Happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a happy holiday season. As we begin 2025, we have a blank slate. The new year gives us time to examine our lives, to see where we are, where we want to go, and how we will get there. Design yours well!
I took time over the holidays to think about what I would write about in 2025. Since I started writing Nurses Advocates in 2015, my goal has been to write meaningful posts that educate and empower you, the healthcare consumer, and members of the healthcare team so that we can work together to deliver healthcare that is safe, equitable, cost-effective, and meaningful to both the person receiving care and the professionals charged with providing that care.
Today, I look at the healthcare system and realize it is complex, fragmented, dangerous, and downright mean. In some ways, we seem to have lost our moral compass, compassion, and empathy for those who are sick and need care.
In my opinion, Health Insurance has focused on dollars so that care is left behind. Most people don’t think about their health till it is threatened. If we will contain costs, improve care delivery, and humanize the system, people (you and me) need to take responsibility for what we can do to prevent problems and be the best we can be. If we get sick, we need to be an active team member. Ask questions, research, and find the teams we want to work with to help us manage chronic conditions.
In my opinion, people (patients and caregivers) must use their voices to speak up and demand better. People have power, and when used constructively, our voices can make a difference. This is not the time to be silent. Use your voice to get the changes you want to see.
In 2025 posts, I will share ways YOU can use your voice to ask questions and get answers to stay healthy, address health issues as they arise, and find the resources to help you manage your care so you can be the best you can be. Please let me know if there are specific topics you want to learn about!
I hope you will read the weekly posts, comment on them, and share them with your family and friends. It will take all of us to change the system to work for all of the US, the healthcare consumer, to get the care we want for ourselves and our families.
All the best in 2025!
