Community volunteer highlight: Carey Cameron
After working in the restaurant business and then the print industry for more than 25 years, Carey Cameron discovered the field of medical coding. That, she realized, was the perfect place to put her skills and strong attention to detail to good use. So, she enrolled in Anthem College’s Medical Billing/Coding program in Beaverton and graduated in February of 2010.
It was through Anthem that Carey learned about Project Access NOW. Feeling a strong pull to give back to the community and, at the same time, volunteer in an organization with ties to health care, Carey reached out to Project Access NOW and began volunteering every week beginning in June of this year.
Carey’s volunteer experience with Project Access NOW aligns well with her goal of working in a health care provider’s billing office and she’s actively looking for just such a position. Carey schedules appointments, enters client information into the database, gathers enrollment packets, and occasionally helps out in the pharmacy program.
Carey appreciates the work that Project Access NOW does and wishes that her older brother would have had the opportunity to know about the program. Unemployed and uninsured, her brother suffered from a number of health issues and ultimately passed away from a suspected heart attack in April of 2009.
In her spare time, Carey likes to sew and makes Christmas ornaments out of felt. She also crafts pottery and works with fused glass. Another pastime that she does not have much opportunity to enjoy in Oregon is SCUBA diving. Though she says she’s thrilled to have been able to go diving off the coast of Australia several years ago. It was an experience she will never forget.
Carey shares her home with two cats she calls “her boys” named George and Scooter.
(December 2011)
