Deanna, also known as Dee Dee, started her Los Angeles County service in 1992 as an RN at Martin Luther King Medical Center. She worked in the Medical Surgical Unit until 1997 when she transferred to the Department of Public Health. She also returned to school and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Masters in Science in Nursing and Public Health. She returned to Health Services in 2012 as Nurse Manager for the Harbor Nursing Office. She is active in the Los Angeles Southwest College Alumni Association. In 2015, she was honored as Alumnus of the Year. She received commendations from Eric Garcetti, Maxine Waters, Reginald B. Jones-Sawyer, Dianne Feinstein and Mark Ridley Thomas.
Family is the most important facet of life for Dee Dee. One of her proudest moments was seeing her eldest son (Andre) open his own mortuary (Cremation Center of California). Dee Dee’s younger son (Myles) will be graduating high school in June. Her husband (Lendell) and she have always taught their children to give back to those in need. Their family motto is, “If you have it, share it”. She is presently working night shift as a Supervisor and finds the work challenging. A moment that brought Dee Dee the most joy involved a patient who was being discharged and did not have any shoes. She went to her car and returned to give her tennis shoes from her emergency preparedness bag to the patient; his reaction was priceless. Working with the public in health care for 17 years has taught Dee Dee to be prepared for almost anything. Also, Dee Dee is a supporter of the rescue missions, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and is registered with “Be the Match”, a bone marrow registry.
Congratulations, Dee Dee!
Erika Sweet
Nurse Practitioner
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center