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 media@civichealthalliance.org 

Instagram: @civichealthalliance

Twitter: @civichealth_all

Civic Health Alliance: https://www.civichealthalliance.org