Stacey Vankuiken, LPN, PHN, NCPT
Stacey Vankuiken is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and Public Health Nurse based in Great Falls, Montana, with nearly 18 years of experience in healthcare. She currently serves at the Cascade City-County Health Department (CCHD), providing immunization services, conducting daycare compliance reviews, performing phlebotomy as a National Certified Phlebotomy Technician, and assisting with the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program. Her career reflects a deep commitment to patient care, community health, and ensuring access to essential services for individuals and families across diverse populations.
Stacey’s journey into healthcare was inspired by her family’s legacy in medicine, including a grandfather who was a mortician, a father who served as an EMT, a grandmother who was a trained nurse, and a great-grandfather who was a dentist. She began her professional path as a Certified Nursing Assistant and EMT before earning her LPN degree from Great Falls College MSU in 2008. Over the years, she has gained a well-rounded clinical background, working in family medicine, OB/GYN, oncology, and endocrinology. Her extensive experience includes over a decade supporting a physician in family medicine before expanding into specialty care and ultimately transitioning to public health in 2019.
Now fully immersed in public health, Stacey is passionate about serving underserved and vulnerable populations. She is dedicated to improving access to care for individuals facing financial or systemic barriers and is known for her compassionate, hands-on approach. Recognized as Employee of the Quarter in 2025, she continues to advocate, educate, and support her community while aspiring to further her education in public health to enhance her impact even more.
• Great Falls College MSU
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Associate Degree
• LPN
• PHN
• NCPT
• CCHD Employee of the Quarter 2025
• Certification of Graduation Public Health Nurse Mentorship Program
• Certified Mental Health First Aid
• Certified Seizure First Aid
• American Diabetes Clinical Education Specialists (ADCES)
• American Public Health Association (APHA)
Areas of Specialization/Expertise
- Immunization
- Phlebotomy
- Public Health
- Diabetes and Endocrinology
What do you enjoy most about practicing medicine?
What I enjoy most is being able to help people who are less fortunate and really need it but have a hard time finding help. When I moved into public health, it was a more gratifying situation compared to my previous work. Public health is a big service that just kind of became part of my heart. We help people with and without insurance - for kids without insurance through our Vaccines For Children program and also adults through our VFA program through the state, for a limited selection of vaccines, we charge just the administration cost of $21.25 per immunization, or whatever they can afford, and if they can't afford it at all, we don't charge them anything. I helped a lot with patient assistance programs in my previous endocrinology role, helping people under certain poverty levels get medications from manufacturers or savings cards. It's just gratifying to be able to help those people, the less fortunate. Even though I'm not doing as much of the patient assistance work now because they cut our previous providers position, I'm still helping people, and that feels good.
Locations
Cascade City County Health Department--Immunization Department
115 4th St S, Great Falls, MONTANA 59401
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