“Remember that what gets talked about and how it gets talked about determines what will happen. Or won’t happen. And that we succeed or fail, gradually then suddenly, one conversation at a time.” Susan Scott, Fierce Leadership: A Bold Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices of Business Today
By: Annamarie Fuchs, Creator. Partners in Health | Conversations.
October 15, 2020.
Updated: October 5, 2021.
Hello and welcome to Partners in Health | Conversations!
I’ve been involved in healthcare in some capacity for nearly 40 years. During my high school years, I worked part time as a nursing attendant in a long-term care facility. Years later as a young mom and Registered Nurse I worked in the emergency department, ICU, oncology, and palliative care. For the last 11 years, my role as a healthcare consultant and board member has allowed me to continue contributing to the system I have grown to understand in new ways and with new eyes, and for the most part, respect. In all those years and with the places my career has taken me, one ingredient has remained unchanged. Whether as a nursing attendant, volunteer, a registered nurse, an organizational leader or a management consultant, the rich conversations I’ve been privileged to participate in have provided me with a unique and invaluable perspective about the complexity of the health systems we rely on. Hundreds and possibly thousands of conversations have offered insights into how the system should work, could work, and perhaps more importantly, how it shouldn’t work! And, because many of those conversations have been largely left unheard by decision makers, I’ve decided that it’s time to change that.
I have had the privilege of working alongside physicians, nurses, and other health professionals in clinical settings, leaders and executives, researchers, regulators, academics, politicians, bureaucrats, business leaders, and more. Partners in Health | Conversations will allow me to offer a platform to discuss and document important conversations and share those with all of you. I believe that together we can strengthen our collective knowledge about the system and participate in transformative change by sharing critical insights that have yet to be heard.
October 5, 2021:
Last year when we launched, I thought that I’d be able to publish a new reflection each week. The realities of life and work stepped in and I’ve found that publishing once a month seems more manageable. And, the pandemic changed how we all approach health care and how we all think about our roles and responsibilities as citizens and health professionals. In the past year, several respected colleagues have left their professions as physicians and nurses. Others are exhausted while others are absolutely disillusioned. The ‘joy’ that many of our health professionals once found in serving people has been lost and it seems that each day brings more challenges, greater suffering, and more attempts to merely ‘hang on.’ So, as 2021 winds down and the issues scale up, I want to let our front line professionals know that many of us do see you and we understand and acknowledge your value. And we thank you for continuing to serve despite the distress that haunts you each and every day.
As I try to maintain a more practical publishing schedule that’s less ambitious than it was a year ago, I hope that I can support you with stories of resilience, strength, and hope. If you have experiences you’d like to share, please let me know. I’d be honored to share your stories with the world. In the meantime, may God richly bless all of you who are caring for people, saving lives, and being ‘with’ those who are alone in their final moments. You are truly my heroes.
So again, welcome. I look forward to sharing with and learning from each of you. Here we go!
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