A story from John Rich:
I was trying to confirm the day and time of an appointment with a client whom I will call “Stephanie.”
“So, this appointment is on the 22nd?” I asked.
“I think so.” Said Stephanie.
“And today is the 19th, right?” It was less a question and more an attempt to fix the date in Stephanie’s mind.
“John, you know I don’t keep track of stuff like that.” She shot back. It was a tongue-in-cheek answer, but not entirely untrue, either.
We laughed about it. A couple of weeks later, I checked in with Stephanie to see how the appointment had gone. She said she didn’t know what was going on. She’d been told by her Primary Care provider that they were going to refer her to a particular specialist. But that specialist never called her. She said she’d gotten a call from a different specialist wanting to set up an appointment. It was all very confusing.
And that particular morning, Stephanie was in a lot of pain. She was guarding her abdomen and blinking back tears. Even on a good, pain-free day, Stephanie would not have been able to make multiple calls to doctors’ offices to figure out what was happening.
So I called. It took several calls, but I finally figured it out: Her Primary Care provider had indeed put in a referral to one specialist, but that specialist had determined that what Stephanie needed was a different specialist. That other specialist—the one Stephanie really needed—did indeed call her to try to set up an appointment, but someone else had answered her phone and the message that was relayed had gotten confused.
Clarifying all of this required speaking with the correct person at all three offices, one after the other. Only then could I put it all together to help Stephanie understand exactly what was going on, which doctors she was going to see, and how it all fit together.
There was still the matter of her pain. Stephanie and I called her Primary Care office together and talked to their nurse. We determined that Stephanie’s best bet was to go to the Emergency Room. Another Patchwork staff member and I helped Stephanie pack up her things for the hospital. I drove her to the ER myself.
The problem that was causing Stephanie’s pain was urgent and troubling. After taking Stephanie to the ER, I called her case manager as well as a social worker at the health clinic where she is seen. I’ve worked with each of them before to provide Stephanie with support and coordinated care as she has dealt with previous health issues. This time around, the three of us shared information and all got on the same page regarding Stephanie’s plan of care.
What I had not realized was that the specialist appointment was only one of many coming up in the near future for Stephanie. She was going to need multiple tests and scans done before seeing the specialist. She had a health appointment scheduled every day for five business days in a row! Her case manager was going to drive her to all of these appointments, but I offered to be a back-up driver.
For Stephanie, health care is complex and challenging. Now she’s facing a new and possibly very serious diagnosis. The Sozo Health Ministry is just one minor ingredient in the larger recipe of Stephanie’s healing journey. But without that minor ingredient, the other elements may not work together as well.
Later that day, I received a call from the hospital: they were not going to admit Stephanie and could I come pick her up and take her home. I did. On the car ride, she had a chance to vent her frustration at not getting the care she thought she needed. I listened empathetically. It was also another chance to reinforce the importance of keeping her upcoming appointments—ALL of her upcoming appointments—and to let her know that she had a team of multiple professionals who all care about her and were in communication with her and each other to help her through whatever may come next.
The day was not a resounding success, yet neither was it a failure. It can sometimes be difficult to explain why the Sozo Health Ministry matters: We do not diagnose any conditions, prescribe any medications, or perform any dramatic, life-saving surgeries.
A lot of what we do is filling in the gaps, supporting and facilitating other health care workers, providing less visible services like education, advocacy, and empathetic listening for our clients. Some clients “don’t keep track of stuff like that,” so we do it for them. It is a subtle and often overlooked role in holistic healing, but one that is necessary, especially for many patients who are marginalized in one way or another.