Opinion: Health Care Champions are industry’s advocates

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2017 Health Care Champions

Wearing blue scrubs, the exhaustion in his eyes was hidden by a genuinely pleasant expression as he talked in gentle tones, explaining to me each step of administering an IV. Although this occurred more than 15 years ago, I’ve never forgotten this nurse’s kind demeanor as I peered over the bedside; standing on my tiptoes to watch as he calmly prepped my father for surgery.

In what was otherwise a very difficult time, this nurse put forth the effort to be a calming presence and it made all the difference.

I don’t remember his name, but I do remember his gentle words, understanding smile and kind eyes. These were acts of advocacy – seeking ways to enhance the well-being of not only his patient, but also his patient’s family. He sought simply to help in whatever way was most pertinently needed at that moment.

The thing is that, especially in the realm of health care, you can’t always fix the problem.

My dad’s surgery was one of seven that did not prove successful in an attempt to treat his chronic pain disorder, trigeminal neuralgia – known in the medical community as “the suicide disease.” He experienced many more years of pain before an eighth operation numbed the affected nerves.

Going through this experience taught me how advocacy makes a medical practitioner truly impactful.

It could be something as monumental as performing a risky, but ultimately lifesaving, operation. Or it could simply be the calm presence of that nurse. Either way, they made an impact by giving the best of their time and efforts.

In the following pages, you’ll find profiles of 14 health care champions who are also health care advocates. Writing and editing their stories was both inspiring and an honor. I’m pleased to share them with you.

Often, caregivers do not receive recognition, and they don’t ask for it or personally need it. But, they do deserve it.

I think one of the honorees, CoxHealth EMT Freya Whalen, says it well.

“In health care, we are given a rare opportunity to be there for someone in their darkest time and to help them. Be it big or small, the things we do and say are important,” she says. “Some days are amazing, some days will break your heart – but, at the end of it all, I go home knowing I did everything I could to help heal my patients and their family.”

Medicine is rapidly evolving. Health care instructors don’t only train students for the industry as it is now, but also for medical practices of the future – things like immunotherapy to correct cancer mutations and 3-D printed organs. We see innovation and advancement left and right.

And while it’s an exciting time to be in medicine, one thing doesn’t change: the element of human suffering witnessed daily. It’s a challenging occupation, but one that daily offers the practitioner a chance to significantly impact lives.

In these pages, this type of selfless impact is what you’ll find.