What a great column, thank you. I love the obesity angle. I’m working on a book about how our end-of-life healthcare is a mismatch with lived experience and how people can resist medicalization if they don’t want it. Keep up the good fight!
First of all Dr. Gordon, I truly appreciate your writings and musings, and look forward to collaborating with you in AWSIM (
I'm inspired by everyone who is thinking creatively about how to channel the injustice toward change. I went into medicine knowing that systemic violence was a fundamental aspect of American healthcare; I went into medicine determined to help right the wrongs.
I was quietly hopeful that the pandemic would help nudge things in the right direction. And it did, for a time. However I have been devastated that the corporate takeover of American healthcare has only accelerated, human lives made ever cheaper by venture capitalists.
I rage realizing my patients and families are often victims of predatory schemes, and fume at being able to offer nothing more than condolences, or if lucky some meager support. Or, after being asked "will get a bill?", I find myself I anxiously weighing clinical decisions without knowing which of them might cost them their rainy day fund. I was and am feeling disheartened by being complicit in this insane mining project. We as healthcare workers are being exploited too.
I have been involved in many physician advocacy groups over the years, fighting for Human Rights, Single Payer Healthcare, Reproductive Rights, Refugee Rights, you name it. At some point I started to realize fighting structural healthcare injustice "from the inside" was not going to be my space. Power to all who are continuing to fight the good fight--you are stronger than me.
Over the past year, thanks to some wonderful fellow docs grappling with the same questions, I have been organizing with the Nonviolent Medicaid Army (NVMA), which is part of the larger Poor People's Campaign umbrella. I am happy to speak to anyone else who is interested in hearing more--please reach out.
It has been incredible to organize across lines of social division. Specifically, my spirit has been fired by sitting down at a meeting, over coffee, at a doorstep, in a church, with regular people who are being exploited by the healthcare system. I have been connecting with people not as doctor and patient, but as people on the same side, as people who all have so much to gain from a more human society. To me, this feels revolutionary, and to me, this is threatening to the healthcare status quo, who have separated us workers from our patients. The road is long and tough and we all have a role to play.
I lobby at my state legislature and educate everyone I can about healthcare laws, which elected officials are making it harder for us to do our jobs effectively and allow healthcare/insurance corporations to bankrupt families. We are the only developed nation in the world who has such a profit-driven, inhumane healthcare system and I think it’s high time providers stood up to the corporate greed and political games being played with our patient’s livelihoods.
I switched from an FNP program to a leadership, partially in an effort to get to a position where I can help drive forward positive changes. I’m also considering an MBA in order to better understand the financial/corporate/capitalist games being played
Hi, I took a storytelling class a year or two ago. It was called "speak your spark". I knew I had stories to tell about healthcare, but I was so, so angry and I was stuck in it. A friend said, what if you don't worry about what's possible and just make healthcare how it should be. I tried a version of it for the storytelling class, but the question has been working on me ever since. Now, I'm thinking about writing a book to share my vision for rewilding healthcare. Oh, for context, I'm an ER doc, though I've mostly made my exit.
What a great column, thank you. I love the obesity angle. I’m working on a book about how our end-of-life healthcare is a mismatch with lived experience and how people can resist medicalization if they don’t want it. Keep up the good fight!
Amazing!
Avoiding medicalization of the end of life is part of my vision for rewilding healthcare too!
“Rewilding healthcare” is lit!
Thank you! Stay tuned I'm hoping to write a book about it this year.
First of all Dr. Gordon, I truly appreciate your writings and musings, and look forward to collaborating with you in AWSIM (
I'm inspired by everyone who is thinking creatively about how to channel the injustice toward change. I went into medicine knowing that systemic violence was a fundamental aspect of American healthcare; I went into medicine determined to help right the wrongs.
I was quietly hopeful that the pandemic would help nudge things in the right direction. And it did, for a time. However I have been devastated that the corporate takeover of American healthcare has only accelerated, human lives made ever cheaper by venture capitalists.
I rage realizing my patients and families are often victims of predatory schemes, and fume at being able to offer nothing more than condolences, or if lucky some meager support. Or, after being asked "will get a bill?", I find myself I anxiously weighing clinical decisions without knowing which of them might cost them their rainy day fund. I was and am feeling disheartened by being complicit in this insane mining project. We as healthcare workers are being exploited too.
I have been involved in many physician advocacy groups over the years, fighting for Human Rights, Single Payer Healthcare, Reproductive Rights, Refugee Rights, you name it. At some point I started to realize fighting structural healthcare injustice "from the inside" was not going to be my space. Power to all who are continuing to fight the good fight--you are stronger than me.
Over the past year, thanks to some wonderful fellow docs grappling with the same questions, I have been organizing with the Nonviolent Medicaid Army (NVMA), which is part of the larger Poor People's Campaign umbrella. I am happy to speak to anyone else who is interested in hearing more--please reach out.
It has been incredible to organize across lines of social division. Specifically, my spirit has been fired by sitting down at a meeting, over coffee, at a doorstep, in a church, with regular people who are being exploited by the healthcare system. I have been connecting with people not as doctor and patient, but as people on the same side, as people who all have so much to gain from a more human society. To me, this feels revolutionary, and to me, this is threatening to the healthcare status quo, who have separated us workers from our patients. The road is long and tough and we all have a role to play.
Thank you for all this, Taka! Very glad to be in community with you.
I lobby at my state legislature and educate everyone I can about healthcare laws, which elected officials are making it harder for us to do our jobs effectively and allow healthcare/insurance corporations to bankrupt families. We are the only developed nation in the world who has such a profit-driven, inhumane healthcare system and I think it’s high time providers stood up to the corporate greed and political games being played with our patient’s livelihoods.
Absolutely
I switched from an FNP program to a leadership, partially in an effort to get to a position where I can help drive forward positive changes. I’m also considering an MBA in order to better understand the financial/corporate/capitalist games being played
Makes total sense..we need kind people in leadership!
Hi, I took a storytelling class a year or two ago. It was called "speak your spark". I knew I had stories to tell about healthcare, but I was so, so angry and I was stuck in it. A friend said, what if you don't worry about what's possible and just make healthcare how it should be. I tried a version of it for the storytelling class, but the question has been working on me ever since. Now, I'm thinking about writing a book to share my vision for rewilding healthcare. Oh, for context, I'm an ER doc, though I've mostly made my exit.
I love this, Amy!