Inside Athena: Your First Interaction at Newtown Rehab Is With Chris Ambrose
NEWTOWN, C.T. — Chris Ambrose is typically the first interaction you may encounter walking into Newtown Rehabilitation & Health Care Center. Ambrose is the receptionist.
“I am who you see,” she said. “If you don’t know who to ask for or where to go – I’m the person who can solve their problems.”
Chris Ambrose
Ambrose started working at the center 27 years ago, beginning in the housekeeping department, where she spent the first 13 years of her career at Newtown. In 2009 she then assumed the receptionist role and has been there ever since.
“I like working here,” Ambrose said. “It’s a nice place, it’s clean, the people are friendly and I enjoy working with the elderly.”
She enjoys all the interactions she has daily and is always there to be a listening ear that someone may need. She said staff, residents, and visitors like to open up to her due to her friendly demeanor and approachable personality.
“I just listen, I enjoy interacting with people and I love talking with them,” she said.
Ambrose explains that sometimes she feels that she assumes the role of a therapist.
“I learned a long time ago that you can’t solve people’s problems, but rather it comes to light when they are talking and they hear it in their own voice. I’m the person they can talk to,” she said.
Ambrose also describes herself as the “grandmother” to all staff. She remembers when she first started working at Newtown in the housekeeping department, she saw and continues to see generations of staff and residents’ families grow from children to adults.
She also said that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she missed the visitor interactions and is happy to have the visitors back into the building to build upon those connections.
Follow Athena Health Care Systems on Twitter and Facebook & Newtown Rehabilitation & Health Care Center on Facebook. Interested in a career with Athena? Click here!