“You can focus on the negative, but it’s better to put energy into positive solutions,” McWright says.
As a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Nurse Corp, Kimberly Sawyer McWright, Sr. Quality and Coding Educator for Aetna Medicare, knows how to mobilize community and company initiatives even in the most challenging times.
“While growing up, my goals were to get a decent education and to serve my country. Then, I would use these experiences to work in my community,” she said.
Kimberly’s life is a testament to those goals and of upholding the Army’s value of selfless service. When her 22-year military career was cut short after fracturing her spine in a tank explosion in Iraq, she pivoted to create the next chapter of her life. “You can focus on the negative, but it’s better to put your energy into positive solutions,” she explains.
Kimberly serves as president of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association in Chicago. There, she’s responsible for organizing neighborhood clean-ups, staffing the local food pantry, and distributing face masks in an area not far from the scene of social justice and racial equity demonstrations.
When local pharmacies and other stores temporarily closed as a result of the pandemic and protests in the area, Kimberly helped more than a dozen senior neighbors who were without food and essential prescriptions. Each day, before and after work, she drove them outside the area, sometimes more than an hour away to pharmacies and grocery stores that were open.
When the Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Hospital requested her service to support COVID-19 triage, Kimberly worked with teams to organize and install a temporary hospital.
Throughout the pandemic, her professional efforts as a quality auditor and coding educator for Aetna Medicare have been equally as vital.
“Kimberly’s role includes being a partner with physicians to help them meet medical documentation guidelines,” explains Melinda Childress, Director, Quality and Risk Adjustment. “She presents monthly webinars and has educated more than 2,400 doctors, clinicians and professional coders about the importance of Medicare documentation accuracy and coding conditions.”
Kimberly, thank you for your service to our country, your community and CVS Health.
Heart At Work recognizes CVS Health heroes across the country who bring their hearts to work, helping people on their path to better health. Read their stories, watch their videos and celebrate our CVS Health Heart At Work heroes along with us!