If you’ve seen our weekly COVID-19 vaccine clinic – or some of the posters or social media images we have about getting vaccinated – it’s likely you’re familiar with Tania Coronado-Basulto’s face. If you’ve met her in person, you probably have also experienced her warmth and bubbly personality. But what you may not know about Tania is beneath her enthusiasm and smile is a steely determination to get the job done.
It is exactly that quality that was recently recognized by the Napa Valley Give!Guide when Tania was awarded the Hilary Zunin Can Do Spirit Award. This award recognizes young professionals who go above and beyond to serve their community, and that describes Tania to a T.
Tania has understood being of service to others from a young age. The child of immigrants, Tania had to help her parents navigate difficult situations, including challenging health issues. When Tania was in high school, her father was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. She wanted to learn all she could to help him make lifestyle and diet changes that would help him control this chronic condition and ensure he was able to lead a healthy life in spite of the diagnosis. She went to UC Davis and received her BS in Nutrition, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college.
After my graduation, I put my sash on my father and told him, “We did it, daddy!”
Like many who work at OLE, Tania was once an OLE Health patient– and her father still receives care here. After graduating, she took at job as a medical receptionist in 2017 and was quickly promoted to supporting both the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operations Officer. In 2021, she was again promoted to her current role, Project Coordinator. As Project Coordinator, Tania is responsible for organizing the vaccine clinics, which means working with operations and clinical staff to ensure we have needed supplies, personnel, and space to vaccinate as many as 300 people in a single afternoon. But no matter how hectic the clinic gets or how many directions she is pulled in, you can always count on seeing a smile on Tania’s face (beneath a mask, of course).
“I do my best to always carry a positive attitude in whatever I do. It’s sometimes challenging, but I think it has set me apart from others,” she says.
Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, her positive attitude has indeed set her apart. COVID has changed everyone’s life in big and small ways. For Tania, she sees the silver lining as the chance for professional development and growth.
“My roles and responsibilities for almost two years have been heavily focused on COVID, which, in turn, has unlocked new skills and opportunities.”
The pandemic isn’t over, and Tania clearly sees the work ahead. “There continues to be hesitancy around COVID vaccines and a lack of trust in health centers,” she says. “My goal is to continue bringing the community together to increase our efforts in educating our patients and community members on the COVID vaccine as well as empowering individuals to come through OLE Health’s doors and receive the high-quality care they deserve. I intend to do this through every project that comes my way.”
Whatever the future holds for Tania at OLE Health or beyond, she will meet those challenges head on, with a smile and demonstrating a Can Do Spirit.
