“I love Olympic Connect because their care coordinators can meet with the patient in person to discuss their needs, and they can see for themselves what needs to be done. The Olympic Connect representatives I’ve spoken to have been compassionate, kind, and committed to helping our neighbors who need assistance”
Nancy reis, olympic medical physicians care navigator
Nancy Reis’ role as a care navigator is to help connect patients of Olympic Medical Physicians in Port Angeles with resources in the community that support their care and well-being. Nancy said what she loves about her job the most is helping people.
“I’m so grateful that Olympic Medical Physicians (OMP) has this position to help patients. I can empathize with where they are and their concerns, fears, and feelings of overwhelm, and I love coming alongside them and giving some direction or information that I think will be helpful,” Nancy said.
“A big part of what we do is direct patients to services like Olympic Connect that can take them to the next step,” she said.
In mid-2025, Nancy referred a patient to Olympic Connect. The patient was recently discharged from the hospital, had lost their job and insurance because they were unable to work, and they were unable to get into their home because they were in a wheelchair and couldn’t manage crutches yet. The patient was also living in their vehicle.
Nancy spoke to the patient almost daily as she tried to connect them with resources. The patient was uninsured and their applications for Medicaid kept hitting roadblocks. The patient insisted on living in their vehicle and wouldn’t consider any kind of short-term housing solution. The patient owns their own home and simply wanted to get back into it.
Once Nancy referred the patient to Olympic Connect, they were paired with Olympic Connect care coordinator Rosalyn who works with the Olympic Peninsula YMCA as a resource navigator. Rosalyn helped connect the patient to local resources so the patient could get back in their home, helped the patient apply for Medicaid, and connected the patient to a health insurance representative.
“Today the patient has Medicaid and can confidently go to important medical appointments knowing they’ll be covered by insurance. The patient has also been fitted with a prosthetic, thanks to the insurance that Rosalyn helped them obtain. Throughout the entire process, Rosalyn called me with updates so we could coordinate our efforts to help them,” Nancy said.
“I love Olympic Connect because their care coordinators can meet with the patient in person to discuss their needs, and they can see for themselves what needs to be done. The Olympic Connect representatives I’ve spoken to have been compassionate, kind, and committed to helping our neighbors who need assistance,” she said.
“I love being able to direct patients to Olympic Connect and actually hearing that they have connected with the patient because I know they’re going to get the support they need.
Olympic Connect is a community-driven network of partners on the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas that supports care coordination to local resources like health care, food, financial assistance, childcare, and more. To get started, fill out the online referral form or call 360-301-8252.