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Contact Project ECHO

Physical Address:

Idaho Water Center
322 E. Front Street, Ste. 222
Boise, ID 83702

Phone: 208-364-4072

Fax: 208-364-3178

Email: echoidaho@uidaho.edu

COVID-19 Safety for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Specialist Panel

Megan Dunay, MD, MPH

Dr. Dunay received her medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine then completed her residency at Full Circle Health (formerly the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho), serving as Chief Resident her senior year.  She enjoyed 6 years of service at the Boise VAMC including various leadership roles. She now serves as the Medical Director for the Idaho State Veteran’s Home – Boise, and as geriatrician and palliative care physician at the Keystone Center for Geriatrics. She is an educator with the University of Washington School of Medicine, and enjoys teaching students, residents and Geriatric Medicine fellows.

Outside of her professional occupations, Dr. Dunay loves reading poetry, especially the works of Mary Oliver, Lucille Clifton and Rainer Maria Rilke.

Megan Dunay, MD, MPH

Geriatrics and Palliative Care Physician, Medical Director, Idaho State Veteran's Home, Medical Director, Keystone Health, Associate Medical Director, Keystone Hospice

Megan Dunay of COVID-19 training

Mary Egeland, LNHA

Mary Egeland has worked as an administrator in assisted living, skilled nursing and as a third party consultant. She has a degree in business and is currently enrolled in the John Maxwell Leadership Coaching program. Mary’s professional interests include resilience, leadership and mentorship - she values the opportunity to use personal adversity to help assist others through life’s challenges. Strong in her faith, she is the mother of three boys and enjoys outdoor recreation including biking, hunting, kayaking and fishing. Of ECHO Idaho’s Post-Acute Long-Term Care series, she says, “I’m grateful I get to learn with the participants and panelists in exchange for my experience, education and friendship.”

Mary Egeland, LNHA

Administrator, Royal Plaza Health and Rehabilitation

Mary Egeland

Troy Henderson, RN, DNS

Troy Henderson worked as a staff member for over 20 years at State Hospital South before moving to the Idaho State Veterans Home in Pocatello in 2018. He is a Meritorious Instructor with the Crisis Preventions Institute (CPI) and has been inducted into CPI’s Hall of Merit. Mr. Henderson is a lifelong resident of Idaho and currently lives in Blackfoot. He has three children and two grandchildren, so has no free time. On the rare instance you do find him sitting down, it is usually late at night in his favorite chair with a book.

Troy Henderson, RN, DNS

Director of Nursing Services, Idaho State Veterans Home – Pocatello

Troy Henderson

Oni Kinberg, LCSW, MSSW

Oni Kinberg decided to pursue a career to help support people in the aging process after working as a certified nursing assistant specializing in Alzheimer's care. He has a Master's of Science in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin Madison and has worked at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise since 2003, where he is the Director of Social Work. Outside of the Veterans Home, he has taught person-centered care, ethics, dementia care, behavioral management education, music and memory and additional subjects for the Idaho Health Care Association, among other organizations.

Oni Kinberg, LCSW, MSSW

Director of Social Work, Idaho State Veterans Home - Boise

Oni Kinberg

Tina Loch, RN

Tina Loch served as the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) nurse at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Pocatello from 2018-2021. In that capacity, she took a leadership role in researching best practices and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regulations to guide staff decisions at the Veterans Home. Ms. Loch has also been part of the COVID-19 Prevention Team with Idaho State Veterans Division Services. She has degrees in Health Information Technology and Registered Nursing from Idaho State University and began her nursing career at State Hospital South in Blackfoot, Idaho, as a medication nurse for the geriatric population and eventually advanced to a charge nurse and also served as the QA/QI committee lead. In her off-time, Ms. Loch enjoys spending time with family, cooking, home improvement and remodel projects and anything that gets her outdoors, apart from yardwork.

Tina Loch, RN

COVID-19 Infection Prevention Long-Term Care Specialist Healthcare Associate, Epidemiology Section, Bureau of Communicable Disease Prevention, Division of Public Health

Christina Loch

Jennifer Ustianov, MS, BSN, RN

Jennifer Ustianov has directed regional, statewide and national improvement projects focused on improving quality of life and health outcomes for the past 18 years. Through these opportunities, Ms. Ustianov has provided extensive knowledge in quality improvement methodology, improvement science, teamwork modeling, patient safety and system re-design. In the spirit of true collaboration and action, she partners with families, leaders and frontline health professionals in clinical and community settings to guide transformational change. As an AHRQ Team STEPPS Master Trainer, Ms. Ustianov has worked with hospital-, community- and practice-based teams in varied acute and ambulatory and community-based health care settings, providing expertise in the field of Teamwork and Patient Safety. She remains clinically active and is a passionate volunteer in her community.

Jennifer Ustianov, MS, BSN, RN

Improvement Coach, Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Jennifer Ustianov

Robert Vande Merwe, LNHA, MBA

Named one of Idaho’s top 25 most powerful health care leaders by the Idaho Business Review, Robert Vande Merwe currently serves as Executive Director of the Idaho Health Care Association. In addition to his record of outstanding healthcare service in Idaho, Mr. Vande Merwe brings his experiences as the former Campus Director of RiverPlace Retirement and Assisted Living in Boise and Administrator at the Rexburg Nursing Center in Rexburg to the ECHO Idaho specialist panel. Robert earned his BS and his MBA from the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City.

Robert Vande Merwe, LNHA, MBA

Executive Director, Idaho Health Care Association

Robert Vande Merwe

Contact Project ECHO

Physical Address:

Idaho Water Center
322 E. Front Street, Ste. 222
Boise, ID 83702

Phone: 208-364-4072

Fax: 208-364-3178

Email: echoidaho@uidaho.edu