What Is a Health Advocate?
Health advocates are professionals who seek to make sure that every individual receives quality health care. In some cases, a health advocate may be a fully licensed doctor or nurse. However, it is not uncommon for advocates of this type to be involved in community groups and organizations that seek to ensure neglected sectors of the populace have access to at least some type of competent medical care, regardless of their ability to pay for the services. While a health advocate does not necessarily have to be a trained physician or other type of medical care provider, a background in healthcare is usually very important. The background may include experience with insurance companies, organizations such as the Peace Corps, or even healthcare administration. Many health care advocacy groups have specific skills and experience required in order to function as a health advocate within their network. This means that the qualifications may vary somewhat from one situation to another. A healt
A Health Advocate is a family member or friend who will interact with health care providers on behalf of the person with severe disabilities who may need assistance or be unable to communicate clearly for himself or herself. Their responsibilities are: • Organize information before a visit. • Keep appointments or cancel far in advance, if possible. • Facilitate communication between health care provider and patient. • Share all relevant information with health care provider. • Clarify information and/or medication or treatment described by provider. • Write down all information and directions. • Follow advice or report information accurately to caregivers.
Health advocates are personal one-on-one coaches that work with employees in order to improve the health status of wellness program participants. Why are health advocates important? Health advocates are used most effectively when they are assigned to work with high-risk individuals. These individuals usually have the highest medical claims expense because of unhealthy eating and exercise habits. By assigning higher-risk employees to work with a health advocate on a monthly basis, the health risks for these employees decrease dramatically as do health care costs and employee depression. A health employee is a happy employee. By working with one-on-one health coaches, employees show increases in productivity, decreases in absenteeism, fewer catastrophic health events, and report higher life satisfaction ratings. How can your company begin using health advocates? Health advocates are available for one-on-one coaching for any company that uses the Kersh Risk Management wellness program sui
Apply Today! Interested? We encourage you to apply! Just complete and submit this application! Health Advocate positions for the 2009-2010 school year are still open in these halls and apartments: Bailey Hall, Frontier Hall, Pioneer Hall, Territorial Hall, and Wilkins Hall. If you are interested in a Health Advocate position in one of these halls or apartments, please submit the application as soon as possible.
