Ava Wills, RN at Spectrum Home Health & Hospice
Ava was born and raised in the 16 Acres Neighborhood of Springfield along with her 2 brothers Michael and John. She graduated from Classical High School, and then, following her dream to become a doctor, went to Springfield College for 1 year, to take pre-med courses. But a bout with mono forced her to drop out, and when faced with starting her coursework all over again, she changed course. She applied and was accepted to Baystate Medical School of Nursing. After three years of classes and clinical rotations at the hospital, she graduated in 1981 with an RN Diploma Degree.
That same year several other major events occurred for Ava: she married Alan, and they have been together 40 years ago. She took her Nursing Boards and passed. And she took her first job out of school, at Providence Hospital in Holyoke, and worked full-time in orthopedics. After more than a dozen years there, she left and worked at Rehab West in Ludlow. In the meantime, she gave birth to two daughters: Leah, who is now a nurse, and Anika who lives in Texas.
Ava later worked as a visiting nurse for Easter Seals Home Care in West Springfield for 5 years, and then on January 5, 2000 she began working for Spectrum Home Healthcare which at the time was located on Dwight Road. As Ava reflected on her many years as a visiting nurse and her twenty years at Spectrum she said, “Working in Home Care is such a good fit for me. There is a lot of autonomy in the job. Doctors get to know you when you call and speak with them. We get very close to the patients and their families. It’s very different than working in the hospital.”
Ava explained that she usually sees her patients 2 – 3 times a week and typically sees 6 patients each day. The Spectrum “catchment area” includes Longmeadow, Agawam, Ludlow, West Springfield and Westfield. “I never would have been able to spend the time I do with my patients had I become a doctor,” Ava said. “The patient care and the relationships are really key to me. And the camaraderie with my co-workers really makes the work fulfilling. We all get along really well and we all have each other’s backs!”
In her free time, Ava enjoys spending lots of time with her husband and their grandchildren especially swimming in their pool or just hanging out together. They now have 2 grandchildren, Gianni age 6, and Luca age 2 and their daughter Leah is expecting her third child in a few months.
We congratulate Ava on her over 20 years of service to Spectrum Home Health and Hospice Care and we thank her for the love, devotion and professional care she has shared with so many patients and families in Western MA. Ava has been one of the pillars of Spectrum these last two decades and continues to give her heart and soul and her talent very generously. Indeed, she and home care continue to be a great fit!
