Best Places to Work 2014: Petaluma Health Center

PETALUMA -- "This is an exciting time for us," said Pedro Toledo, chief administrative officer at Petaluma Health Center. "We have been working for health coverage for all people throughout our entire history. So now that coverage is available to all, it feels like such an honor to be here. Seeing the smile on people's faces when they first get health insurance is such a great feeling. I'm sure that's one of the reasons people are happy to be working here."

Mr. Toledo added that the nonprofit dental and medical clinic has always had a compassionate staff "who want to serve their community." The telltale word in Mr. Toledo's comment is "their." The employees of Petaluma Health Center are an integral part of the community they serve. For example, when the Center offers wellness classes such as healthy cooking and Zumba, "employees, patients and the entire community take part in them. A doctor will go into a Zumba class and see a patient there. Everyone joins in." In fact, the Zumba class was so popular with the entire community that the Center had to add a few more.

Integrating family into the mix is also common at the Center. "Many of our employees also receive their healthcare at PHC, so their children and families will pop by for lunch after their doctor appointments," said CEO Kathie Powell. "Work-life balance is key to our culture. We support everyone in their pursuit of making themselves and our company a better place to work every day. We offer alternative work weeks to staff when possible to allow for more family time, and our staff are encouraged to bring their families to our company events. Our community garden is a great place for a picnic during an employee's lunch break."

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