Nextera Healthcare – Ellensburg

Aaron brings a wide range of experience to CompassDirect Healthcare. After graduating from California State University in 2003, he obtained his Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate and Physician's Assistant Certificate from the University of California at Davis. In 2006, Aaron completed his MS in Nursing at California State University. While in Enterprise, Oregon, Aaron worked in the surgery field at Wallowa Memorial Hospital and as an RN in the ICU while employed with Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, California.

Aaron joined our clinic in September 2012 and made the change to Direct Primary Care in January, 2020. He loves providing personalized care to his patients in the Direct Care model which has allowed him to provide a more personal service to his patients, offering unlimited visits in the office or by phone, text message, email or video.

In addition to caring for his patients, Aaron also serves as a minister in his church and, together with his wife Hope, is raising 5 children here in the Kittitas Valley.

Dr. Sand offers comprehensive care for women of all ages as well as prenatal and postnatal pregnancy care here at the clinic. He is a board-certified fellow of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Originally from San Diego, Dr. Sand first came to the Pacific Northwest to stay with his brother who was in the Navy and stationed in Keyport, WA. When he ran out of money, he found a job picking apples and pears for an orchardist in Selah, WA. He later went on to attend San Diego State University, majoring in Chemistry, followed by medical school at the University of California in Davis. As a medical student, Dr. Sand took the time to read the New Testament and then chose to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

After completing an Internal Medicine residency in San Francisco, he began working for Indian Health Service. While working for Indian Health Services, he attended the University of New Mexico Obstetrics and Gynecology Program, and it was there that he married his wife Kathy. He graduated in 1981 and continued working for Indian Health Service as an OB/GYN through 1983. While visiting Erwin Shipley, the orchardist he had picked fruit for in Selah years earlier, Dr. Sand and Kathy discovered the beautiful Kittitas Valley, and upon visiting Ellensburg, they learned that there was a need for an OBGYN. The rest is history! 

Dr. Sand and Kathy have 4 children- Garrett works in admin at CWU, Johnny works in Portland in "cloud engineering", Brett has Down's syndrome and lives at home, and their youngest Elizabeth who is 22 years old is currently looking for a job. Give us a call here at the clinic if you have any leads for her!

After completing his Master of Nursing at Washington State University in 2012, Sergio obtained his Family Nurse Practitioner license and has spent the last 10 years providing comprehensive and compassionate care to diverse groups of people in both family medicine and urgent care.

Sergio originally became a Nurse Practitioner to partner with patients and help them reach their goals. He loves the relational aspect of being a Nurse Practitioner blended with the art of medicine. Sergio's main passion as a provider is healthy lifestyle promotion and preventive medicine; he also enjoys helping people manage chronic diseases.

Sergio and his wife Tashia have 2 children, Titus (5) and Adriel (3). They love hiking, camping, and visiting parks, and anything outdoors. He especially enjoys playing and coaching soccer with his kids. Sergio and his family moved to Ellensburg from Fort Worth, Texas though previously resides in the Pacific Northwest. Sergio enjoys studying the Bible and being a part of a small community where he and his wife can serve others.

Zach is a Family Nurse Practitioner who enjoys providing both primary and urgent care. Zach served in the Army National Guard beginning in 2006 and was trained as an EMT Combat Medic. He has continued to serve with the United States Army Reserves, currently as a Commander participating in monthly drills.

Prior to becoming an NP, Zach was a Certified Intensive Care Unit RN for about 6 years. Upon graduation from Montana State University, his career began in urgent care with St. Peter's Health in Helena, Montana. In the urgent care setting, he evaluated and cared for children and adults across the lifespan. In 2019, Zach made the transition to primary care, working in a direct primary care (DPC) clinic.

We welcomed Zach to our clinic during the Fall of 2021. He is a passionate provider who is driven by the opportunity to deliver the highest quality care to those whom he is entrusted and honored to serve. Building relationships with patients, working as a team, and achieving excellence in the standards of care delivered are outcomes he consistently strives to accomplish.

A Montana native, Zach loves most things outdoors. Backpacking, pheasant hunting, and fishing are some of his favorite hobbies. Zach and his wife Kaley love a strong sense of community. They settled here in the Kittitas Valley in 2020 and feel blessed to raise their family in the friendly small town of Ellensburg. They have 2 children, Grace and Gabe, and they are currently pursuing infant adoption.