After Hours Urgent Care
Anthony Carcella, PA-C 
Anthony Carcella is a Certified Physician’s Assistant at Valley View’s new After Hours Urgent Care clinic. He brings nearly fifteen years of emergency care experience to the facility, and specializes in managing patient anxiety during care. “Watching patient stress dissipate as you walk them through their condition—that’s a huge reward in doing what I do,” he says.
Anthony spent most of his career working as an emergency department PA in Aurora, dealing with large numbers of patients every day. “Good medical training relies on seeing a lot of different situations and having the experience to deal with them,” he says. “Working in places like Aurora or Denver is like drinking from the fire hose—you’re part of a big machine, which is really good for seeing a lot of different patients and conditions.”
Unfortunately, that kind of work comes with a price. “You seldom feel part of a community, which is the draw of a place like the Roaring Fork Valley,” he says. “It might sound corny, but I realized in 2020 that I wanted to make more and better connections with my patients, and that the Valley would be a great place to find that sense of community that I’d been missing.”
Anthony lived in Grand Junction for 10 years before his time in Aurora, and currently lives in the Valley with his wife—a native of the Western Slope—and eight-year-old daughter. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and skiing with the family, as well as working on (and riding) his motorcycle.
Lew Perna, APRN, FNP 
Lew Perna is a board-certified family nurse practitioner at Valley View’s new After Hours Urgent Care. After many years working in the cardiovascular field, he has comfortably settled into this more generalized set of duties, making him a perfect fit for the urgent care division as it moves forward.
Lew earned his Bachelor’s degree in nursing from Colorado State University in 2007. Soon after, he became a clinical nursing instructor at Front Range Community College, a position that still informs his career. “It helped me realize the importance of fostering the development of new people and those looking to advance. Sharing knowledge makes the entire team stronger.”
Lew received most of his experience in cardiovascular surgery at the fabled Mayo Clinic, where he helped provide 24/7 care in their Department of Cardiovascular Surgery from 2012 through 2015. “My experience with complex heart procedures and medications often helps me understand why patients may present with particular concerns,” he says. “Even though one is an inpatient environment and the other is outpatient, the one constant is the patients themselves. In both cases, we must remain committed to patient-centered care.”
Lew is an avid cyclist, enjoying both road and mountain biking; in 1999, he completed a grueling 200-mile ride from Denver to Aspen. He is also an excellent Nordic skier, having competed in North America’s largest cross-country ski race, Wisconsin’s American Birkebeiner, four times.
Sara Shainholtz, PA-C
Sara Shainholtz is the newest member of Valley View’s After Hours Urgent Care staff. She joins Valley View with a great deal of high-volume emergency and trauma experience at Grand River Hospital in Rifle and Swedish Medical Center (and Level 1 Trauma Center) in Denver.
Sara first became interested in medicine after a stint working ski patrol in Vail. And, it turns out, her interest in backcountry/outdoor medicine still serves her well today. “I love going on long backcountry tours, and recently I had a friend get bit by a rattlesnake during a trip,” she says. “I was able to help, and I love being the person who can do that. Being helpful in that circumstance was just incredibly rewarding.”
“I love the variety of experiences in my everyday work too,” she continues. “Even though the time you spend with each patient in the ER or urgent care is short, I love to be there for people during their most vulnerable moments. Helping them get through that is an essential and valuable service.”
Sara currently lives in Carbondale, where she is surrounded by her family as well as the outdoor activities she enjoys—skiing, biking, kayaking and fly fishing. “I love our small community, coming from Denver,” she says. “Small town living is a dream come true.”
Sara also serves on the board of Sacred Cycle, a nonprofit organization that provides therapy for women who are victims of sexual abuse. The program marries cognitive therapy with cycling, allowing those victims to rediscover their bodies through exercise and outdoor adventure.