Jeanette Ely enjoys moving and had Alaska on her mind for her next adventure when she stumbled upon the job posting for the Registered Dietitian (RD) position at PMC. She was born in Japan when her father was in the Air Force, but spent her childhood in Las Vegas. She was introduced to the Pacific Northwest while finishing up her nutrition degree at Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA. She fell in love with the trees and green grass and was inspired to move to Southeast Alaska because of the similarities in environment.

Prior to becoming an RD, Jeanette worked as a server in several restaurants and as the manager of a natural food store. She came to PMC in April 2022 with about 10 years of experience as a dietitian in the healthcare setting including skilled nursing facilities and a small local hospital. Her position here is a part of the Dietary department but Jeanette also supports the clinic, LTC, and hospital with dietary needs for patients and residents. Currently she is working with the kitchen staff to update the menus – a big project that everyone is very excited about.

Jeanette says she loves the variety of the job at PMC and is excited about supporting quality improvements along with her team. Any changes within the kitchen require significant planning and coordination because such changes affect other departments facility-wide. Jeanette says she is so happy to be at PMC and is impressed by the staff she works with because they have the same outlook that she has of wanting to do what is best for patients and for the community. She enjoys cooking and hiking and is excited about getting back to crafting now that she is living a little slower pace of life here in Petersburg.