Ms. Charlott has made significant improvements in managing her health since being featured as our June Human of Healthcare.
Before enlisting the help of PCIC, she found herself being shuffled around multiple doctors to find a diagnosis. The lack of communication between providers only caused her to start losing energy and hope of ever recovering from her illnesses. If it were not for her dedication to getting better, her support system made of family and PCIC, and her faith, she would have given in to her illness.
“Before them it was like, I can’t do it no more. I was tired... They was sending me here and there. I stayed frustrated too much and all the doctors weren’t on the same page…”
Ms. Charlott’s nephew and God-Mother shared the responsibility of taking care of Ms. Charlott.
They would run her errands, document triggers of seizures and cramping, make her meals, help her move around her home, and shuttle her to numerous appointments with multiple providers.
Her biggest goal was to get better so that she wouldn’t be a burden on her family.
PCIC helped her and her support team with that goal. Care Coordinator, Andy stepped in during appointments to help Ms. Charlott understand potential diagnosis.
PCIC also provided her with a care plan that enabled providers to communicate better amongst each other.
“… it was a lot of weight off my shoulders that I could take off Joseph and off my godmother’s shoulders. It helped me a lot. And I try not to put any of the stress on them [God-Mother and nephew, Joseph] but I couldn’t help it. But I still love them to this day because they are still here, both of them are still here to this day…it’s all just been a blessing in disguise. I thank God for her and him. And she [Andy] took everything off my shoulders. She came in, stepped in, and got these doctors together…sometimes these doctors don’t believe what you say. So Andy will come in on a day I have to go on one of my doctor’s visit and she will write everything down. She has it backed up. That was another good thing I liked about it so much. She’s wonderful.”
With one care plan, providers started moving Ms. Charlott’s health in a positive direction. Her diet was restricted to avoid possible allergies to food such as gluten, soy, dairy and egg whites, and she we connected her with the resources she needed to obtain medical equipment.
Now that the program is over, Ms. Charlott feels she has a handle on her health. She can manage to move around her house a bit more freely on her own, but more importantly her medical equipment allows her mobility outside of her home that she didn’t have before. She couldn’t be more grateful to Andy and the rest of the PCIC team, and we are proud to have graduated another patient.
“For right now, I am feeling blessed about the whole situation. I don’t have as much stress on me as I did in the beginning. I thank God. Trust me, if it weren’t for her helping me out and doing some of the stuff she’s done, lord only knows what would have happened.”
Unfortunately, her frustration with her healthcare system is one we see vulnerable patients experiencing all too often. We want to break the cycle of silo based care, with patients cycling through multiple systems. With a single unified care plan paired with transparent communication between providers, we can better serve vulnerable patients like Ms. Charlott.
