Northern Colorado Long Term Acute Hospital is led by a team of highly experienced healthcare professionals who are passionate about providing the highest level of care available to the hospital’s patients.
We invite you to learn more about us below:
Meet our Leaders
Christina Salas | Chief Executive Officer
Christina possesses more than twenty-four years of healthcare experience. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Adams State College in Alamosa, CO, and a master’s degree in social work from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. Christina is passionate about providing quality care to the patients of Northern Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska.
She is a member of the National Stroke Association and Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance (NCLA). She also is involved with Professionals for Seniors and Northern Colorado Health Care Summit.
Christina enjoys golfing, riding bikes, and taking care of her flower gardens. She loves traveling with and entertaining all her friends and family.
Dr. Gary Pearson | Medical Director
With more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Pearson is dedicated to delivering comprehensive medical care to our hospitalized patients.
Dr. Pearson is board certified in family medicine. He completed a residency and internship in family medicine at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colo. He earned his medical degree from The Ohio State College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio, and earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of California, Davis in Davis, Calif. Dr. Pearson is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Dr. Pearson is fluent in Spanish and is actively involved in medical missions to Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua.
When not working, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and five children. He also enjoys road biking, fly fishing, playing tennis, and reading.
Amy Hansen, PT, DPT |Chief Operating Officer
Amy began her career at Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital and Northern Colorado Long Term Acute Hospital as a physical therapist and lead therapist in 2010, assisting the hospital in achieving the prestigious designation as the gold standard for stroke rehabilitation in 2013. She then chose to expand her clinical experience providing therapy to patients in their home. Amy returned home here at NCRH & NCLTAH as the Director of Therapy Operations in 2019, where she guided our hospital in achieving the gold standard certification for our brain injury program in 2020. As the COO, Amy will continue to lead a passionate group of leaders toward best practice standards of care.
Amy has a certification that specializes in rehabilitation for patients with stroke and brain injuries (Neuro-IFRAH) and has led a team of specialized therapists in providing the highest quality of care to our patients.
Amy leads by example with a strong passion for her patients and her colleagues. Amy is a nine-year survivor of ovarian cancer, proving to be one of self-determination and strength.
Aside from her career, Amy enjoys traveling, yoga, cheering on her beloved Kansas Jayhawks, and family time with her husband, Andy, and children, Gavin and Danika.
Stephanie Drobny, MS-HSL, RN, CPHQ | Chief Nursing Officer
Stephanie began her career as a housekeeper for the elderly. She fell in love with caring for this population, so she obtained her CNA and did private home health hospice care. After a few years, she moved into the acute setting on a busy surgical floor that specialized in bariatric patients. An invitation from an amazing leader led her to leave the bedside and spend the next years in program development while she obtained her BSN.
In the last six years, Stephanie has held nursing leadership positions in Quality, Compliance, Infection Control, Oncology, and Medical-Surgical Services. During that time she also obtained her Masters in Health Systems Leadership, her national certification in Health Care Quality, and her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. She has also published two articles in national nursing journals as she strives to improve the quality of health care on a broader level.
Stephanie stays busy outside of work with her family consisting of her husband, four children, and two dogs. Her favorite things are to garden, read, take long walks, and snuggle with her kids.
Alissa Gould MS, CCC-SLP|Director of Therapy Operations
Alissa comes to the director of therapy operations role with over ten years of experience at Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital as a speech-language pathologist. Originally from Iowa, she received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Northern Iowa. Alissa continued her education earning a Master of Science from the University of Central Missouri and a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association in 2012. Her passion for the neuro patient population including stroke and brain injury continued to lead her to certifications for Neuro Muscular Electrical Stimulation/VitalStim and Myofascial Release.
In the last ten years at NCRH, Alissa has been known as a passionate patient advocate by instilling patient-centeredness and individualization in each of her patients. Her innate pride in improving patient independence and returning to the community with dignity is what drives her continued care for all of her patients, their families, and her team. Her leadership and effective communication among a large interdisciplinary team will help her move seamlessly into her new role as director of therapy operations.
When Alissa isn’t caring for patients, she loves spending time with her husband, Jeff, and two children (three & four years old), traveling back to Iowa, camping, and enjoying the outdoors. In her spare time from family and the hospital, Alissa does bookkeeping for her husband’s lawn and landscaping business. Alissa’s passion for hard work and providing the highest quality care are qualities she plans to instill in her therapy team.
Jen Newman, OTD, OTR/L | Director of Patient Outcomes/Case Management Jen brings over 15 years of experience as a compassionate occupational therapist in many facets of healthcare. She has been a successful therapist in many levels of care from skilled nursing to intensive care. Her passion for assisting patients both in and outside of the hospital achieve their highest level of functionality is unsurpassed. This translates into her current leadership role.
Jen is a nationally certified lymphedema therapist and has her doctorate in occupational therapy. She has shared her compassion and knowledge as an educator in occupational therapy at different universities.
When Jen is not working with her patients, she adores spending time with her husband, two children, and their dog. She loves to do all things Colorado, like hiking, biking, skiing, and traveling.
Daniel O’Connell | Director of Pharmacy Operations
Daniel knows the importance of good pharmaceutical management to aid in a patient’s recovery. He thrives in the environment which involves much efficient multi-tasking and extreme quality control.
Daniel earned a doctor of pharmacy degree at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM.
He is a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). When he’s not working, Daniel enjoys traveling, camping, and biking with his family. He is a winter sports enthusiast and avid reader and moviegoer.
Kerry D. MacFarlane, MSN, NHA, RN, CCVRN | Market Director of Compliance
Kerry began her nursing career 20 years ago as a unit clerk during the summer at her local hospital, while she was off from teaching kindergarten. She quickly realized after the birth of her daughter and some major medical issues, that becoming a nurse was going to be her next career move. Kerry became an ICU nurse early on and began specializing in cardiac issues. She decided to go for her certification in cardiac and worked in different areas, including CICU, cath lab, step down, and telemetry.
Kerry received her BSN and MSN in nursing education and has also obtained her Nursing Home Administrator licenses in both Colorado and Florida. She is passionate about the nursing community and has sat on several committees and boards. Quality and infection prevention has always been a passion, and coming into this position feels like coming home. Kerry has taught many nursing classes and has a genuine calling to foster the next generation of healthcare providers.
Kerry stays busy outside of work with her husband and their blended family of seven adult children, three daughter-in-loves, and soon-to-be seven grandchildren. “Life is all about the moments that create the memories.”
Arba Boci, MSN-MHA, BSN, RN | Director of Marketing & Business Development
Arba has worked in healthcare for over 15 years. Her vast experience includes many different perspectives from being a bedside nurse, front desk, admissions, and a CNA. Most recently, Arba worked as a clinical liaison assisting patients in accessing our care. This experience and innate leadership translate into a seamless transition in her newest role here.
Arba is passionate about providing quality care to the patients of Northern Colorado. Her passion drove her pursuit of higher education, receiving her Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Masters of Nursing and Healthcare Administration from the University of Phoenix.
Arba loves spending time with family and friends while she’s not at the hospital. Her family includes her two dogs. Aside from her family, Arba enjoys hiking, traveling, and reading on her days off.
Keith Hoover | Director of Facilities Management
Keith comes to us with over 25 years of facilities experience in many different capacities. Keith went to school for a degree in Project Management and a minor in Emergency Management. Keith was formerly a hazardous waste incident commander as well as a responder.
His background in facility management led him to successfully pursue certification from the International Facility Management Association as a Facility Management Professional (FMP). He continued to strive for excellence by participating in Emergency Manager Basic Academy with FEMA/EMI, becoming a member of the Colorado Emergency Management Association, and providing emergency management support for Public Works and Facilities Management with the City of Loveland for nearly a decade.
Keith is a Colorado native with a love for studying history and traveling.
Becky Kosach | Senior Director of Human Resources Specialist
Becky joined our team in 2019 as the Human Resources Director and currently serves as a resource for our twelve Mountain West hospitals. Becky earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Wyoming and is a certified professional in Human Resources. Becky is passionate about organizational development, employee engagement, and diversity and inclusion. Becky brings 15 years of experience in health care and human resources to our leadership team.
As a lifelong learner, Becky enjoys a variety of activities outside of work, including volunteering in the community, art, film, reading, and paddle boarding.