Meet one of Primary Health Care’s dedicated Lead Clinicians and Nurse Practitioners, Erin Hernandez, ARNP. In addition to providing care for patients, Hernandez supervises the clinicians at PHC’s East Side Clinic, ensuring high quality care and patient satisfaction.

Prior to PHC, Hernandez worked at Blank Children’s Hospital for nearly 10 years. She remains passionate about caring for the health and well-being of children and educating parents on how to care for them too. She also enjoys working closely with PHC’s behavioral health team to treat patients struggling with anxiety, depression, and other behavioral health problems.

Caring for patients with sleep apnea is another area of special interest for Hernandez. She sees the symptoms, such as fatigue and headaches, and how it negatively impacts a person’s quality of life. Over time if left untreated, sleep apnea can cause major cardiovascular health concerns. Although there is not a sleep specialist available for uninsured patients in Des Moines, there are options for people who are diagnosed at self-pay visits and work ups.  Hernandez has a list of programs offering access to low- or no-cost C paps and connects her patients to these resources.

Hernandez is based out of PHC’s East Side Clinic and speaks English and Spanish. To learn more or schedule an appointment, call (515) 248-1600 or visit https://phciowa.org/east/.