For over 20 years, Dru Gamponia has served King County communities while experiencing professional and organizational growth. Dru reflected on her time at HealthPoint and mentioned, “We have widened our scope of services, and for the past few years I noticed that we have increased our refugee services. Numerous buildings have also been built within the past 13 years.” During those years, she also grew into her current role as an Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA) with schooling and has always felt fulfilled in her role making patients happy and healthy. As an EFDA, Dru does everything a Dental Assistant does with the additional service of dental fillings after the Dentist has prepped the patient’s teeth.
Community clinics have always had a special place in Dru’s heart. During her HealthPoint interview 20 years ago, Dru remembers saying why she chose HealthPoint, “I fell in love with this organization because of its good governance. They’re clean, organized, and have modern equipment and materials that not even private clinics have. The most important thing is teamwork and good training in what and how the clinic works every day.” From Dru’s earlier days on mission trips as a college student to now, she has always been passionate about providing access to affordable health care. In 2023, she is still following her passion, giving her clients the smile, they deserve. Dru also credits HealthPoint’s leadership as the other reason why she has stayed for over two decades.
It's also a bonus that Dru is able to work with her husband Julius at the same organization. Whenever she has computer problems, he is always there to help, even swoops in to take care of her coworkers’ computers too. When Dru isn’t working on the community’s smiles, she can be found with her family out at church, walking the dogs, singing karaoke, or even hiking. If you’re going hiking, she recommends, “Mt Ranier, Mt Baker, Picture Lake, and Artist Point are wonderful places to go. Although there are quite a few splendid hiking areas here in Washington, those are my favorite places to go. Some hiking essentials include food, finding the perfect place to relax, hydration, sunblock, and hats. Your phone and a first aid kit are also important to have.”
Happy 20 year Anniversary to our EFDA, Dru Gamponia! We are happy to be able to work alongside you and look forward to many more years at HealthPoint with you.
