At Neighborhood, we are fortunate to have some of the most talented, hard-working employees of any organization around. What you may not know are the intricacies of your fellow employees’ jobs or the wide array of talents, hobbies and interests outside of their day jobs that make each employee truly unique. That’s why the Human Resources department in collaboration with the Corporate Communications team created this special series. We want you to get to know the amazing people you work with! To achieve this, we use a Q&A format paired with photos to spotlight employees.
Our October Spotlight features Christina Jones, Health Care Data Analysis Project Lead, Analytics Department. Enjoy “meeting” Christina!
How long have you worked at Neighborhood, what do you do here and what part of your job do you most enjoy?
As of October 31 (this Halloween!), I will have been at Neighborhood for 5 years. I joined the organization as Senior Health Care Data Analyst. At that time, the Health Care Data Analysis team fell under the Information Systems department and my priority was the Accountable Entity program. Since then, Neighborhood created an Analytics department and I have been promoted (last month!) to Health Care Data Analysis Project Lead. In my current role, I do recurring and ad hoc reporting, find and investigate data issues and anomalies, build tables in our Analytics AIT (Analytic Infrastructure Table) database, and serve as the main COVID-19 reporting resource for Neighborhood. Some people call me the COVID Queen because of this responsibility. I don’t know if I should be happy about that or not – LOL! What I like the most about my job is that every report request is like a puzzle to me. I love to put the pieces together to provide the best information possible to my customers. Also, my coworkers are amazing – we are a family!
What did you do before joining Neighborhood?
Prior to joining Neighborhood, I worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island for 10 years. I started in customer service taking calls, moved to configuration of their new claims processing system, then to the data warehouse team and then to the testing team. Working in customer service enabled me to learn so much about the business side of health insurance, and my other roles expanded my technical background. The experience I gained in each of these roles assist with my daily tasks at Neighborhood.
Of all the projects you have worked on at Neighborhood, which one stands out as being especially meaningful to you?
The COVID-19 reporting I’ve been doing for the past 18 months has been both exciting and challenging, and has become my top priority. This work is so important for the health of our employees as well as our members and providers, and the world in general. My reporting is used to gauge the impact the pandemic has had on our organization and to provide the latest vaccination rates among our members – broken down by every category imaginable including line of business, ethnicity/race, language and more. The data I provide is also used to create outreach lists so we can effectively target those who may need additional information or support (e.g., transportation) to get vaccinated.
Tell us a little bit about the years you spent growing up – sharing what helped shaped your future.
Since my mom had me as a teen, I was raised by her parents and grew up in Medford, Massachusetts. My grandparents had seven children in total, so our house was always busy and crazy. My summers were spent in West Yarmouth on Cape Cod, and those are the memories I cherish.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? Why?
My grandfather had his own business and delivered snacks and pastries to supermarkets and small stores. I started helping him when I was around 5 years old. He provided me with the best advice. He would say, “Tina (he is the only person I ever let call me Tina), you have to know how to handle people to be successful.” This has been the most valuable advice I have ever received as it’s taught me to adapt to the person I am interacting with and adjust my words and body language as needed to connect with that person.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I absolutely love spending time with my family! I have three children, Gabby (29), Gage (23) and Marissa (22), and two beautiful granddaughters – April who is 8 years old and Ember who is almost a year old. My boyfriend Tommy and I adore the kids and spend a lot of time with them. I consider myself a “fun” grandmother! I dance and sing with them, do messy crafts, and anything within reason that makes them happy.
Photo on Right: Christina with her granddaughter April.
Share a “Fun Fact” with us. Something about you that others might find surprising or intriguing?
Many will never think this, but I am super shy! In a former position someone told me they thought I was snotty because I was so quiet. I never want to be perceived that way, so I have made it a point to talk to people and not be as shy…even though my stomach is rolling during those times.
Also, I love karaoke! Some of you may have witnessed Brian Jessop and I singing “Patience” by Guns N’ Roses in his office Halloween of 2019!!! It was amazing! And, yes, I know that it seems odd that I like to perform but yet I’m shy, but I will only sing in front of people I know well and in environments I’m comfortable with. I have a few favorite places I frequent to do karaoke.
What advice or recommendations would you give to someone interested in the type of career you are in?
Learn as much as you can! SQL (Structured Query Language) coding can be very intimidating to people at first glance, but once you get it, you can do so many awesome things with it. Don’t be afraid to try something new, or learn something new.