Patient navigator brings comfort and clarity to care

Jorge Martinez recalls a moment that confirmed he had stepped into the right role at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. He was new to his position as a patient navigator within the Emergency Department (ED) at Sharp Chula Vista, helping coordinate the care and offering a calming and reassuring presence for patients and their loved ones.

Parents had brought in their child, who had fallen and injured their face. Martinez introduced himself when they first arrived and explained what would happen next. But after the child had completed the different scans and tests that were needed, the parents found themselves wondering why they hadn’t been able to head home yet. So, they asked Martinez.

“I’m not a nurse, but I know a lot about the path of a patient’s experience in the ED,” Martinez says. “If I don’t have the answer, I’m able to get it.”

Martinez learned that the ED doctors had requested a consultation by a pediatric plastic surgeon to make sure the child wouldn’t have any permanent scarring. The parents were pleased to learn that the doctor had requested this before they went home and were happy to wait to see the specialist, he recalls.

A new role for patient care

Navigating an emergency department visit can feel overwhelming — especially for patients and loved ones who are anxious, in pain or unfamiliar with the process. To help ease that experience, Sharp Chula Vista introduced the patient navigator position to provide guidance, clarity and emotional support from the moment patients arrive.

The patient navigator position is part of the Emergency Department Transformation Project at Sharp Chula Vista, which was completed in Spring 2026. The project makes the emergency room more comfortable, more spacious and easier for patients and their loved ones to access. There is a new lobby with a dedicated parking garage, a conveniently located outpatient pharmacy where patients can pick up their prescriptions before they go home, and an enhanced flow throughout the department to help patients receive the care they need as quickly as possible.

Providing support and guidance

Although new to the patient navigator role, Martinez brought years of experience and meaningful patient interactions from his service as a long-time employee at Sharp Chula Vista. He can usually be found in the fast-track lobby area of the emergency department, where patients with mild to moderate emergencies are seen.

Martinez greets patients in the lobby and asks whether they’ve visited the ED before. For those who haven’t, he explains each step of the process. This includes receiving a wristband as a safety feature, being called to the triage window to speak with a nurse and doctor, and understanding what happens if tests, such as CT scans or lab work, are ordered. Patients often return to the lobby between steps, and Martinez helps keep families up to date to understand what’s happening and why.

Martinez’s role is especially important for less critical cases, such as patients having pain due to car accidents, those with flu-like symptoms or abdominal pain, individuals with sprains, or children who have fallen and hurt themselves. In these situations, wait times and multiple steps can cause uncertainty. As a patient navigator, Martinez aims to be a friendly, reassuring presence, helping reduce stress and anxiety by listening to patients and answering their questions.

For Martinez, the ability to support people during their most vulnerable moments is what drew him to the role. “Nurses have to be focused on patients’ medical needs, in addition to the support they provide,” he says. “There was a need for an additional resource — someone who could be there to support, listen and let patients and their loved ones know that they matter and we’re going to take very good care of them.”

A focus on connection

Connecting one-on-one with patients is Martinez’s favorite part of the job. Having experienced the health care system as a patient and loved one himself, he understands how valuable it is to have someone available to answer questions or find answers. “When patients are informed, they feel more confident and positive about what’s happening,” he says.

That kind of support can make all the difference, as Martinez recently learned. At a patient experience conference, he was delighted to discover that scientific studies have proven that kindness and compassion can improve a patient’s medical outcome.

It’s a lesson being put into practice every day — one conversation at a time — at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center’s Emergency Department.

Get the latest health and wellness news, trends and patient stories from Sharp Health News and subscribe to our weekly newsletter by clicking the "Sign up" link below.