To the Health of the company

Another school shooting in the headlines. Speaking from experience, these students have a lot to process right now.I like to think that what I took from my experience was that I’m grateful to still be here. No parent should have to bury a child. And yet, such is the world we live in.

I like to think, too, that I took away a deep understanding that while we cannot control everything and everyone, we DO still have control over some things, namely the choices we make with the circumstances we face.

Because of choices that I made that day, today I am able to make choices like bringing active attacker trainings and greater access to mental health resources to my community nationwide. These trainings help to prepare our participant community (workers and volunteers) in the event that someone comes through our gates with the intent to commit mass harm. The mental health resources we offer to participants include our partnership with BetterHelp for a month of free therapy, our Mental Health First Aid trainings to help us know how to recognize and respond to a mental health crisis in our community, and soon to be added: QPR trainings that focus specifically on suicide prevention.

Once, I told a dear mentor that I was sure he was one of my guardian angels. He responded that he thought we could all be angels to each other. In a world full of hurt, what would it look like if we all decided to be angels to each other? We’re currently looking for more folks interested in becoming certified to teach the active attacker training in person or online for our festival communities around the country. And we’re always looking for more mental health providers interested in volunteering for the Health of the Company. If you’re interested in either one of these avenues, please don’t hesitate to reach out to programs@RESCUfoundation.org, where we are Connecting our Community with the Power of Health.

Sincerely,

Magnolia Strange, President of the Board

This month I am sharing a stage with the character Robin Hood yet again, and this time around I am also reading The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood backstage. I can’t help but feel a certain kinship with this fictional character. He spent his days making merry among friends. They broke bread and shared music and dance together in the beautiful woods. More than all that, he found himself in what he felt was an unjust system, and he worked with other like minded folks to help ensure that those who were in need could receive help. As Friar Tuck said, “We must do what we can to keep their hopes alive.”

That’s what we are doing when we come together for the Health of the Company. Whether you’ve volunteered during a Health Fair Day, donated to one of our many fundraisers, or helped a participant to find one of our online Aid Request forms, I want to thank you all for Connecting our Community with the Power of Health! 

Sincerely,

Magnolia Strange, President of the Board

This month of February has just barely begun at the time of my writing this address, and yet I already have so much to write about for all of you!

Just last weekend I found myself around the family dinner table discussing some big topics, including that, in this country, there are many health and medical tests, prescriptions, and procedures that are somehow cheaper if you don’t have (or choose not to use) health insurance. Because of my decade of volunteer work with this national health and medical nonprofit, I am WELL aware of this. Even so, it is still a head scratcher. How is it that people pay a monthly fee for the privilege of paying EXTRA for many vital healthcare costs?! Indeed, in this organization we find that initial healthcare expenses are often lower at the self pay rate (aka uninsured) AND it is often also easier to negotiate bills down for medical costs when the client has no insurance. For emergencies and one-off expenses, it is quite tempting to just not have health insurance at all! But what about if you have regular monthly health and medical expenses and you don’t have the time or the spoons to be constantly negotiating with medical facilities or pharmaceutical companies?! To carry insurance or not to carry? What an awful question to have to answer.

Just earlier this week I found myself making some very calculated decisions about emergency care for a family member who, after a couple days of coughing, sneezing, and a spike in temperature up to 102.9, suddenly awoke to coughing up blood. That last symptom is not something I was willing to take chances on, so here’s what we did: I told him to get dressed and wear layers because sometimes waiting rooms can be chilly, and to pack a bag with basics in case of an overnight stay in the hospital if the providers thought this was serious enough to admit him. I also threw chargers and an extra pair of clothes in my backpack and grabbed my toiletry bag just in case. We both did an online search for “nonprofit hospital near me,” because we know that nonprofit hospitals are much more likely to offer financial aid than for-profit hospitals.

Why not just go to an urgent care, you ask? I’ve seen it happen time and time again that someone is afraid to incur the bills of a hospital ER, so they go to an urgent care first, only to find that the particular urgent care that they chose does not have the diagnostic tools that they need for their particular predicament. So often they have to end up going to the hospital ER anyways, sometimes now also with an ambulance bill attached! So instead of just one bill for the ER, they now have a bill for the Urgent Care, a bill for an ambulance ride, AND a bill for the ER. Ouch!

We found a nonprofit hospital with okay reviews about an hour away, so we also grabbed snacks and drinks for the road. On the way there, we verbally reviewed symptoms and timeline (which we had also been taking notes on) as well as OTC medications that had been taken so far (which I also had pictures of), all as a rehearsal of sorts to communicate efficiently with staff when we arrived at the ER. Once we arrived, I listed the symptoms and timeline that we had rehearsed to the intake personnel, and we were fast tracked to a PA (Physician’s Assistant). Fun fact: Physician’s Assistants and Nurse Practitioners can diagnose and prescribe medications, similar to an MD (Medical Doctor). And here’s a personal trick I’ve been using for years that has really come in handy: the moment a medical provider started speaking with us, I recorded the audio using my phone. As someone with ADHD who also tends to process and store visual information much better than auditory information, this has been huge for me. It’s quicker than trying to manually take notes, and then sloppy handwriting or misplaced notebooks are never an issue when trying to reference what exactly those directions were regarding prescriptions, or follow ups, or what have you. There are plenty of free apps available for a variety of mobile devices that will record and store audio for you in a way that is easy and accessible! After discussing symptoms and timeline with the PA, she ordered 3 vials of blood to be taken, then some imaging. I happen to know that this family member has a tendency to faint after blood draws, so I requested a wheelchair and was told no problem by the phlebotomist. A few minutes later, a different individual came to escort him to imaging without a wheelchair, so I explained his situation again and insisted on a wheelchair, which is just a reminder to all of you at home to advocate for yourselves (or others) about your needs, and do not be afraid to stay firm and repeat yourself when necessary.

After a series of tests and imaging, turns out coughing up blood can actually be a symptom of… THE FLU. Who knew?! Apparently the particular strain of flu going around this area right now is especially awful (we’ll say!), even affecting folks who have gotten their latest flu shot! Remember, there are different strains out there… and just because you got immunized for some strains doesn’t mean that you will be immune to all of them. Even after a flu diagnosis, I’m still so glad we went. That particular symptom could have been so many things (for example, I’ve actually had a friend who contracted tuberculosis years ago… and that took about 6 months of bedrest to recover from). We found out what was going on and got the prescriptions necessary to take care of it, without having to worry about potentially exposing others to an UNKNOWN contagion.

Why share all these personal stories? Because we all learn from each other’s wisdom and experience. And, as my favorite Leonard Nimoy quote goes: “The miracle is this – the more we share, the more we have.” Many of us know all too well the struggles that come with trying to navigate the health and medical systems in this country. I ALSO know from experience that when we come together, we are stronger for it. And that’s what RESCU is doing– it’s using the experience and wisdom of our staff and volunteers to make sure that RESCU is Connecting our Community with the Power of Health. I hope you’ll join us, whether that looks like donating, volunteering, or even just sharing something that you learned here with someone else. There are so many ways to support the Health of the Company, so whatever that looks like for you- thank you!

Sincerely,

Magnolia Strange, President of the Board

This month of February has just barely begun at the time of my writing this address, and yet I already have so much to write about for all of you!

Just last weekend I found myself around the family dinner table discussing some big topics, including that, in this country, there are many health and medical tests, prescriptions, and procedures that are somehow cheaper if you don’t have (or choose not to use) health insurance. Because of my decade of volunteer work with this national health and medical nonprofit, I am WELL aware of this. Even so, it is still a head scratcher. How is it that people pay a monthly fee for the privilege of paying EXTRA for many vital healthcare costs?! Indeed, in this organization we find that initial healthcare expenses are often lower at the self pay rate (aka uninsured) AND it is often also easier to negotiate bills down for medical costs when the client has no insurance. For emergencies and one-off expenses, it is quite tempting to just not have health insurance at all! But what about if you have regular monthly health and medical expenses and you don’t have the time or the spoons to be constantly negotiating with medical facilities or pharmaceutical companies?! To carry insurance or not to carry? What an awful question to have to answer.

Just earlier this week I found myself making some very calculated decisions about emergency care for a family member who, after a couple days of coughing, sneezing, and a spike in temperature up to 102.9, suddenly awoke to coughing up blood. That last symptom is not something I was willing to take chances on, so here’s what we did: I told him to get dressed and wear layers because sometimes waiting rooms can be chilly, and to pack a bag with basics in case of an overnight stay in the hospital if the providers thought this was serious enough to admit him. I also threw chargers and an extra pair of clothes in my backpack and grabbed my toiletry bag just in case. We both did an online search for “nonprofit hospital near me,” because we know that nonprofit hospitals are much more likely to offer financial aid than for-profit hospitals.

Why not just go to an urgent care, you ask? I’ve seen it happen time and time again that someone is afraid to incur the bills of a hospital ER, so they go to an urgent care first, only to find that the particular urgent care that they chose does not have the diagnostic tools that they need for their particular predicament. So often they have to end up going to the hospital ER anyways, sometimes now also with an ambulance bill attached! So instead of just one bill for the ER, they now have a bill for the Urgent Care, a bill for an ambulance ride, AND a bill for the ER. Ouch!

We found a nonprofit hospital with okay reviews about an hour away, so we also grabbed snacks and drinks for the road. On the way there, we verbally reviewed symptoms and timeline (which we had also been taking notes on) as well as OTC medications that had been taken so far (which I also had pictures of), all as a rehearsal of sorts to communicate efficiently with staff when we arrived at the ER. Once we arrived, I listed the symptoms and timeline that we had rehearsed to the intake personnel, and we were fast tracked to a PA (Physician’s Assistant). Fun fact: Physician’s Assistants and Nurse Practitioners can diagnose and prescribe medications, similar to an MD (Medical Doctor). And here’s a personal trick I’ve been using for years that has really come in handy: the moment a medical provider started speaking with us, I recorded the audio using my phone. As someone with ADHD who also tends to process and store visual information much better than auditory information, this has been huge for me. It’s quicker than trying to manually take notes, and then sloppy handwriting or misplaced notebooks are never an issue when trying to reference what exactly those directions were regarding prescriptions, or follow ups, or what have you. There are plenty of free apps available for a variety of mobile devices that will record and store audio for you in a way that is easy and accessible! After discussing symptoms and timeline with the PA, she ordered 3 vials of blood to be taken, then some imaging. I happen to know that this family member has a tendency to faint after blood draws, so I requested a wheelchair and was told no problem by the phlebotomist. A few minutes later, a different individual came to escort him to imaging without a wheelchair, so I explained his situation again and insisted on a wheelchair, which is just a reminder to all of you at home to advocate for yourselves (or others) about your needs, and do not be afraid to stay firm and repeat yourself when necessary.

After a series of tests and imaging, turns out coughing up blood can actually be a symptom of… THE FLU. Who knew?! Apparently the particular strain of flu going around this area right now is especially awful (we’ll say!), even affecting folks who have gotten their latest flu shot! Remember, there are different strains out there… and just because you got immunized for some strains doesn’t mean that you will be immune to all of them. Even after a flu diagnosis, I’m still so glad we went. That particular symptom could have been so many things (for example, I’ve actually had a friend who contracted tuberculosis years ago… and that took about 6 months of bedrest to recover from). We found out what was going on and got the prescriptions necessary to take care of it, without having to worry about potentially exposing others to an UNKNOWN contagion.

Why share all these personal stories? Because we all learn from each other’s wisdom and experience. And, as my favorite Leonard Nimoy quote goes: “The miracle is this – the more we share, the more we have.” Many of us know all too well the struggles that come with trying to navigate the health and medical systems in this country. I ALSO know from experience that when we come together, we are stronger for it. And that’s what RESCU is doing– it’s using the experience and wisdom of our staff and volunteers to make sure that RESCU is Connecting our Community with the Power of Health. I hope you’ll join us, whether that looks like donating, volunteering, or even just sharing something that you learned here with someone else. There are so many ways to support the Health of the Company, so whatever that looks like for you- thank you!

Sincerely,

Magnolia Strange, President of the Board