results of her contributions. Most importantly she takes great pride in improving the lives of residents while satisfactorily meeting the needs of their families.
Patty continues to improve her skills in order to contribute something of value to long-term care and has successfully completed the AIT program. Presently, she is involved with the Santa Clara County Chapter of CAHF and is the acting secretary on the Santa Clara County Chapter of LTC nursing counsel. She has also made time to enroll in the CAHF Leadership Academy and hopes to further enhance her leadership skills.
VICE-CHAIR: Carl Bryant, RN
Cornerstone Medical Legal Consulting
2156 Calle Poco. El Cajon, CA 92019
Phone: (619) 441.7447 | Fax: (619) 441.2442
Email: cbryant@cornerstonemedlegal.com
Carl Bryant currently works as a certified Legal Nurse Consultant and President of Cornerstone Medical Legal Consulting in El Cajon. In this capacity he provides quality consultant services to healthcare providers and/or attorney-clients with emphasis in the medical - legal aspects of healthcare by being an expert resource in the Licensing and Certification process, State and Federal regulations and policies and procedures.
He is also a certified Director of Staff Development for skilled nursing facilities, and in his role as a Legal Nurse Consultant, works with nursing homes all over the state. Carl previously worked as a Preceptor, instructor, and surveyor for Department of Health Services, Licensing and Certification from 1990 to 1999. He received his Bachelors in Nursing Science. He has served as Vice Chair of the CAHF statewide Nurses Council since 2006, and also serves on the CAHF GR Legal Subcommittee.
SECRETARY: Julie Abrahamson
CEO, Executive Director
Vintage Faire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
3620B Dale Road. Modesto, CA 95356-0500
Phone: (209) 521.2094 | Fax: (209) 521.6180
Email: jabrahamson@covenantcare.com
Julie Abrahamson has been in nursing some way or another since high school. In 1975 she became a Nursing Assistant at her high school through the ROP program, then became a licensed vocational nurse in 1979 and worked at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach. She continued to go to school and became a registered nurse in 1982.
Julie worked at Downey Community Hospital from 1982-1986, when she left to work for a Home Health Agency in Whittier. In 1989, she relocated to Stockton and began her career in long-term care (LTC) where she was hired as the Director of Nursing (although she had NO LTC experience at all). The post lasted about 2 years mainly due to her decision that being a DON was too much of a responsibility, time consuming, and just difficult. Julie wasn't sure if she ever wanted to be a DON again, but did know that long-term care would be her home for the rest of her career. After leaving the DON position in 1991, she went to Wagner Heights in Stockton, a Covenant Care Facility in 1991 as the night shift supervisor.
In 1993, Julie was promoted to the director of staff development, and thought “...this is what I want to do for the rest of my life!” In 1998, the facility DON was promoted to a corporate position, and it was strongly suggested that Julie take the vacant position. This felt much better and she was able to handle the job this time around, given the experience she now had.
In January of 2007, after eight successful years as a DON, Julie Abrahamson was given the opportunity to become an administrator and as such she left the DON position to train as an Administrator in Training (AIT) for Covenant Care, and took the Administrator position at Vintage Faire in November of 2007. She has remained active in the Nurse Council; stating that “after all I am and will always be, first and foremost a nurse.”