MEET THE TEAM
Channa Morton, RD, CDE, Program Coordinator
Channa Morton is the Supervisor of the Healthy Living Program, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, as well as a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). She attended Northeastern A&M College in Miami, OK and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK where she completed her bachelor’s degree. Channa oversees the day-to-day operations of the department and monitors the program to maintain ADCES accreditation. In addition to her supervisor responsibilities, Channa provides nutrition counseling to patients with diabetes and other chronic diseases; conducts education programs for prevention of diabetes; and plans and conducts community-based nutrition/prevention educational activities. She is also in the role of a Nutrition Consultant for the counties of Delaware, Ottawa, and Craig for their Senior Nutrition Programs where she provides nutrition education and monthly meal site assessments. She also plans and conducts nutritional snacks and lessons weekly for children at the Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa County. During the summer season, Channa conducts live cooking demos at the Ottawa County Farmers Market to educate the community on the variety of ways to add produce to your meal. Channa has received multiple awards for her outstanding achievements including the Oklahoma City Area Indian Health Service Area Director’s Exceptional Performance Award for Health Promotion and Wellness, and the Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa County Community Partner of the Year Award.
Tonya On-the-hill, rn, cde
Tonya On-The-Hill is a highly skilled RN and Certified Diabetes Educator with 31 years of experience. Tonya is committed to the health and well-being of all our diabetes patients by providing individualized diabetes education as well as intensive blood glucose management. In 1990, Tonya started her career in healthcare by becoming an EMT. She realized that she was called to help others, so she enrolled at Pitt State and graduated from their nursing program in 1994. Tonya went to work on two Indian reservations, Crow/Northern Cheyenne, and White Mountain Apache where she learned a vast array of skills that would help her become the exceptional nurse she is today. Tonya’s skill level continued to grow after she joined Hastings Indian Medical Center in Tahlequah, OK. She also served eight years as a civil service member for Indian Health Services. In August of 2002, Tonya accepted a position here at NTHS and served as the Nurse Supervisor for the first 10 years. During her years as an RN, Tonya recognized a strong need for diabetes education within our native population, so in 2012, she made the decision to get certified as a diabetes educator. Since that time, Tonya has helped many of our patients learn how to manage their diabetes and live healthier lives.
Emily Cox, rn
Emily Cox is an experienced nurse and diabetes educator. In 2020, Emily graduated from the nursing program at Northeastern A&M College and accepted a job at Freeman Health. There she worked in the critical care unit where she evaluated patient needs and developed individualized care plans. Emily communicated effectively with patients, families, and colleagues to ensure seamless care transitions. After 2 years, Emily transitioned into the role of a school nurse at Quapaw Public Schools. It was there that her passion for diabetes education came to light when she was introduced to diabetes management concerning students. When the opportunity arose, Emily decided to pursue her newfound passion. She is now a part of the team in the NTHS Healthy Living Program providing education to patients while working towards her certification as a diabetes educator.
Kristen Woodruff, RD/LD, CDCES
Kristen Woodruff is a Registered and Licensed Dietician as well as a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). Her career started as an in-patient Clinical Dietitian at Freeman Hospital in Joplin. During her employment, Kristen obtained a certification as a renal specialist and transferred to the Freeman Outpatient Dialysis and the Freeman Kidney Center where she provided nutrition care to patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. She had the unique opportunity arise to become a consulting dietitian with Dietitians on Demand to help develop the food service program at a newly built healthcare facility in Galena, KS. She successfully established the hospital's food safety standards and created diets to ensure healthy food choices for in-patient stays. In 2014, Kristen joined the NTHS team as a Cardiovascular Dietitian Case Manager for the Heart Savers Program which has since been retired. While remaining at NTHS, Kristen resumed providing nutrition care to patients on a part time basis at Heartland Kidney Center located in Miami. Since nutrition is her passion, one of Kristen’s goals was to start a farmers’ market in Miami. She fulfilled that goal in 2015 when she and other community partners opened the Ottawa County Farmers Market. The market is still running strong and provides a variety of fresh produce for our community. Kristen is also the overseer of the greenhouse located on the NTHS campus where she grows fresh produce for our Healthy Living Program.
Jordan Douthit, RD
Jordan Douthit is a skilled Registered and Licensed Dietitian with 10 years’ experience. She attended Northeastern A&M College in Miami, OK and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK where she completed her bachelor's degree. Jordan provides nutrition counseling to patients with diabetes and other chronic diseases; coordinates and provides diabetes prevention activities for patients and employees; and conducts community-based nutrition/prevention educational activities. Her experience includes nutritional screenings for at-risk patients and nutritional assessments and diet education consultations on various disease states. She also plans and conducts nutritional snacks and lessons weekly for children at the Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa County. During the summer season, Jordan conducts live cooking demos at the Ottawa County Farmers Market to educate the community on the variety of ways to add produce to your meal.
Karla WIsdom, LPN
In 2001, Karla began her career volunteering here at NTHS. She soon was offered a full-time position and eventually went on to attend Northeast Tech’s nursing program which she completed in 2005. After becoming an LPN, she accepted a position in the Healthy Living Program, known at that time as the Diabetes Department. Karla enjoys taking care of and serving our native patients. So much so, that in 2014, she recognized the need for foot care within the diabetes community and made the decision to further her education and learn about diabetes foot care. Karla acquired the skills necessary to take care of our patient’s foot care needs. She is a vital part of our team and the healthcare we provide.
Amanda Haase, JVN Coordinator
Amanda Haase come to NTHS in 2009 and in 2015 become the Diabetes Program Assistant. She keeps the department running smoothly by overseeing the departments daily operations, including the scheduling of appointments. Sh assists in coordinating multiple programs that the department provides. Amanda is also certified by the Joslin Vision Network (JVN) to provide diabetes patients with retinal eye exams for detection of retinopathy.