Our Cancer Navigation Team
Navigation Team (Nurse Navigators, Social Worker, Chaplain) – whether your cancer journey is a marathon or a sprint, we’re here with you every step of the way. The navigation team consists of nurse navigators, a social worker, and a chaplain. As a team, we identify needs, evaluate options, and find remedies and solutions.
Nurse Navigators
Sara Houston, RN, BA, OCN
Sara is a certified cancer nurse and has been with the Calaway·Young Cancer Center for five years but has been serving at Valley View Hospital for over ten years. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University and her nursing degree from Colorado Mountain College. She is also certified in radiation therapy and loves working with patients to help them overcome their battles with cancer.
Kristin Johnston, RN, BSN, OCN
Kristin is originally from St. Louis, MO and earned her Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Missouri, Columbia and earned her bachelor's of nursing from Barnes Jewish Goldfarb School of Nursing in St. Louis, MO. She has been practicing as a nurse for nine years and her background includes telemetry, NICU, and both pediatric and adult cancer. She has been working at the Calaway·Young Cancer Center at Valley View Hospital since 2015 as an infusion nurse and now as a nurse navigator.
Heather Prokaski, RN, BSN
Heather is a registered nurse who has extensive training in patient care, specifically working with individuals who are battling cancer. She always had a passion for helping others and is thrilled to be living out her calling at Calaway·Young Cancer Center in Glenwood Springs, CO.
Social Worker
Pam Lalis, LCSW – Social Worker
Our social worker is a powerful advocate for whole-person care. She helps find community-based resources that provide services for caregivers and patients. Her experience in palliative and hospice care has shaped her approach to supporting patients through chronic illness with personalized attention that promotes a high quality of life and dignity of spirit.
Chaplain
Sean Jeung – Chaplain
Our chaplain helps sustain the spirits of those touched by cancer. With guidance from the chaplain, patients are invited to participate in walk and talk, meditation sessions, and prayer experiences of all kinds. A writing group supports those who benefit from putting their experiences into the words of poetry, prose or journal entries, and a support group for caregivers that meets twice a month. Additionally, our chaplain is here for our staff to support their spiritual well-being so they can better guide and support our patients.