In the last 14 days, the flood of crises we are all suddenly experiencing in our lives has overwhelmed our society’s healthcare infrastructures. We still don’t have all the answers. This is still our plan.  To survive, we must recognize our own limits, preserve our strength and carry on, doing what we can with what we have. Leadership is meeting tomorrow on Sunday 2/9/25, to strategize about how our small team is going to problem solve solutions for the common problems so many of our members are facing right now including:
~ inability to access specialty care for several months
~ inability to afford necessary medications
~ inability to get a clear answer about denied insurance claims
~ inability to get answers about disability services you’ve paid into for years
~ inability to access the day programs, meals & home care used to care for seniors, veterans & those with disabilities
~ setting & maintaining boundaries when being asked to do more than is humanly possible in your jobs in response to the massive & overwhelming funding/leadership changes affecting many small businesses, corporations and all government agencies & helping organizations

Now for the Good News: never in my life have I seen a more dedicated employee in Rebecca Turzinski and the eagerness & passion growing in our new young staff is inspiring. The Direct Care movement is growing and we have access to hundreds if not thousands of medications, tests and treatments allowing us to deliver good primary care. We’ve built quite the practice over the last few years and although it has changed significantly, our Birchwood Family Medicine community is well equipped with the systems we have in place to face whatever comes our way without disruption.

So what do we do now?  We survive – we adapt – we focus on what matters – we take care of ourselves – and we remain effective. Expect changes in the fights we’re able to assist in over the coming months. It will take time for us to understand the new systems in place. The last couple of weeks have demonstrated that we need to take our own advice and focus on what we can control. Insurance calls are taking hours & health agency mailboxes are full or unstaffed.  We are understaffed.  To carry on our work, we must limit our advocacy services requiring interaction with the crumbling infrastructure around us going forward until we can regroup to understand what is happening.

I left insurance-based care for a reason. I refuse to let the chaos it reigns distort our mission, vision or values.

How you can help:
~ know your Member Resource Guide and how to use our systems.
~ know your Patient Portal which has much of your health information
~ speak up – if you’re suffering due to governmental program change, call the people you elected & let them know what you need them to do
~ be kind & don’t shoot the messenger

Digging in with some coffee, Lucy, and a fuzzy blanket to get back to the 97 messages awaiting a response from this week. Today, I’m grateful for the weather that canceled New Student day at UW-Stevens Point gifting me some unexpected time, for Eric Dall-Winther who selflessly takes such good care of me, for our home & internet that allows me to work on a Saturday, and for my members & staff who find the resilience & strength each day to get up, look at that glass half full, and get to work.