Susan Clark, Senior Director of Program Development, DirectTrust
LinkedIn: Susan Clark
Clark on Connecting
During the DirectTrust conference in late September, I had the great fortune to run into Marc Mar-Yohana, founder of OtisHealth, a DirectTrust member who was speaking at the conference. Like me, he sees the bright side of things and has a positive energy vibe.
While talking, it came up that we both attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, graduating a year apart in the mid-1990s. Because we had different majors, our paths didn’t cross there, although we did bond over our shared love of beer nuggets, deep-fried pizza dough bits usually served with pizza or marinara sauce. They’re cheap, they’re filling, and they’re a perfect snack for broke college students.
DeKalb is credited with inventing beer nuggets, served at local pizzerias like Sergeant Peppers and Lukulos, now both closed or with new owners/names. Fun fact: Barbed wire also was invented in DeKalb.
Marc’s journey to OtisHealth was born of tragedy, which makes his positive vibe so inspiring. His autistic daughter, Constance, had chronic medical conditions that required Marc to collect and organize her medical records. After Constance died, he became convinced that other people could benefit from a centralized location for their health records. The company is named for Constance’s autism service dog, Otis, who was always by her side and quick to act when assistance was needed.
More Clonnections at Civitas Conference
Three weeks later, I attended the Civitas Networks for Health Annual Conference in Detroit. Over the years, I’ve made numerous friends there, including Dr. David Kendrick, MPH, FACP, CEO of the MyHealth Access Network, Oklahoma’s HIE.
We met amid a terrible storm during the conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. We were all outside when the storm began, and we beat a hasty retreat indoors. Naturally, when David and I met, we talked about tornadoes in Oklahoma and how much I love to chase tornadoes.
During this year’s conference, David introduced me to Chad Sickler, HIT/E Programs Director at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. Chad was educated in Oklahoma and has been with the authority for nearly 20 years, so one would assume he was also born there, right?
While we were talking, however, Chad mentioned that he was from Aurora, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. I mentioned that I went to college at NIU, about 30 miles northwest of Aurora. He then said he’d spent time in Amboy and La Moille, Illinois, and that’s when I exclaimed, “You’ve got to be (strong expletive) kidding me!” I’m from Rock Falls, in the same general area as these other places. My sister lives in Amboy, a town of 2,200, and my cousin is the fire chief there.
Specifically, Chad and his family had a trailer at an upscale campground called Woodhaven Lakes, where Chicagoans often decamp for the summer. My brother-in-law has worked at the resort since the 1980s, serving as recreation director. In that capacity, he likely oversaw Chad swimming in the resort’s pool, keeping him safe for his future career in health IT.
I would love to hear from more of my network to reveal additional Northern Illinois Clonnections!
