42 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 3-9, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE Driving down Highway 1 through Big Sur, it’s easy to miss the Big Sur Health Center. Though it sits close to the road and on the grounds of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, it’s tucked among redwood trees and dense foliage—a lush, green view is visible from some of the exam rooms. The nonprofit is a small but mighty operation. It has three exam rooms, each equipped for a range of services, from preventative exams and minor surgical procedures to dental checkups and X-rays. One room is dedicated to pediatric care, another to women’s health and the third serves general patients. More than just a clinic, the health center plays a crucial role in the community—especially during road closures and disasters—and serves many low-income residents (they offer a sliding scale fee assistance discount for local patients). Sharen Carey, who has been with the health center since nearly the beginning, retired from her longtime role in January of this year, but remains on staff as grants administrator. “People will come all the way down here just because they feel like our doctors really listen,” Carey says. Kathie Lester, who joined at the start of the year, will be the second executive director in Big Sur Health Center’s history. Born and raised in Minnesota, she recently moved to Carmel from Los Angeles. She brings with her a diverse career, with experience ranging from serving as an agency program director at a homeless shelter for domestic violence victims in Spokane, Washington to roles in healthcare program management, nonprofit leadership and business operations in Los Angeles. For her, this role is an exciting opportunity as much as a brand new adventure. Weekly: You have over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management and healthcare. What made the Big Sur Health Center an appealing organization for you to work with? Lester: It was a handful of things that all kind of came together. It was the idea of taking the skills that I already had and being able to apply them in a different environment, which felt like I was going to be able to stretch a bit and come and apply my skills in a different way. I was very much looking forward to getting back into the nonprofit sector. And I felt ready for a change, and for something different. Being in residential treatment and in the mental health field for a decade now, that was kind of where the bulk of my networking and connections existed. Once this opportunity presented itself, I had an initial meeting with a couple members of the board who, right out of the gate, were really honest about the reality of what it takes to move here. What did you think? I was definitely at a point in my life where I was sort of open to everything. I wanted to stay in healthcare, but it didn’t have to be adolescence or mental health. So it was really a lot of fun, actually. When the opportunity came up, it was a whole process of trying to figure out if I could actually swing this. What has it been like for you so far? The community here, they’re very invested, they’re very passionate, they’re very honest. It’s just really unique. And coming from a suburb in Southern California, it’s a different world. It’s just refreshing in a lot of ways. People actually do care about the Big Sur Land Use Plan and the state of the health center and things like that. Did that seem like a big shift from what you’ve done before in terms of community? It’s a totally different world. I was doing residential treatment. I was working with families, individually, while they were in crisis with their kids. I didn’t know them, so it didn’t feel like a local effort because we were treating kids from all over the world— it wasn’t just a Southern California issue. Here, you are often working with the people in your community. What’s next? One of the goals of the health center is expanding to be able to bring in other specialties, whether it’s an optometrist or a cardiologist. We already have a blueprint for a new building but we don’t have anywhere to put it yet. The space right now is very cozy and so it would allow for a variety of more services. A lot of folks, if they need some sort of specialist, have to go into Monterey. Operationally, I hope to be able to scale it in the way that best suits the needs of the community. Big Health Kathie Lester takes the stage as the second-ever executive director of Big Sur Health Center. By Katie Rodriguez Coming from Los Angeles, Kathie Lester says the Big Sur Health Center is like “a totally different world.” DANIEL DREIFUSS Wiley Want to meet Wiley? Please ll out our online adoption questionnaire. If you’d like sponsor our next ad, give us a call. 831-718-9122 | www.POMDR.org Wiley is a laid-back, lovable guy who spent years outside and is now living for indoor comfort. He enjoys short walks and gentle a ection. He coexists with calm dogs and has done well with cats. Wiley thrives in a quiet home and is ready to be someone’s loyal best friend. Lab Mix, Male, 10 y/o, 84 lbs Ad sponsored by Judy LeRoy with Lasso Visit Our New Bene t Shop! Tuesday - Saturday 9:30 am - 5:00 pm Come see the hidden gems, upscale goods, and nd your new favorites! 223 Grand Ave, Suite 1 Paci c Grove 831-718-9122 | www.POMDR.org BENEFIT SHOP
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