Gail Blocker serving as Interim at Clearbrook Good Samaritan

As an interim Gail Blocker provides coverage during the departure of administrators for the Good Samaritan Society. She is now at the center in Clearbrook and will be on location until a new administrator is appointed.

She has been with the Society since 1981 when she was an Office Manager. She provided oversight of accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll and handled customer services as needed. While she was working full time and taking care of her family she received her Associates of Science, Long Term Care Administrator degree from Iowa Lakes Community College. She grew up through the ranks in the Good Samaritan Society as her next 12 years were spent as a Long Term Care Licensed Administrator in the State of Iowa in the towns of Manson, Laurens and Newell.

She then attended St. Joseph’s College in Standish, Maine where she received her Health Care Administration degree. She spent the next 16 years recruiting and training new nursing home administrators, until she took the position for the Society as Interim Administrator. She provides interim coverage and mentoring for the Administrators.

Gail loves her job but the only down side is being away from home. Home is 5 ½ hours away in Hartford, South Dakota where her husband Joe keeps the home fires burning. They have three daughters, two of them work for the Good Samaritan Society and the third one works for Sanford Hospital.  They have six grandchildren which she is able to see when she gets home.

She finds it a blessing to work and meet people in the various facilities that she gets sent to.  She finds that the staff has the desire to work through problems that are the same in different facilities. 

She was recently in a center in New Mexico and she has been sending pictures of the beautiful countryside that she has been able to see in Clearwater County. They thought that it must be very cold up in northern Minnesota. She likes to drive around in her spare time to see what is in the area. As a child her parents took her to see Paul Bunyan in Bemidji. She likes to learn about the history of the area and when she has evenings free she likes to read and do crafts. Gail orders crafts from Pinterest which takes up some of her time. She really likes to read and attempts to be a social golfer. 

Gail is amazed that the employees at the Clearbrook Good Samaritan are so dedicated to the center. She will be giving three employees awards for over 40 years of service.

Welcome to the area, Gail Blocker.