Christina Mahoney has found her calling.
Although she’s seated at the head of the table during this round of bingo, that calling doesn’t have much to do with the numbered balls in the bin.
“Arlene got a bingo! Whatcha got, Arlene?” Christina says with enthusiasm.
The bingo is just a perk.
“My calling is nursing. My passion is long-term care,” says Christina, a registered nurse and director of nursing at Good Samaritan Society – Bloomfield.
The California native moved to Nebraska with her family at the age of 18.
“My mom and I started going to school together for nursing,” she says.
They both found a home at Good Samaritan.
“There's just something special about long-term care,” Christina says. “I just love it so much being with my residents, building that rapport with not only your resident but their family.”
Family ties
Christina’s younger brother, Anthony Arroyos, also found his footing with Good Samaritan. He joined as a certified nursing assistant – a certification he achieved he alongside his father, who later worked as a nurse at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls.
“A lot of people know me because they know my sister,” Anthony says. “It was a really cool experience just to be able to have that family aspect in one building.”
That’s right – brother and sister, working under one roof.
“It was a lot of fun. If we worked the same shifts, we would carpool,” Christina says.
“It's my older sister, so at the end of the day, I'm still probably a pest,” Anthony adds. “And I probably was even then. I still am now for sure.”
Their time working together in Bloomfield was truly a family affair, with their mother working as the director of nursing at the location.
“Mom is mom, right? You're going to call your mom ‘Mom’ no matter what setting you're in,” Anthony says with a laugh.
Christina disagrees.
“No, she was JoAnn when I worked. I was not her daughter. I was nurse Christina,” she says.
The unique dynamic did not go unnoticed.
“The fact that they all found their home at Good Sam is pretty amazing,” says Bloomfield administrator Madison Kinkaid. “When Good Sam has a whole family working for them, it says a lot.”
A path fueled by passion
During Anthony’s time as director of social services in Bloomfield, his path shifted gears, thanks to a search for a sticky note.
“I grabbed this white pad, and at the top of that white pad said, ‘Southeast Community College, Long-Term Care Administration.’ And right there, I knew God was telling me, this is your sign,” he says.
Anthony is now participating in the Administrator in Training program at Good Samaritan Society – Albion – just 90 minutes down the road.
“The AIT experience has been great,” he says.
And that experience, along with Good Samaritan’s faith-driven mission, has reinforced this family’s devotion to caring for others.
“There's so much to the administrator role that you don't realize, even though on a daily basis I was working with an administrator,” Anthony says.
Adds Christina: “It's what health care should be. It's very person-centered. It's taking care of those when they're down, when they're vulnerable.”
That care comes with an abundance of sibling support.
“I definitely know they found a lot of comfort in each other during tough times,” Madison says.
And both siblings are proud of the growth they’ve seen in each other.
“Her strengths are all about relationship building. It's moments like that where I'm very proud to call her my big sister and very proud to continue to watch her grow in her role,” Anthony says.
“He knows when to make you laugh and when to be your support. And seeing him interact with our residents and putting a smile on their face. He's such a great guy, so to see him succeed is just amazing,” adds Christina.
It’s a passion that runs in the family.
“People know me as a little brother, but I'll create my own path, and people will know me for who I am,” Anthony says. “But I have no problem with everyone knowing that that's my sister. That's my big sister.”
If you have questions about the AIT program or application process, email us at Emily.Jones@Sanfordhealth.org.
