Salisbury VA Health Care System recognizes top employees for fiscal year 2025

2025 Salisbury VA Health Care System Clinical Employee of the Year: Yashaira A. Matos

Determination, passion, and care for others are just a few natural attributes that fuel the daily drive and grind of Kernersville Health Care Center (HCC) Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Yashaira Matos. Blessed with a winning combination of skill and optimism, Yashaira has made a profound impact on her role with the primary care team at Kernersville HCC. 

“God gets me up in the morning. My kids keep me motivated,” mentioned Yashaira. “My kids keep me on my toes, and my family. It means a lot to me to make my family proud.”

Yashaira’s faith is a major part of her everyday life, and she references Psalm 1:1 as one of her favorite bible verses.

Despite her youth, she has a natural ability to adapt to new challenges, including assuming various leadership roles, such as president of nursing shared governance and participant in the VA Yellow Belt program. Also, Yashaira has served as champion for the high consequence infection team and unit peer leader training, prioritizing safety and proper equipment use for both Veterans and staff. 

Additionally, Yashaira recently identified an error in a metrics system, prompting a VISN-wide revision of the standardized diabetic eye exam, resulting in a more effective measurement and the creation of a new reminder in VA’s Computerized Patient Records System (CPRS) that was renamed for eye-care retinal health.

Her diligence and keen attention to detail culminated in a nomination and subsequent win as the clinical employee of the quarter for quarter one, fiscal year 2025. Yashaira embodies the VA’s ICARE Values - Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence – demonstrating an unwavering dedication to the Veterans and colleagues she serves, including her peers. Her commitment to excellence is evident in her tireless efforts to perform her duties to the highest standard, exemplifying each core value in its entirety. 

As a U.S. Air Force Veteran, Yashaira brings a unique perspective, combining clinical nursing expertise with the ability to empathize with Veterans. Her contributions to primary care are instrumental in fulfilling the VA mission every single day she walks through the doors. Yashaira’s profound impact, positive approach, and initiative have allowed her to truly stand out.

“This means a lot. It just shows how far you can come. I come from Cleveland, Ohio. I'm a child of an immigrant. It means a lot to me to help other people. It may be a small accomplishment, but when you come from where I come from, then it's a huge accomplishment. I've had a lot of other people tell me that I represent them,” she said. 

Before coming to VA, Yashaira attended Patrick Henry Community College in Virginia, where she received her LPN license. She began working at Kernersville HCC two years ago after a friend encouraged her to apply. Currently, she is studying to become a Registered Nurse (RN). 

Yashaira is thankful for the support that surrounds her each day, including her supervisor Helen Ellazar-Lampart, mentor Heather Bartels, and her Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), Dr. Lee, and Estrellita Carbone, RN. 

Outside of VA, Yashaira enjoys spending time with her two sons and family, cooking, and singing karaoke. 

2025 Salisbury VA Health Care System Non-Clinical Employee of the Year: Janice G. Lovingood

Adaptable, resourceful, and reliable are just a few words to describe Janice Lovingood, a group practice manager at the W.G. (Bill) Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center.

Under the leadership of Dr. Alok Trivedi, Janice has provided deep dive reporting, analytical expertise, and operational insight that have guided Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service’s (PM&RS) sustained clinical optimization throughout the year. 

Janice’s work has been instrumental in helping the service improve bookability, utilization, and productivity while supporting data-driven decisions to reduce underutilized clinics, expand high-demand services, and realign provider grids. These improvements achieved through continued commitment and dedication resulted in measurable gains in productivity, care access, and timeliness while enhancing cost effectiveness and resource stewardship.

“Seeing the improvements that we can make based on the analysis of the data that I can pull and putting changes into place, and seeing metrics improve, is what motivates me,” said Janice. 

Below are several supervisors’ reflections on Janice’s impact:

• “She was instrumental in managing clinical exceptions for multidisciplinary providers, which improved bookability and operational efficiency,” said Willyum Bobo, a physical therapist with Salisbury VA.
• “Janice and her team are quick, accurate, and educational in their support—always helpful and never making staff feel like a burden,” added Nathan Jarvis, an occupational therapist with Salisbury VA.
• “She is professional, dependable, and committed to improving patient care within recreational therapy, particularly in the Adaptive Sports Clinic. Her communication and responsiveness enhance service delivery and patient access,” said Aleashia Brandon, a supervisory recreation therapist with Salisbury VA.

As a U.S. Army Veteran, Janice’s professionalism and integrity set a standard of excellence across the organization. She consistently provides prompt, accurate support, often within an hour, and makes herself readily available for phone calls, meetings, and one-on-one consultations. Her approachable demeanor, clear communication, and patient guidance foster collaboration and trust. She is a perfect example of the VA’s ICARE values in action every day.

Her outstanding contributions have strengthened the service’s ability to deliver timely, efficient, and high-quality care to Veterans, fully aligning with the mission and values of Salisbury VA.

Janice, who joined Team Salisbury in 2011, has served in several positions before becoming a group practice manager. She previously served Veterans as a health technician in optometry and a health administrative officer of the day. 

“Being able to branch out and learning the different areas of the VA and where I might be interested in the most, whenever I was in data quality management, I learned that I really like data. And so, I've been able to use my interest in data with my current position as well as my interest in operations and how things work here at the VA,” she said.

Additionally, Janice has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in healthcare management from East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, respectively.

Outside of the VA, Janice, a Rowan County, North Carolina, native, enjoys spending time with her husband and their five children, traveling to theme parks, and exercising. 

2025 Salisbury VA Health Care System Supervisor of the Year: Dr. Shradha Parikh

Kindness, humility, knowledge, and world-class leadership are what our nation’s Veterans undoubtedly experience when encountering Dr. Shradha Parikh, assistant service chief of optometry with Salisbury VA.

“Whether it's accountability and support to your team, to your facility, to our Veterans, I think that's what helps build trust and a stronger team performance. I think that's important, helps us get to the mission of caring for the Veterans to the highest degree,” said Dr. Parikh.

Dr. Parikh has demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment in her dual roles as assistant chief of optometry service and current acting section chief of the advanced low vision clinic at Salisbury VA. 

Facing numerous requirements and constraints, such as strict budgetary limitations, onboarding delays, and the need for compliance with extensive organizational protocols, Dr. Parikh navigated these challenges with remarkable skill. 

Potential obstacles included ensuring seamless patient care during staff transitions and coordinating multidisciplinary efforts to improve suicide prevention screening rates within her optometry service. Despite these hurdles, Dr. Parikh's unwavering dedication positioned her to drive significant advancements in patient care and staff development within optometry.

Dr. Parikh undertook extensive initiatives to enhance the implementation of Whole Health while also introducing clinic optimization techniques to resolve clinic scheduling errors, streamline walk-in and urgent triage processes, and reduce patient wait times. 

She effectively managed clinic coverage with providers, ensuring continuous patient care within her service. Challenges such as team collaboration during staffing shortages and maintaining high safety and operational standards were met with strategic planning and robust interdepartmental communication.

Dr. Parikh's contributions have led to substantial benefits for VA. Her efforts in clinic optimization resulted in increased patient care access and higher slot utilization, contributing to record-low wait times for new patients and high patient satisfaction for optometry service.

By prioritizing suicide prevention and screening through multidisciplinary collaboration, she also enhanced the quality and timeliness of mental health support for Veterans. 

Continuous improvements in resource management and performance evaluations have refined operational efficiency, while her leadership in staff training and engagement has fostered an inclusive, supportive workplace culture. 

Dr. Parikh's initiatives have ensured compliance with High Reliability Organization protocols, enhancing the facility's reputation for excellence in patient safety and quality care. 

“This truly is deeply rewarding because we have an amazing team of excellent clinical supervisors who are doing great work every day. I just feel so humbled, honestly, to be recognized,” she said. 

Born in Kolkata, India, Dr. Parikh emigrated to the United States to pursue her education and would go on to receive an undergraduate degree in Michigan and a graduate degree from UC Berkeley in California. She would eventually begin her VA career in 2010 as a resident at Kansas City VA.

After residency, Dr. Parikh’s first job was at Hunter Holmes McGuire VA in Richmond, Virginia, before she eventually transitioned to Salisbury VA.

Outside of the VA, Dr. Parikh enjoys spending time with her husband and two children and learning about other cultures through travel.

For more information on this story, email the Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs at salisburyvapublicaffairs@va.gov. 

About the Salisbury VA Health Care System

At the Salisbury VA Health Care System, our mission is to fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors. 

Learn more at www.va.gov/salisbury-health-care.