​Nurse navigators 

At The Christ Hospital Health Network, we are committed to providing our patients with exceptional outcomes. If you have questions about your orthopedic and spine treatment options, our joint and spine nurse navigators are here to guide and assist you every step of the way.  

Our dedicated joint and spine nurse navigators can:  

• Help you determine which specialist you should see based on your symptoms
  

• Schedule an appointment with the correct specialist 
  

• Assist with health insurance information 
  

• Help you prepare for your appointment(s)
  

• Coordinate imaging and test results 
  

• Provide information about pre-surgery classes and what to expect before and after procedures 
  

• Assist with parking and directions
  

If your treatment involves a surgical procedure, your nurse navigator is the “go to” person before surgery. She will discuss procedures, address questions, and assess home care and discharge needs. We encourage patients to call their nurse navigator before their surgery with any questions and reach out to them during their hospital stay for support. 

Meet our navigators

From your first phone call, you can be confident that the joint and spine nurse navigators at The Christ Hospital Health Network will be a consistent, dependable point of contact for you. Not sure what to do? No problem. Contact Karen Gillespie, our joint care nurse navigator, or Sandy Spradling, our spine care nurse navigator, to get started on your treatment path. 

Karen Gillespie: Joint Care Nurse Navigator 

As an orthopedic nurse for more than 28 years, Karen Gillespie has worked in a variety of roles, including staff nurse, assistant manager and case manager. After graduating from The Christ Hospital School of Nursing, she went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Xavier University in 1991 and Orthopaedic Nurse certification in 1994. She currently serves as the Treasurer of the Greater Cincinnati Area Chapter of the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses. Karen is a committee member for the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run. 

Sandy Spradling: Spine Care Nurse Navigator

As a registered nurse for more than 35 years at The Christ Hospital, Sandy Spradling most recently was one of our Spine pain management nurses for the past 8 years, previously in the Same Day Surgery department for 22 years. After graduating from The Christ Hospital School of Nursing in 1986, she went on to receive her Bachelor of Science of Nursing from the University of Cincinnati in 2013. Sandy is certified in both pain management, PMGT-BC, and Ambulatory PeriAnesthesia, CAPA. She is a member of ASPAN, American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses, nationally as well as state, OPANA. Sandy has volunteered with the Arthritis Foundation for the arthritis walk and participated in the Conquer Chiari walk​. 

Health insurance coverage for The Christ Hospital Health Network 

Our nurse navigators are happy to help you navigate through any health insurance-related questions or concerns. They can help you better understand your coverage and confirm whether your health insurance plan will cover your physician office visits and treatment plan. Many health insurances are not state-specific and The Christ Hospital is likely included in your physician and hospital network.