Neighbors joins hospital board

Audra Neighbors, a senior at Worland High School, attended her first hospital board meeting on July 23.

Neighbors was appointed an ex officio member of the board, which does not grant her the ability to vote on board matters, but in all other capacities she is considered a member. This position was held by Rivers Carrell before her, and board President Dean Carrell expressed that he would like to maintain an ex officio member representing Worland High School to offer interested youth an opportunity to experience what goes on behind the scenes at Washakie Medical Center.

Neighbors grew up in Worland and has been active in both sports and academics during her time in school. This year she will be playing basketball and soccer, and she enjoys spending her free time outside. She said, "I like to do anything outdoors really; like hiking, kayaking and paddleboarding."

She is taking science courses to prepare herself when she declares "pre-med" and attends college to earn an undergraduate biology degree. From there, she plans to earn a doctorate and one day practice as a pediatrician.

Neighbors has previously participated in summer camps at Washakie Medical Center for aspiring medical students. She has already completed anatomy and physiology and earned a certified nurse assistant certificate through a program at the high school. She uses this certificate to work at Washakie Medical Center, where she is already getting experience in the medical field.

Neighbors said there was never really a question about what she wanted to do. She said, "I don't really know why, this is just something that I have always been interested in."

As an ex officio member of the Washakie Medical Center Board of Directors, Neighbors is thrilled to experience the hospital from the administrative side. "I look forward to getting to see aspects of the hospital that not everyone gets to see, and learning more about how it's run. I'm excited to be a part of it," said Neighbors.