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Dear HealthAdvocateX Community,
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I am slow to adopt new technology but I am starting to play around with ChatGPT and asked it what the Number One health issue is on Americans minds RIGHT NOW? The answer was mental health, with 90% of U.S. adults viewing mental health as a crisis, according to a 2022 CNN/KFF Poll. This is really no surprise, there are many issues that have been highlighted in the news recently. From a health advocacy perspective, HealthAdvocateX is continuing to bring you information about the most pressing health problems (this includes mental health!) and timely, credible and actionable information – the actionable part is squarely the value that we bring to you. Every month we provide information on topics and we typically offer a large amount of information for free. This month, we will also be summarizing some past topics, available now On-Demand, in our In Case You Missed It series.
We want to make sure that you register to attend two live programs:
I hope to see you at these events!
Here is wishing you good health in body and mind for the year ahead,
Robin Shapiro and the Team at HealthAdvocateX
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Feb 10 – Community Conversation: Medical Gaslighting: How to Extinguish the Flames as a Health Advocate
REGISTER HERE
When: Feb 10, 2025 | 11am-12pm (PT)
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: Free to the Public to Attend (with pre-registration); BCPA CE is $10 for HealthAdvocateX Members and $30 for Non-Members.
Medical gaslighting is a form of manipulation by healthcare providers in which patients are made to doubt their symptoms, experiences, or feelings. It contributes to delayed diagnosis, medical mistrust and poor outcomes and occurs more commonly among women, racial and ethnic minorities, and other marginalized patient groups. Independent health advocates can play a role in identifying and mitigating medical gaslighting.
Learning Objectives:
1) Define and recognize medical gaslighting
2) Understand the impact of medical gaslighting on patients and families
3) Utilize a framework for preventing and mitigating medical gaslighting
About The Speaker:
Dr. Nicole T. Rochester is a pediatrician, TEDx and keynote speaker, and the CEO of Your GPS Doc, LLC, a healthcare advocacy and consulting company committed to eliminating health disparities and bridging the gap between healthcare providers, patients, and family caregivers. She was inspired to start her company after caring for her late father and witnessing the complicated healthcare system from the other side of the stethoscope.
Dr. Rochester has an active presence on social media and has contributed to numerous digital publications. She is a dynamic and engaging nationally recognized speaker who connects deeply with her audiences when presenting about navigating the healthcare system, elevating the patient and family caregiver voice, diversity, equity and inclusion in the healthcare workforce, and eliminating health inequities.
Dr. Rochester obtained her undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Medical Association, the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates, HealthAdvocateX and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Most importantly, she is the proud mother of two young adult daughters.
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Feb 20 – Networking Event: Passion for Advocacy – Remembering the Why of What We Do
REGISTER HERE
When: Feb 20, 2025 | 4-5:30 pm (PT)
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: Free for Members, $15 for Non-Member Professionals
Join us for Passion for Advocacy – Remembering the Why of What We Do, an inspiring networking event designed for independent health advocates. This event will explore the core values and motivations that drive our commitment to our clients. Through engaging discussions and shared stories, we will connect with our peers, reignite our passion, and gain actionable insights to amplify our impact. We will take a moment to celebrate our shared purpose and refresh our clear vision of the purpose of our profession.
Learning Objectives:
- Reflect on our personal and professional motivations that shape independent health advocacy.
- Identify strategies to strengthen our sense of purpose in the face of burnout.
- Build meaningful connections with our peers to foster collaboration and sustain our passion for independent health advocacy.
No CEs for this Activity. This event is live and will not be available on-demand after.
About The Speaker:
Sarah Jane Yang is an Independent RN Care Manager, Health Advocate and Master’s level registered nurse. She has 20 years of experience managing complex medical cases and navigating in-hospital services. Her time as a hospital administrator provides a solid foundation navigating the “behind the scenes” complexities of communicating with medical personnel, insurance issues, and medical bill errors. Sarah Jane’s work takes action toward a new world where no one is too intimidated, financially marginalized or ill-informed to get what they need.
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March 24 – Movie Event: Angst - Virtual Screening with Health Care Leaders Panel
REGISTER HERE
When: Mar 24, 2025 | 4-6 pm (PT)
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: $15 to attend, Also available to purchase CE Credit for $25 for Members or $40 for Non-Members
Join HealthAdvocateX for a thought-provoking event featuring the powerful documentary “Angst.” This film delves into the complexities of anxiety, offering insights into its impact and strategies for coping. Following the screening, engage with experts in a dynamic panel discussion exploring mental health, resilience, and community support. Gain valuable perspectives and tools to navigate the challenges of anxiety in today’s world. Don’t miss this opportunity to foster understanding and empowerment in the face of mental health struggles.
Objectives:
- Understanding the Complexity of Anxiety: The movie provides insights into the multifaceted nature of anxiety, illustrating how it can manifest differently in individuals and impact various aspects of their lives.
- Destigmatizing Mental Health: By sharing personal stories and experiences, “Angst” helps break down the stigma surrounding mental health issues like anxiety, encouraging open dialogue and empathy.
- Exploring Coping Strategies: The film explores a range of coping strategies for managing anxiety, from mindfulness techniques to seeking professional help, empowering viewers with practical tools to address their own struggles.
- Building Supportive Communities: Through its narrative, “Angst” emphasizes the importance of building supportive communities that foster understanding, acceptance, and validation for individuals grappling with anxiety, highlighting the significance of social connections in mental health care.
About The Panelists:
Rebeka Acosta is the first Board Certified Patient Advocate in Nevada, earning her credentials after a 15-year career in healthcare administration and finance. In 2011 and 2013, she welcomed children to her family with complex medical needs and spent the next several years navigating the healthcare and education systems on their behalf. With her sons thriving, Rebeka returned to the workforce in 2017, but this time followed her heart to patient advocacy. She earned her BCPA credentials in 2018 and founded A+J Pa.ent Advocacy in 2021. In 2023, Rebeka was named a Vegas Stronger Champion by KTNV Las Vegas, and Advocate of the Year in Pediatrics at the Healthcare Advocate Summit. She lives in the greater Las Vegas area with her husband, two teenagers, and two Great Danes.
LeAnne Finch, COTA/L is an experienced Occupational Therapy Practitioner with over 15 years of dedicated service, specializing in mental health. For the past 6 years, she has honed her expertise within a secure inpatient setting, where she has successfully implemented evidence-based interventions to support individuals with complex mental health challenges She specializes in trauma-informed care, utilizing innovative approaches like biofeedback. LeAnne is passionate about patient-centered care, actively involving individuals in treatment planning and supporting their community reintegration. She empowers individuals to develop the skills and confidence necessary for successful recovery.
Lee Mulert, MBA, MS, BCPA, CSA is the CEO & Founder of HealthACR, LLC, a private professional Health Advocacy firm with clients nationwide. With over 45 years of knowledge and experience in the healthcare industry from business, reimbursement, research, clinical and psychosocial perspectives, Lee brings her intuitive personality and problem-solving skills to help patients and families work through crises and identify options that meet their needs. In addition to her MBA, she earned her MS in Counseling, is a Board-Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) and a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA). Her years of experience conducting negotiations help her to facilitate communications and mediate difficult situations for her clients. Her clients range from adolescents to older adults and incorporate a range of medical, psychosocial, mental health, trauma and substance use issues that affect them, their families and loved ones. Lee strives to ensure that her clients understand and feel that they are empowered participants in every aspect of their own health care. Lee was previously on the Board of the Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB) and continues to be involved in its task force on Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion. Previously she served on the Board of the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy (NAHAC). She is also a member of the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy (NAHAC), the Society of Certified Senior Advisors, the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates (APHA), Greater National Advocates (GNA) and HealthAdvocateX.
Moderator
Robin Shapiro, HealthAdvocateX Board Chair
A pioneer in the Health Advocacy Movement, Robin Shapiro has spent her 30+ year career helping people find their voice to improve their care. She has founded award-winning healthcare engagement companies (including Reverba/formerly HPG LLC) and co-founded HealthAdvocateX, a non-profit whose mission is to help people transform from patient to active participant in their own care. She is the bestselling author of The Secret Language of Healthcare: How to Ask for the Care You Deserve.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – FABULOUS CONTENT STILL AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR ON-DEMAND/ CLASSROOM | |
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Trauma-Informed XCENTER is Now Available On-Demand
ACCESS HERE
XCenter Series November 2024
Trauma-Informed Care XCenter 5-Session Bundle
When: Nov 13, 2024 - Nov 12, 2026 | 4pm-5:30pm (PT)
Where: On-Demand
Cost: FREE! Also available for 5.0 BCPA CE
Join us for a deep dive into trauma-informed practices and strategies to enhance your care skills. Learn from experts in the field and connect with like-minded individuals in this virtual gathering. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, therapist, educator, or simply interested in the topic, this event is perfect for anyone looking to expand their knowledge.
BCPA Type of CE Applying For:
5.0 Ethics/J.E.D.I. BCPA CE
This XCenter is FREE to attend for the general public. It is also available for 5.0 BCPA CE for $125 (HealthAdvocateX members) and $200 (non-members).
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Navigating Early to Mid-Stage Dementia
ACCESS HERE
In this session, participants will learn about how the chemical and structural changes in the brain alter a person’s abilities and perceptions. This conversation will include: why attending to the amygdala – the brain’s fight or flight center – is so important; multiple strategies and tools to support effective communication with a person with dementia; approaches to assess and address the moment-to-moment changes in abilities and understanding. She will also offer self-care strategies for well partners, those caring for the person with dementia.
Learning Objectives:
1. How to effectively ask questions and approach someone with dementia about day to day activities so that they are less apt to be triggered.
2. How to be attentive to warning signs to reduce upsets by using the awareness escalation model.
3. Identify and learn to use specific strategies increasing opportunity for the person living with dementia to be successful with cued activities.
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OTHER EVENTS AND INFORMATION WE THINK YOU WILL ENJOY | |
Pulse's Family-Centered Patient Advocacy Training (FCPA)
MORE INFO HERE
A unique opportunity for caregivers, patient advocates and anyone who uses the healthcare system.
You will learn to navigate the healthcare system for yourself, your friends, and your family, or as a professional patient support person. Plus participants learn about patient safety and the many ways patients and their support teams can be involved in reducing medical errors.
The Pulse program ‘Family-Centered Patient Advocacy Training for Safer Health Care’ is approved for 8 general, 3 ethics and 3 J.E.D.I. CEs by the Patient Advocate Certification Board to satisfy the requirements for Board Certified Patient Advocates (BCPA).
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Advancing Medicare-Funded Advocacy Services
READ THE STATEMENT
Please join us in addressing key considerations for the future of Medicare-funded advocacy:
- Advocacy Standards: Ensuring advocates meet qualifications and align with ethical standards.
- Training and Support: Connecting independent advocates to billing practitioners or entities.
- Collaboration: Building unified systems that promote patient safety and professional excellence.
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CONGRATULATIONS to …..
HealthAdvocateX Board Member Nick Iannarino, Associate Professor at University of Michigan-Dearborn, published findings on advice and recommendations regarding psycho-social reproductive concerns among young adolescent to young adults with cancer. For more information, read the Journal of Communications and Healthcare report.
HealthAdvocateX Board Member Malynnda Stewart, PhD, BCPA, who launched her podcast Communication Compass where she explores communication missteps that often complicate relationships. Each episode focuses on one common area where things often go wrong—whether with partners, friends, family, medical providers, or colleagues. Using real-life and mediated examples.
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THANK YOU HealthAdvocateX Sponsor - GetCoPayHelp.Com
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GetCopayHelp.com is transforming the way patients access high-cost medications, making it faster and more affordable than ever. Founded by a team with years of experience in helping patients manage the high costs of essential treatments, GetCopayHelp operates with a clear mission: cost should never prevent patients from getting the care they need.
While many financial assistance programs exist, patients often aren’t aware of them. Additionally, the volume of paperwork can be overwhelming for patients, advocates, and providers alike. That’s where GetCopayHelp comes in. They’ve developed the industry’s first solution that instantly identifies specific assistance programs tailored to each patient’s insurance and income status, seamlessly handling the enrollment process.
By taking on the complex task of managing prescription financial assistance, GetCopayHelp frees patient advocates to focus on what you do best, providing direct care and guidance.
Visit GetCopayHelp.com to learn more about how to lighten the stress of paperwork while making it easier for your patients to access the medications they need.
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Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Statement | |
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OUR COMMITMENT
Approved by the Board September 21, 2022
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Statement
Our mission is to help people transform into active participants and partners in their own health care. To make this possible, we must advocate for inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) for all individuals.
We recognize that:
- Racism is a public health issue that impacts various intersections and communities differently.
- Each person is unique and therefore experiences health care differently.
- Every individual deserves health advocacy regardless of their race, ethnicity, language, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, spiritual practice, financial status, education, geography, disability, mental and physical status, age, weight, substance use disorder or other factors.
- Our organization is uniquely positioned to raise awareness on IDEA in health and health care.
We are committed to:
- Raising awareness about the importance of IDEA in health and health advocacy in all aspects of care.
- Expanding diverse representation within our organization, expert presenters, and educational offerings.
- Intentionally messaging our values, sharing IDEA expectations for ourselves, affiliated advocates, and partnering groups.
- Creating space for respectful dialogue about representation, equitable access, and inclusive practices in health care and health advocacy.
- Educating our community and participating in opportunities about IDEA events and exercises to keep these issues in the forefront of our work.
- Implementing systems to ensure IDEA is pervasive in our organization.
We will reflect on our accomplishments with humility and grace. We will recognize our limitations and remain open to what we may not see or realize so that we can improve and or repair any harm.
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HealthAdvocateX is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. We acknowledge that we are on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish, Suquamish, Stillaguamish, and Muckleshoot People past and present, and honor with gratitude the land itself and each tribe. We invite you to join us in acknowledging and thanking indigenous people for their ongoing stewardship wherever you are located.
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Land Acknowledgement Challenge
Will you help us? We invite YOU to research and submit the name of the people, your location and how you would word your own personal land acknowledgement. Our Board will be selecting and reading land acknowledgements from across the country at our Monthly Board Meetings. You can submit it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/hadvx-land-acknowledgement
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Do you have something you would like to share with the HealthAdvocateX community?
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