Cottage Health employees celebrated Father’s Day weekend

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Employees love going to work at Cottage health, especially because they get to see their own fathers in action.

"It’s amazing. He’s been working here so long. I’ve grown up coming here coming to the cottage. Picnics and everything so I always knew I wanted to be here working with him and I’m just so thankful that I didn’t get the opportunity to get the job here," said nurse Danni Lafrican at Cottage Hospital.

Danni Lafrican and her father Ron Lafrican have been working together at Cottage Hospital for several years. 

"It is such a pleasure to see her in action, and to hear things about her because normally when you don’t work with your child, you don’t really get to see everything up close but fortunately for me, I get to see when she gets recognized I get stopped in the hall all the time people telling me how great care Danni provided to them," said Ron.

Ron said enjoys seeing his daughter making a difference in people’s lives.

"I have started out on one unit and it was a Covid nurse and so she was on the Covid unit. I watched her care for the Covid patients through the height of Covid, which was made me very proud scared as a father. As you can imagine it I got the range of emotions," said Ron.

"It means a lot actually see because my dad’s been working as a PCT for a patient care tech for 15 years for cottage and he really inspired me to pursue a career in nursing," said Nurse Carl Llanos of Cottage Hospital.

Carl said his father encouraged him to serve as volunteer at the hospital. 

"After that I got hired from being a volunteer into a nurse … oh my dad inspired me because he can just see that he works hard. He’s been working here for a long time and a lot of my coworkers have worked with him as well and now it’s a call and inspiring us to hear the stories that they’ve said about my dad and how is a really hard worker," said Carl.

"It’s a great opportunity to work at Cottage Hospital especially my son … for pursuing a nursing career," said patient care tech Telesforo Rommel Llanos of Cottage Hospital.

"My hope is to continue working here at cottage and I continue now you know hopefully down the line have a legacy and to have my kids to work here as well," said Carl.

Cottage administrators say it’s not uncommon for family members to work together at this health system.