Chidinma Oparaugo, MHA

As a health program specialist and manager, I know from experience that opportunities to improve patient advocacy can happen at any time. For me, it happened when I was in a clinic and an older lady spoke my language. She needed to speak to the staff, and I was able to translate for her. Just that instance of translating helped curtail any miscommunication. I was happy that my presence made a difference for a patient’s quality of care. Another instance of health advocacy in public health for me as a professional in the field of public health is the responsibility of notifying patients’ care facilities of patient status to ensure proper care. For example, I have been in the position to note that a patient was being given an antibiotic they were resistant to. I instantly notified the facility who relayed it to the medical provider to change the antibiotic that would work for the patient. This act reduced antibiotic resistance which is a major public health threat today. There are many ways we can be health advocates as one simple act can have a ripple effect and save the lives of others through lessons learned and mitigation of infectious disease transmission.