New Blog Post! “More than Medicine-The Role of Voting in Empowering Patients to Help Themselves.”
Civic Engagement Within
Medicine
An AIAMC blog series by a dynamic group of Medical
Students who are passionate about civic engagement and would like to
further examine the intersection of advocacy and healthcare. ‘Civic
Engagement Within Medicine’ includes compelling stories which highlight unique patient encounters,
and how those interactions have motivated these students to integrate civic
engagement in their medical school education.
“More than
Medicine-The Role of Voting in Empowering Patients to Help Themselves.”
By Julia
Kooser, 3rd year medical student Geisinger Commonwealth School of
Medicine and is part of Civic Health Alliance | Home,
an organization focused on empowering individuals within healthcare to mobilize
their communities.
As I walked into the
patient’s room, armed only with my stethoscope and developing medical
knowledge acquired through three years of medical school, the attending
physician told me to read the patients’ charts and make rounds for the
entire unit. My voice slightly quivered but otherwise remained calm as I asked
the first patient, “How are you feeling this morning?” The patient responded “I
overdosed on my pills. I just became homeless and have no health insurance and
am just not sure how to continue.” A case manager was consulted, and the
patient ultimately was medically stabilized with an array of IV’s and fluids.
Despite having just attended an educational session on medically stabilizing a
patient after an overdose, I felt truly helpless in the face of this
scenario. Medical recovery from the immediate crisis was clearly only the
first step.
I have always been
interested in the intersection of voting and medicine. Prior to medical school,
I worked as a community organizer registering people to vote on my local
college campus and am currently part of a nonpartisan coalition of healthcare
workers called Civic Health Alliance. Through Civic Health Alliance, I work
with other medical students to empower patients to vote and become engaged
within their communities. As a part of this organization, I was able to help
write a blog post about women physicians and the history of women’s suffrage
and take part in several webinars encouraging my colleagues to vote and become
more involved in their own respective local communities.
During the patient
encounter, I was rotating in a hospital that served a rural population. In the
midst of healthcare providers medically stabilizing this patient, I wanted to
try and help address broader, systemic issues impacting this patient’s quality
of life. However, given the limited local resources, I did not know where to
begin. How could I help to enfranchise members of an underserved, limited
resource community, in a way that would benefit themselves and the community as
a whole?
Since this issue has
challenged our society for hundreds of years, I was unable to come up with an
answer in the middle of a busy day of rounding. The patient was quickly
stabilized and discharged shortly thereafter. I lamented over the lack of
resolution of the societal factors impacting this patient. No one should have
to feel hopeless in the face of housing and medical care inaccessibility.
When I got home
later that evening, I found a stack of flyers with QR codes from Civic Health
Alliance, with links that allowed people to register to vote, and find the
address of their local polling place. At this moment, I was reminded of the
fundamental role voting plays in addressing the concerns of vulnerable
individuals in our community. Taking a moment to allow someone to scan a QR
code to register to vote empowers them to help make decisions about how to
receive more accessible medical treatment and preventative care, while helping
them play a role in shaping policies that directly affect their lives.
As I continue with
my medical education, in addition to acquiring the medical knowledge and
experience to diagnose illness and administer treatment, I also hope to try and
empower patients to vote, so they can further play a role in making healthcare
as equitable and accessible as possible. Helping people to help themselves is
every bit as beneficial to patients as medication and surgery.
Julia
Kooser
Social
Media Director │Civic Health Alliance
Instagram: @civichealthalliance
Twitter: @civichealth_all
Civic Health Alliance: https://www.civichealthalliance.org