Cooper on the move

Mandy Cooper may be a familiar face to some, but she is new to the Platte Valley Clinic. Cooper and her husband, Buddy, have lived in Saratoga for 11 years now.

Cooper met her husband in Idaho where she grew up. Eventually the couple moved to Georgia, where she began her nursing education.

The couple then moved to New Mexico where the nursing candidate worked on furthering her education.

Cooper currently has an Associates Degree in Nursing, but worked on a bachelors degree while there-a degree she intends to eventually complete. Cooper added that she has been accepted into a master's program, but that too much was going on here at the moment to give that too much thought.

When the couple moved to Saratoga, Cooper began practicing nursing. She began her nursing career in the Valley working for around four years at the nursing home in Saratoga where she was the Medicare coordinator. Then she took a job at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC), where she nursed for several years.

While Cooper is still available to MHCC as an as-needed PRN (Practicing Registered Nurse), the nurse began her second stint at the nursing home, this time under the management of Health Management Services where she coordinated staff and infection control along with coordinating Medicare claims.

When the clinic began the transition between management operators in October, Cooper helped out at the temporary clinic at the Platte Valley Community Center. When the clinic opened anew in November, Cooper became a full-time member of the staff there.

The Registered Nurse (RN) describes her current job this way; "Right now I'm doing a lot of the paperwork stuff-so all the ordering. We're trying to get our EMR (Electronic Medical Records) system up-so all the Athena stuff that's getting set up, I'm doing. I am helping as I can with blood draws and phlebotomies ... but a lot of paperwork."

The busy Cooper also rides with the ambulance as a paramedic when needed.

Cooper and her husband of 12 years have two children. Hope (11) attends Saratoga Elementary School and Trinity (4) goes to Little Wonders Preschool.

The constantly smiling Cooper, though busy, seems to enjoy her time at the clinic and the couple together have come to love the Platte Valley and plan to stay as long as possible.