“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
— Maya Angelou
Health care leaders are trained to look at data, trends, and policy. But when talking about the importance of Medicaid — or any public health program — it’s the stories that move people to act.
Right now, as proposed cuts to Medicaid and other vital health programs loom large, hospitals are bracing for the impact. The numbers are daunting — whatever final form these changes take, they will undoubtedly result in patients losing access to health care. With lawmakers discussing cuts in the billions of dollars and coverage reductions for millions of people, it’s easy to lose sight of the individual lives that are altered by these decisions.
But hospitals and health care systems see these stories every day: the mom who can’t continue cancer treatment because her coverage was interrupted, the college student with diabetes who skips medication doses because of cost, and the child with a days-long fever who is in the emergency room because the family can’t access primary care. These stories remind us what’s at stake.
As hospitals continue to advocate for the communities they serve, facts and figures will only go so far; highlighting the stories of the patients, providers, and communities impacted make the data resonate. Legislators must understand the human impact of their decisions and actions.
To support hospitals in telling these critical stories, HASD&IC’s Annual Meeting — to be held Nov. 20 — will feature Tucker Bryant, celebrated poet and entrepreneur. Make plans to join us for this compelling keynote, where Bryant will share the lessons he learned in Silicon Valley that can help all leaders move forward in the face of challenges.
Storytelling has never been more important in hospitals’ advocacy — lawmakers may not remember the data and figures hospitals share with them, but they’ll never forget the way hospitals’ stories made them feel.