Why do you work in your current profession, live where you do, or become involved in the communities that you belong to?
MaryAnn Patterson, a Member and Provider Services Care Advocate here at Liberty HealthShare, will give you a simple but powerful answer.
"I know with all my heart that God wanted me here," said Patterson confidently. "My purpose in life is simply to help people and make a difference in people's lives."
After working 45 years as an LPN, she's well-versed in caring for the needs of others and accustomed to guiding those in her care.
"I loved my patients," said Patterson. In addition to practical care, she was attuned to each patient's unique needs. "Sometimes, they only needed a touch or a kind word and someone to talk to."
Similarly, when a Liberty HealthShare member calls with questions about their sharing program, you can hear her offering the same practical compassion.
"I am honored to help guide members with questions about a bill or a provider." It's important to Patterson that she spends as much time as needed with each member to assist them. “If I don’t have answers, I will try to find them.”
Patterson also keeps a yellow legal pad at her desk and jots down notes during phone calls to remind herself to pray for members.
Her husband, parents, and aunts have greatly influenced her faith and values. She inherited her father's humility and her mother's “get it done now" attitude.
Her servant spirit was passed down from her aunt.
"My aunt lived to be 108 years old and was the most God-fearing woman I know," she said. When her aunt commented that she didn't know the reason for her long life, Patterson believed she knew why. "She was one of God's angels and would witness to everybody that came into her room."
The same could be said about Patterson who serves others with thanksgiving, often telling those who call she appreciates them. “It doesn’t take long to thank someone or tell them that you appreciate them.”
She has two daughters, two grandsons, two grown granddaughters, and four great-grandchildren: ages 6, 2, and 16-month-old twins. "They are my treasures," said Patterson. "They turn my day around."