Greater National Advocates Blog

When I was pregnant with my daughter 21 years ago, family and friends suggested that I hire a baby nurse to help for the first few weeks, especially because my husband and I did not have family nearby. That way, they said, I could get a few hours...

Is there a doctor in the house? That question has been asked in emergency situations and in comedy sketches. Most of us don’t have a doctor in the house, but telemedicine is enabling us to consult one without leaving home. I have anecdotal...

I have a knack for matchmaking. I am not talking about setting people up to date. My track record on that is abysmal—just ask my nieces and nephews to recall their single days. The matchmaking I have a knack for is finding the right doctor to meet...

I am not afraid of mental illness anymore. My years of volunteering on the HelpLine of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) eliminated that fear. Everyone benefits if we discuss mental illness openly, so I would like to share what I...

Many months ago, I heard AstraZeneca was looking for volunteers for their Covid-19 Phase 3 Clinical Trial and I signed up. At the beginning of October, someone from the A-Z Trial called to see if I was still interested but he warned that the USA...

My name is Karen Mercereau, RN, iRNPA, and I have been working with patients as an independent RN Patient Advocate for 18 years now. Amazing experience. I would like to tell you about one of my patients now: The Facts: 65 yo male diagnosed with...

We are now in the throes of the holiday season, and I’m wishing this finds you well. This is the time of year when we typically attend holiday parties, eat holiday foods, drink holiday drinks, and lose sleep due to the holiday hustle and bustle...

As patient advocates, our primary foc us must always be on the needs of our patient/client. This usually requires us to interface with spouses, siblings/children, family and friends, as well as the complex team of providers including physicians...

Your mailbox is flooded with literature urging you to sign up for a different Medicare plan. Your insurance company has sent its annual notice, telling you about the changes in your policy for 2021. And your head is spinning, because you don’t...

Between the pandemic and the election, we are all more concerned about our health insurance than ever before. The Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”). In addition...

Efforts to control the spread of the virus have forced hospitals to severely limit access to patients once admitted. This is true whether or not the patient has been infected by the virus. Overworked staff barely keep their head above water just...

The holiday season has officially begun and people all over the world have started preparing for Christmas. It is a magical time of year, filled with holiday get-togethers, hot cocoa, baking, tree-lightings, shopping, and other festivities. While...

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. In America today, almost everyone knows at least one person who has diabetes. The Center for Disease Control informs us that 34.2 million Americans have diabetes and 88 million adult Americans have pre...

Hopefully, you have been fortunate enough to never have heard the word “cholangiocarcinoma” come from the lips of a doctor or a loved one. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same… What in the world is Cholangiocarcinoma? Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare...

The American Cancer Association reports that aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women. In 2020, over 325,000 new cases of breast cancer in the US are expected to be diagnosed in women. In the U.S.,1 of...