Christy Rios, BSN, RN

Spark Matsunaga VA Medical Center

Honolulu, Hawaii

Aloha! My name is Christy Rios. I am a NOVA nurse and I work at the Spark Matsunaga VA Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. One of my favorite places on Oahu is Gunstock Ranch where I spend my weekends horseback riding.

I graduated with a BSN from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in May 2018. I was hired as a nurse in Primary Care at the Spark Matsunaga VA Medical Center. I served as a PACT Care Manager for about a year and a half, and recently transferred over to Specialty Care to become our VA facility's Infectious Diseases Nurse.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic affected the U.S. in March 2020, I was selected  to become a part of our Respiratory Response Team (RRT). In collaboration with the Infectious Disease (ID) provider, I established our facility's COVID-19 drive thru testing clinic. I helped develop our standard operating procedure (SOP) and set-up our drive-thru testing hours/schedule. I also tracked the test results of Veterans who are not yet assigned to a PACT and perform follow-up calls to monitor their symptoms. I assisted by doing contact tracing for our COVID-19 positive Veterans & employees. I also train/orient our newer RRT members to drive-thru testing to ensure that they feel confident and our operations run smoothly.

Currently I am a member of our Scarce Resource Committee. We hold bimonthly meetings to discuss any issues and concerns that have been brought forth to us regarding PPE along with staff and Veteran safety.

The Nursing Education Department has asked me to join our "Flu Vaccine Campaign" and take part in establishing our facility's drive thru flu shot clinic. Our Veterans Health Education Coordinator and I recently collaborated to create a "Lunch & Learn" online presentation.

I joined NOVA as a new employee in March, 2019, as I wanted to be part of the professional nursing organization for VA nurses. I am extremely impressed with NOVA’s dedication to the VA, and our Veterans. I love NOVA's presence on social media (Facebook and Instagram) as I am able to see the faces of fellow members and get updates and information about current events. I am very thankful to be a NOVA member and I hope to continue to make NOVA proud.