DRG Staff Biographies

 

Lorie DeScala is the Executive Director of Finance and Human Resources. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from San Francisco State University in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting. Lorie has worked with DRG since December of 1988. Prior to DRG, she worked with Union Carbide Corporation as an Accounting Manager and a District Manager. Lorie also worked with Child Care Coordinating Council as a Fiscal Manager. Lorie is licensed as an Enrolled Agent by the IRS. She has over 25 years experience in finance and human resources.

 

Lorna Forbes, MSW is the Director of Social Services. She has a Master's Degree in Social Work from Sacramento State University. Lorna first began working for DRG in May 1988 in the field as a clinical social worker. In 1992, she left DRG to become Social Services Manager for a VNA/Hospice in Washington State. She returned to CA. in 1996, and worked for eight more years in the field for DRG where she covered all arenas of medical social work. In 2004, Lorna was offered the Director of Medical Management position. She successfully managed the nursing department until January 2010, when she transferred into the Social Work Department as Director of Social Services.

 

Jessica Zur, RN, BSN is the Director of Medical Management. Jessica has a Bachelors Degree in Nursing from the University of San Francisco. Jessica began working for DRG Health Care Staffing in September, 2009. Jessica brings over 20 years of experience as a Registered Nurse who has worked in a variety of settings. Jessica began her career as a Staff Nurse at Stanford University Medical Center where she worked in general Pediatrics; she then gained further experience and clinical expertise as a Staff Nurse at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center where she gained extensive knowledge as a Hematology, Oncology Nurse. Jessica then began her Nursing Administrative career working for Health Net where she was involved in numerous HMO acquisitions, giving her the opportunity to be a Clinical Lead for their on-site Case Management Department, and was the RN lead in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jessica then went on to start up an Outside Medical Services Department at Kaiser Medical Center, Oakland where she hired and trained RN’s as Case Managers for Kaiser Members who were receiving clinical services at facilities outside of the Kaiser system. Jessica also managed all emergency and non-emergency ambulance services for the Kaiser Oakland Medical Center. Jessica then went on to coordinate the Northern California Kaiser Regional Kidney and Heart Lung Transplant Departments. Jessica’s most recent position was a Workers’ Compensation Case Manager managing complex cases throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

 

Carol Block, PT, M.Ed. is the Director of the Pediatric Resources Division. She is a long time resident of Santa Clara County. Carol received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Colorado and later received a Master’s Degree in Education from Santa Clara University. Carol continues to be active at Santa Clara University as an adjunct lecturer for the Department of Education, Early Childhood Education Program. She also had the privilege of teaching in a clinical doctorate program for physical therapists at the Rocky Mountain University for three years in their pediatric program. Carol worked for the first seven years of her career in adult rehabilitation at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. At California Children’s Services she treated children and worked as a supervisor. Carol continued her professional career at Good Samaritan Hospital where she treated children and focused an interest in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She designed and owned a private therapy practice named Pediatric Interventions Inc. (PII), which became one of the largest in the Bay Area. The practice supported therapists as they worked in schools, hospitals, and homes and in outpatient clinic services. After fifteen years of running her own private company, PII merged with DRG to form Pediatric Resources.

 

Susan Roberts, Ph.D., MFT is the EPSDT Project Coordinator. She has a Doctorate in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Susan began working for DRG in December 2004. She spent five years as a field mental health auditor/lead reviewer for the EPSDT project, performing mental health reviews for the California Department of Mental Health, with DRG as a subcontractor for BHC, before becoming the Project Coordinator in October 2009. Before coming to DRG, Susan worked as an administrator and as a supervising social worker for a foster family agency with 5 offices in Northern California. Earlier, Susan’s focus was on the academic world, earning multiple degrees and also working in the field of sociology, including a position as a Lecturer in Sociology at California State University, Hayward.

 

People behind the scene

We make every effort to know you as a person and as a professional. DRG has provided specialized medical staffing in the greater Bay Area since 1984. We provide highly qualified personnel in the areas of Nursing, Social Work, Mental Health and Rehabilitation Therapy. Each discipline is managed by a professional director who selects and supervises each staff member.

Our unique policy of "professionals staffing professionals" allows us to provide a highly personalized service.

The following is a list of names and the areas of responsibilities of the DRG office staff.

Receptionist - Dee Valdez

BHC Administrative Assistant - Linda Aguilar is the assistant for the California Department of Mental Health, EPSDT Review.

Pediatric Resources Office & Clinic Assistant - Priscilla Martinez is the assistant to Carol Block for Pediatric Resources.

Human Resources, Assistant Manager - Lucinda Ip

Accounting Manager & IT Coordinator - Georgia Abelardo

Accounts Receivable Specialist- Cathy Duncan

Payroll Manager - Mary Culpeper

Staffing Coordinator - Diane Werner

Nursing Staffing Coordinator - Rosa Arechiga, BSHCS

Assistant Staffing Coordinator - Cheryl Posada

Director of Medical Management - Jessica Zur, RN, BSN

Director of Social Services - Lorna Forbes, MSW

Director of Pediatric Resources - Carol Block, PT, M.Ed

Executive Director of Finance and Human Resources - Lorie De Scala

President of DRG - Marsha Hix, RN, PHN

Chief Executive Officer of DRG - Larry Hix

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call our office at (650) 877-8111. We are here to assist you and look forward to working with you.