Celebrating Black History Month – Mona Calhoun
This year, Memorial is celebrating Black History Month by spotlighting members of our team who embody our mission of healing, inspiring, and transforming the health of our community.
Mona has worked at Memorial for close to 25 years. She works in our Patient Financial Services department as a Third-Party Collector.
She was nominated by another Memorial team member who shared, “Mona is not recognized by patients when they visit but is valued for the compassion, understanding, and commitment to our patients after the fact. Although Mona does not provide hands-on care, she is dedicated to helping the community with one of the most stressful parts of the recovery process that burdens most families in today’s economy. Knowing the financial stresses that follow an ER visit or hospital stay can be overwhelming. It is a blessing to know that someone is understanding, knowledgeable, and willing to help when it comes to the financial burdens of medical debts.”
Helping patients is her goal
Mona says, “I enjoy working with our team and assisting our patients to get our medical claims resolved. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to help someone settle their debt for less than the amount owed or providing the news that the debt is being paid via the lawsuit. I meet attorneys from all over the coast and build relationships with their offices. Having rapport with certain attorneys, they prefer to only speak with me, and that tells me I am doing my job right!”
Finding inspiration from adversity
When asked which inspirational Black historical figure inspires her most and why, Mona shares, “Kentanji Brown Jackson, as she’s the first Black woman to be nominated and serve in the Supreme Court; she is an inspiration to all. She is the first Supreme Court judge who has served since Thurgood Marshall to have represented defendants as a public defender. While being nominated, she had to face contentious Senate confirmation hearings. Throughout the hearing, Jackson was resilient. She kept her poise through it all.”
Celebrating the unsung heroes
Mona plans to celebrate Black History Month with her family and friends, and she also plans to teach her grandson about the unsung heroes of African American history.
She says, “Everyone is taught about Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Jessie Jackson. There are many historical figures that are not taught in school: Jane Bolin who was the nation’s first Black woman judge. Alice Allison Dunnigan, the first African American female White House correspondent. Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on a bus nine months before Rosa Parks did the same. I think it’s important to tell the full history of Black History.”
Thank you for sharing your story, Mona, and thank you for all that you do for our patients and community!