The Walking Gallery in 17 Countries

The Walking Gallery is walking around the world and has members in 17 countries.

We also have Walkers in 40 states in the US. I hope before the end of 2024 to see a walker in every state. If you would to join us in The Walking Gallery here is the link: http://reginaholliday.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-do-you-join-walking-gallery.html

If you want to donate to support our movement, you can do so here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/10th-anniversary-of-the-walking-gallery

(There are currently 25 jackets in my to-do pile and hopefully some of them will be from states that do not have walkers, but if you know of excellent walkers or potential gallery artists please send them my way!)

We have 468 walkers wearing 520 jackets and each day some of them are walking and spreading the word about truly patient centered care and positive change in the world of medicine.

We also have 52 artists painting about these stories.

Thank you all! 

The artists of the gallery: (Children and Teen artists are in bold face)

1. Regina Holliday 431 jackets

2. Isaac Holliday, 2 jackets

3. Becca Price, 1 jacket

4. Miriam Cutelis, 1 jacket

5. Ess Lipczenko, 1 jacket

6. Ben Merrion 1 jacket

7. Courtney Mazza 6 jackets

8. Michele Banks 1 jacket

9. Megan Mitchell 1 jacket

10. Robert J. Filley 3 jackets

11. Anita Samarth 1 jacket

12. Mary Welch Higgins 2 jackets

13. Richard Sachs 2 jacket

14. Jonah Daniel 1 jacket

15. Fred Trotter 1 jacket

16. Leela 1 jacket

17. Gayle Schrier Smith, 1 Jacket

18. Moira Simms, 1 Jacket

19 Joan Holliday 1 Jacket

20 Adalyn 1 jacket

21.Chris Chan, 1 jacket

22. Amy O'Hanlon 1 jacket

23. Vera Rulon 3 jacket

24. Jessica Nicula 2 jacket

25. Nikai, 1 jacket

26. Deon, 1 jacket

27. Daquane, 1 jacket

28. Olivia Dias, 1 jacket

29. Donnell Bonaparte, 1 jacket

30. Hazel F, 1 jacket

31. Rachel Fields, 1 jacket

32. Zoe Carr, 1 jacket

33. Thomas Richardson, 1 jacket

34.  Tamela Mack, 1 jacket

35.  Julia Anderson, 1 jacket

36. DJ Hamilton, 1 jacket

37. Jenn Toby. 1 jacket

38. Camala Walling, 1 jacket

39. Jordan Lanham, 1 jacket

40. Josh Miller, 1 jacket

41.  Te'j Matthews, 1 jacket

42.  Anthony Ziegler,1 jaket

43. Shannon Shine, 2 jackets

44. Melody Smith Jones, 3 Jackets

45. Kay Seurat, 1 jacket

46. Danny McGinnest Jr., 5 jackets

47. Janice Lynn Schuster, 1 jacket

48. Kathleen R. Drake, 1 jacket
49. Ileana Balcu, 1 jacket

50. Virginia Lorenzi, 1 jacket

51. Soojin Jun, 1 jacket

52. Ginny DeBronkart, 1 jacket

Heaven:

In 2016 we had our first death in the Walking Gallery.  We loss Jess Jacobs.  Now several members of the Walking Gallery have died.  They walk where we can no longer see them.  If you see an asterisk by a name that person walks with us in spirit. 


Australia

1 Heather Leslie, Melbourne

2 Louise Schaper, Melbourne

3 Sam Bruinewoud, Melbourne
4 Catherine Crock, Melbourne

5 Carolyn Der Vartanian, Sydney, NSW

6 Michelle F Davis, Sydney, NSW

7 Lissa Smith, Sydney, NSW

8 Sanya Turalj, Sydney, NSW
9 Tara Dimopoulos Bick
10 Kath Mazella, Perth

Belgium
Vincent Keunen, Liege

Canada

1 Colin Hung, Toronto, Ontario

2 Colleen Young, Toronto,Ontario
3 Carolyn Thomas, Victoria, BC

4 Natrice Rese, Timmins, Ontario
5 Kathy Kastner, Toronto, Ontario
6 Annette McKinnon, Toronto, Ontario
7 Kelly Grindrod, Kitchener,Ontario
8 Catherine Wilhelmy, Quebec
9 Marie-Michele Brodeur, Sherbrooke, Quebec
10 Marie-Claude Poulin, Quebec
11 Wendy Station, North Vancouver* March 9, 1955- October 25, 2020  
12 Francisco Grajales, Toronto, Ontario
13 Deb Maskens, Guelph, Ontario
14 Chris McCamic, Ottawa
15. James Goertzen, Thunder Bay, Ontario
16. Rob Anderson, Sudbury, Ontario

17. Erin Cameron, Thunder Bay, Ontario

China
Lissanthea Taylor, Shanghai

Ecuador

Jari Holland Buck

Greece

Kathi Apostolidis

France

1 Gangadhar Sulkunte
2 Mélanie Péron
3 Catherine Coste, Aix en Provence

Hungary
Bertalan Mesko, Budapest

Netherlands
Jim van den Beuken, Nijmegen Area

Kenya
Alice Mwongera

Portugal

Morgan Stanley-Kominers

Senegal

Kevin Ado

Spain
Fernando Martin-Sanchez, Madrid

South Africa
Vanessa Carter, Johannesburg

Switzerland
Christine Bienvenu, Morges

United Kingdom
1 Andrew Spong, Rustington, West Sussex, England
2  Catherine Coste, London, England
3 Jon Dowell, Scotland
4 Gina Neff, Oxford

United States of America: Districts/Commonwealths and Territories

 

1.                               Alabama
     Joe Lavelle, Fairhope

2.                              Alaska

3.                              Arizona
     Lorre Wisham, Tucson 
     Teresa Younkin 

4.                              Arkansas

      Lance Manning, Fayetteville 

5.                              California

1 Al Nikolai Kirienko- Berkley
2 Jamie Inman, Hollister
3 Christine Kraft, Los Gatos

4 Alan Greene, San Francisco

5 Matthew Holt, San Francisco

6 Katherine Arbansin, San Francisco

7 Karen Herzog, San Francisco

8 Manny Hernandez, San Francisco

9 Danielle Cass, San Francisco

10 Roni Zeiger, San Francisco

11 Amy Tenderich, SanFrancisco

12 Julia Hallisy, San Francisco
13 Ian Eslick, San Francisco
14 Chris Chan, San Francisco 
15 Richard Anderson, San Francisco
16 Christopher Snider, San Francisco

17 Alex Albin, Monterey
18 Pat Salber, Lakespur

19 Christian Liu, Los Angeles
20 Liza Bernstein, Los Angelos

21 Matthew Listiak, Los Angeles
22 Martine Ehrenclou, Los Angeles

23 Gregg Masters, San Diego

24 Katerina Jackson-Suchkova, San Diego

25 Becca Price, San Diego

26 Charles Denham, Palo Alto
27 Larry Chu, Palo Alto
28 Zoe Chu, Palo Alto (honorary)

29 Kristen Andrews, Monrovia
30 Amanda Greene, Culver City
31 Eric Topol, San Diego
32 Susan Hull, Healdsburg
33 Eileen Propp, San Ramon
34 Ellen Rose
35 Kate Munger, Inverness
36 Lori Marx-Rubiner* July 26, 1966- August 22, 2017
37 Susan Eller, Los Gatos
38 Rajiv Mehta, Mountain View
39 John Mattison, Playa
40 Teresa Masters, Oceanside * June 8, 1931- May18, 2024
41 Wen Dombrowski, LA
42 Bettina Experton, Del Mar
43 Bridget Duffy, San Francisco
44 Bryanna Gallaway, San Francisco
45 Kait B. Roe, Greenbrae
46Amanda Michelle Jones, Long Beach
47 Deven McGraw, Mountain View
48 Steven Lane, Palo Alto

6.                              Colorado

1 Kathy Nicholls, Pueblo

2 Ben Miller, Denver
3 Bart Windrum, Boulder
4 Elaine O'Bleness, Greeley
5 Adalyn, Denver
6 Fred Masoudi, Denver
7 Brian Be, Denver
8 Tracy Walsh, Basalt
9 Cathy Desautels, Carbondale
10 Erika Hanson Brown, Denver

11 Mary Anne Sterling, Denver

7.                              Connecticut
      1 Matthew Browning
      2 Randi Oster, Fairfield
      3 Alan Manning, Milford
      4 Denise Theil, Milford
      5 Steven F. Horowitz, Stamford
      6 Lisa Donnarumma, Derby

      7 Danielle Swift, Orange
      8 Kenneth Dobuler, Derby
      9 Jim Kinsey, Hamden
      10 Harlan Krumholz, New Haven
      11 Michael Bennick, Branford
      12 Frances K. Grace, Wilton
      13 Mary P. Griskewicz, Madison
      14 Jimmy weeks, New Haven

      

8.                              Delaware
      Jo Hamilton, Rehoboth Beach

9.                               

District of Columbia/Greater Washington Area

Valarie Barnes

Ann Bartlett
Dominique Beatty

Karen E. Blair
Susan Cantrell

Donna Cryer

Jodi Daniel

Jonah Daniel

Ladd Everitt

Lisa Emrich

Ted Eytan

Robert Filey

Susannah Fox
Jon Francke

Marsha Goodman-Wood

David Hale
Mary Welch Higgins

Lindsey Hoggle

Alisa Hughley

Karen Hwang
Jess Jacobs*  October 4, 1987- August 15, 2016

Leroy Jones

Nicole Kemper

Marilyn Langfeld

Howard Liebers

Courtney Mazza
Frankie
Jake Miles-McLean

Robin Miles-Mclean

Ben Merrion

Megan Mitchell
Farzad Mostashari

John O’Brien
Lauree Ostrofsky

Todd Park

Elizabeth Prevou

Abigail Pritchard
Lygeia Ricciardi

Leela 

Anita Samarth
Leila Samy

Josh Seidman

Emily Stewart

Liz Sherer

Chris Timm
Teresa Titus-Howard

Carol Torgan

Melinda Whatman

Trenor Williams

Eunita Winkey

William Wolf

Whitney Zatzkin
Caleb Picard
Erina Moriarty
Hassan Tetteh
Mike Pappas
Fred Trotter

10.                          Florida

1 Chiara Bell, Orlando

2 Carolyn Capern, Orlando
3 Coletta Dorado, Vero Beach
4 Bruce Ramshaw, Cooper City
5 Geeta Nayyar, Miami
6 Randa Peterson, Tallahassee
7 Mandi Bishop Meyers, St. Augustine
8 Andre Carbonell, Tallahassee
9 Jeri Burtchell, East Palatka
10 Trisha Torrey, Orlando
11 Catherine Berg, Destin
12 Tamara StClair, Jacksonville

11.                          Georgia

Donna Scott, Atlanta
Loran Cook, Atlanta

JoAnna Brogdon, Marietta
Allyson Burroughs, Atlanta
Bill Esslinger, Carollton
Sharon Hall, Cumming


12.                          Hawaii

  

      13. Idaho
           
            

14.                          Illinois

Michael Millenson, Chicago

Karen Curtiss, Chicago

JoAnn Klinedinst, Chicago
Martin J. Hatlie, Chicago
Paulo Machado, Chicago
Wendy White, Chicago
Kim Ball, Chicago
Gillian Cappiello, Elmhurst
Leah Grebner, Peoria
Neil Versel, Chicago
Max Stroud, Bloomington
Soojin Jun, Chicago

15.                          Indiana

Michele Behme, Indianapolis
Cathy Collet, Indianapolis
Brian Dixon, Indianapolis
Tom Krohn, Noblesville
Cherise Shockley, Indianapolis 
Gabriela Wilson, Evansville
Leigh Anne Naas, Indianapolis
Jerry Matczak* November 14, 1962-February 2, 2017
Ignacio Edlm, Indianapolis 

16.                          Iowa
     Tom Evans, Johnston
   

17.                          Kansas
     Ryan Neuhofel, Lawrence
     Corinna West, Kansas City
     Casha Mills, Manhattan 
       

18.                          Kentucky

Ted Smith, Louisville
Kathy Neider, Louisville 

19.                          Louisiana
      Catherine Fairchild, Baton Rouge
      Troy Absire Sr.,  Lake Charles 
      Melissa Stewart, St. Francisville 
      Martin Johnson, Alexandria
      Karen DeSalvo, New Orleans 

        

20.                          Maine

Andrea Littlefield, Bangor
Shelley Cohen Konrad, Portland
Sue Woods, Portland
Liam Kemp, South Portland

21.                          Maryland

Maumi JC Chatterton, Baltimore

Mark Scrimshire, Baltimore
Karen Linder-Staubs, Baltimore
Nikai, Baltimore
Deon, Baltimore
Daquane, Baltimore
Donnell Bonaparte, Baltimore
Hazel F., Baltimore
Abdur Rahim Rahmaan, Baltimore

Dennis Wagner, Baltimore
Zoe Carr, Baltimore
Tamela Mack., Baltimore
Julia Anderson, Baltimore
Marilyn Mann, Kensington
Peter Levin, Silver Spring
Kym Martin, Germantown
Taylor Martin, Germantown
Joan Holliday, Granstsville
Regina Holliday, Grantsville
Freddie Holliday, Grantsville
Isaac Holliday Grantsville
Emily Shaw, Grantsville
Mia Jones, Baltimore
Aaron Smith, Hagerstown
Nick Van Terheyden, Olney
Michael Dias, Towson
Meryl Bloomrosen, Silver Spring
Shannah Koss, Silver Spring

Carly Medosch, Baltimore
Shannon Shine, Cumberland
Christopher Closson, Cumberland
Vicky Hinebaugh, Oakland
John Hinebaugh, Oakland* May 3, 1968- December 18, 2021
Lisa Cahill Rodriguez, Frederick
Abby Bott, Odenton
Cynthia Dianne Heath, Bowie
Yael Harris, Laurel
Aaron Seib, Germantown
Janice Lynn Schuster, Riva
Debbie Swauger, Friendsville
Amy Klink, Friendsville
Genevieve Morris, Elkridge
Lisa Simpson, Bethesda

22.                          Massachusetts

      1 Keith Boone, Boston

      2 Abigail Boone, Boston

3 Alex Drane, Boston

      4 Nate Osit, Boston

      5 Janice McCallum, Boston

      6 David Harlow, Boston

      7 Don Fluckinger, Boston
      8 Alicia Staley, Boston
      9 Karen MacDonald, Boston
      10 Catherine Rose, Boston
      11 Gonzalo Bacigalupe
      12 Suzanne Carter, Boston
      13 Danny van Leeuwen
      14 Richard Corder, Ipswich
      15 Jonathan Bush, Cambridge
      16 Amy Heymans, Swampscott
      17 Liz Boehm, Cambridge
      18Tami Rich, Ashland
      19 Pat Rioux, Bolton
      20 Matt Fisher, Worcester
      21 Mandy Long, Acton
      22 Alexis Snyder

   

23.                           Michigan

Cindy Throop, Ann Arbor
      Rob Sharrow, Detroit  
      Amy Lynn Smith, Birmingham
      Leslie Rott, Southfield
      Brian Mack, Grand Rapids 
      Danna Merritt, Troy

24.                          Minnesota

Gary Oftedahl, Minneapolis

Victor Montori, Rochester
Steven Baker, Fountain
AJ Montpetit, Rochcester
Judith Zerbe, Edina

25.                          Mississippi

26.                          Missouri

1 Joe Ketcherside: Kansas City

2 Tobias Gilk, Kansas City

3 David Sides, Kansas City

4 Clay Patterson, Kansas City

5 Kourtney Govro, Kansas City
6 Ann Becker-Schutte, Kansas City
7 Brian Carter, Kansas City
8 John Spertus, Kansas City
9 Siobhan Champ-Blackwell, Kansas City
10 Aja La'Starr, St. Louis
11 Adrienne Robinson Drapper, St Louis
12 Kristi Pena, Richland

27.                          Montana

     Nick Dawson, Bozeman

28.                          Nebraska

   Carol Wahl, Kearney

29.                          Nevada 
          Jason Grattini, Las Vegas

30.                          New Hampshire
       Dave deBronkart
       Megan Sargent Grocki, Portsmouth

       Lori Nerbonne, Bow

31.                          New Jersey

1 Ileana Balcu, Woodbridge

2 Mindy Schwartz-Brown
3 Catherine Costa, Morristown
4 Michael Weiss, West Orange
5 David Dubin, Haworth

32.                          New Mexico

33.                          New York

Steven Davidson, Brooklyn 

Jason Bhan, NY

Craig Lipset,NY

Alex Fair, NY

Amy Romano, NY

Dale Ann Micalizzi, Schenectady
Emily Hackel, NY
Esther Dyson, NY

Moira Simms, NY
Sue Ribaudo, NY
Susan Frampton, NY
Mike Riz, NY
Vera Rulon, South Nyack
Anthony Ziegler, Bronx
Alice Loveys, Pittsford
Stacey Conklin, Long Beach
Benjamin Berlin, Staten Island
Riva Greenburg, Brooklyn
Kim Nazi, Coxsackie
Virginia Lorenzi, NY

John Phelan, NY

Gail Zahtz, Pomona

Marie -Michelle Strah, NY

Tzvis Berlin

34.                          North Carolina

1 Richard Payne, Durham* August 24, 1951- January 3, 2019

2 Lisa Fields, Greensborro

3 Sarah E. Kucharski, Canton

4 Liza Sisler, Raleigh-Durham 

5 Andre Blackman, Raleigh-Durham
6 Alice Hughley, Durham
7 James Spicka, Wilmington
8 Melissa Phipps, Winston-Salem
9. Todd Rowland, Chapel Hill

10 Tiffany Peterson, Raleigh

35.                          North Dakota

36.                          Ohio

1 Sunnie Southern, Cincinnati

2 Michael Seid, Cincinnati
3 Laura Kolaczkowski, Beavercreek
4 John Sharp, Cleveland Heights
5 Jenn Lonzer, Cleveland Heights
6 Sarah Cawley, Medina
7 Jenny Pettit, Philadelphia

37.                          

                    Oklahoma
John Krueger, Tulsa

      Esther Fischer, Enid* September 23, 1973- November 3, 2022
      Kimberly Hayes, Sapulpa

38.                          Oregon

1 Lizzie Dunklee, Eugene
2 Amy Birney, Eugene

3 Brian Ahier, Portland

4 Amy Fellows, Portland
5 Helen Ying, Portland
6 Jesika Gavilanes, Portland 

39.                          Pennsylvania
       

Bill Fisher, Allentown
Cindy Fisher, Allentown
Amy Edgar, Allentown
David Lee Scher, Harrisburg

Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, Philadelphia

Mary Ellen Mannix

Koreen Olbrish, Philadelphia

Kate Cartwright-Knodel, Yardley
Ken Congdon, Erie
Mary Cattolico Camp, Upper Holland
Mary Beth Navarra-Sirio, Pittsburgh 
Wanda Cronrath, Kutztown
Steph Hanzl, Whitehall
Mary Jo Shields, Coopersburg 
Christine Kurtz, Catasauqua
John O'Donnell, Pittsburgh
Robb Fulks, Reading
Angela Radcliffe, Huntingdon
Rachel Fields, Huntingdon
Erin Moore, Hummelstown

40.                          Puerto Rico

Antonio Fernandez

41.                          Rhode Island

Pat Mastors, Providence
Kerri Sparling, Providence

42.                          South Carolina

Helen Haskell, Columbia
Mark Johnson, Blue Ridge

43.                          South Dakota

44.                          Tennessee

    

       1 Linda Stotsky, Nashville
       2 Jane Englebright, Nashville
       3 Jason Wolf, Nashville      
       4 Tiffani Doyle, Franklin
       5 Leslie Hayes, Dryersburg

       6 Amy Gleason, Nashville

45.                          Texas

Kenneth Wells, Houston

Joleen Chambers, Dallas
Camea Kirkpatrick, Dallas
Melissa Ariate Jarvis, Dallas

Laura Slayton, Austin
Phyllis Goetz, Grapevine
Clarence "Reggie" Williams, San Antonio
Mike Finley, Texarkana 
Liz Johnson, Grapevine
Stephen Scott, Fort Worth

46.                          Utah 

1 Michelle Litchman, Salt Lake City
2 Lauretta Sechrest, Bountiful

47.                          Vermont  

      Katie McCurdy, Burlington
      Karen Hein, Jacksonville

48.                          Virginia

Josh Rubin, Arlington
      Casey Quinlan-Richmond* August 6, 1952-April 25, 2023

David Collins, Richmond

Richard Upton, Richmond

Angela Lynn- Charlottesville 

Heidi Sitcov, Springfield
       Gayle Schrier Smith, Richmond
      Kimberley Gould Crawley, Ashburn

Robin Strongin, Arlington
      Brandon Jones, Roanoke
      Sally Okun, White Stone.         
      Ilhee Bae, Clifton
      Jan Oldenburg, Richmond

49.                          Washington

Wendy Sue Swanson, Seattle

Dana Lewis, Seattle

Leah Marcotte, Seattle
Corey Spears, Renton
Sherry Reynolds, Seattle

50.                          West Virginia

       Ross Martin, Berkeley Springs

51.                          Wisconsin
     Amy Throndsen, Madison
     Mary Drake, Verona

52.                          Wyoming

Inside the Mirror

When I was young, I had a compulsion to find out how things worked.  This usually led to creative destruction.  I know exactly how a music box works because I dismantled my jewelry box, tossing out the painted paste board, velveteen lining and plastic ballerina. 

The important part was inside.  I loved the little brass machine that wound with a key.  I loved to listen to the metallic plinks as the metal keys were forced upon the raised nodules of the rotating barrel.  I cherished the simple elegance hidden for years by the bulky form of the jewelry box.  It was liberating.      

But my deconstruction did not stop with the music box.  I also wanted to see inside a mirror.  Mirrors were amazing things that created a world in reverse. One day I ripped the brown paper backing off of my mirror.  Then I scraped at the black paint on the back of the glass.  My scraping revealed a silver expanse.  I scraped at that layer and reached clear transparent glass.  

I was disappointed.  I could not see inside the mirror.  I could not see that most amazing space between the darkness and the glass.  I knew that was where the magic happened.  I knew another world lived inside the glass. 

Have you met Melinda Watman?  She knows it feels to be between worlds and stuck within the looking glass.



This is her jacket "Inside the Mirror."  

In this painting there are two Melinda's.  There is the Melinda buried within folds of flesh and the Melinda that lived inside the looking glass.  Inside the darkened glass a thin healthy Melinda waited.  She waited to get out.  She waited for the year to pass and the time to come when the worlds would reverse.  

Melinda spent years trying unsuccessfully to reach her goal weight.  She then began to research bariatric surgery.  She had a background in nursing, but she wanted to be aware of all the ramifications of her decision. She dove into social media and discussed her options on chat boards.  During her research she was amazed that there were few unbiased sites that would discuss the pros and cons of surgery.



Melinda is now the woman who once was tapped within the glass.  Her body is lean and healthy, as is her mind.  She has since founded a company called BSCG (Bariatric Surgery Consulting Group.)   She hopes to help others come to a decision about what is the right choice for them.  

Welcome to the Gallery Melinda.

Electronic Medical Records are Super Cool!

Today Isaac, Ben Merrion and I filmed a video short on Connecticut Avenue in front of DC Immediate and Primary Care.  We we creating our entry for "What's in your health record?" video challenge from HealthIT.gov.

You still have five days to submit a video to the challenge!

Go to the challenge site and create an account.
Upload a two minute or less video to YouTube following the content instructions.
Fill out the consent form and upload it.
Transcribe the video.
Link to your website.
List all the members of the team.

That is about all there is to it, so don't miss this great opportunity! There are several prizes...

Here is our entry:

@Medstartr

"Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind."
~Leonardo da Vinci



Medstartr: a Poem and a Painting

We sit at u-shaped tables, round-tables, head tables. 
We talk of health.  
We sit within hallowed halls and gilded ballrooms. 
We attend summits, conferences and symposiums 
in a desperate need to change the world of care.

And we talk, talk, talk.  

We shiver in rooms too cold 
and shake from impatience more than chill.  
My dress shoe tap, tap, taps 
a morose code of fury, 
that three years have passed and yet we talk.

When my outrage can no longer be contained 
I text, text, text.  
There are others like me, 
who refuse to sit still.  
We will turn these tables.

We plan to act, act, act.

We've found the wisdom of the crowd,
to fund our disruptive treason
and confound the reason 
of those who think change can only come from up above.

Because we love, love, love
Those whom we've lost.
Those whom we sought
Who sadly thought
that you could talk, talk, talk.
and stop the grieving.

We are those who seek backers
whilst our backs press against the wall.
We will not retreat
as you retweet
our clarion call to act, act, act.

MT, not just a modified tweet

A few months ago, I was invited to present the opening keynote speech at the AHDI (Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity) Annual Convention Indianapolis, Indiana.  This conference focuses on the work of medical transcriptionists or healthcare documentation specialists, their other professional title. 

I was recommended as a speaker to the organization by a couple of members who have seen my work.  One of those lovely ladies was Kathy Nicholls. She is a medical transcriptionist, scribe and member of The Walking Gallery.  Kathy is such a dedicated advocate and I am so honored to know her. Kat King, AHDI-F, AHDI-West President 2012 also recommended me after seeing me speak in Oregon at an AIM event. So Andrew Wolf, the conference planner,asked me to speak. He also asked me to paint a custom painting prior to the event that would promote National Medical Transcription week.  I said yes to both requests.

On Thursday at 8:00 am the room was filled with delightful ladies and a few gents who had made medical transcription their life's work.  I dove into my speech and they rode along with me through laughter and tears.  I have rarely seen an audience as responsive and empathetic as this one.  

I finished the speech and walked to the back of the room to paint the conference itself.  If you are familiar with my art, you know it is rarely pretty, perhaps tragically beautiful, but rarely pretty.  The painting I created that morning is a lovely piece I entitled "The MT Compass Star."



In this painting the sky is filled with rain as it was on this day.  It had not rained for weeks in Indiana and the ground was parched. The crowd rejoiced in this needed rain. In the center of the painting a lovely blond MT (medical transcriptionist) stands poised as a ballerina.  Her leg is extended gracefully and one arm languidly caresses a child. The other arm reaches toward the sky with a compass in hand.  The ethereal beauty looks up into the rain drenched sky.  The clouds break and she can see the compass star to set her way. Behind her and slightly to her left another MT holds her hand out to touch the falling drops of rain. 

To each side of the transcriptionists patients stand.  To the right a male patient stands with one hand upraised as if to catch the rain drops.  The other arm is embracing the MT in an absent minded way. The storm wind has has whipped his Johnny gown open and his modesty is compromised. To the left a young girl stares solemnly at the viewer.  Her eyes seem to question what will happen next.

I painted this as awards were given out and amazing transcriptionists were recognized.  I painted this as a storm was brewing and an entire profession was deciding its future.  Every MT in that audience was as poised as this ballerina.  Ballerinas look so beautiful on point.  But have you ever held that pose?  Have you ever felt the painful twitch of muscles forced to their limit to create a pose so sublime?  Have you looked upon the cracked feet and bleeding toes?  

The attendees came over to my easel and commented on how much they liked the painting and asked what it meant. A few woman chucked modestly as I said I was painting their profession.  Their hands fluttered as they admitted they could not dance.  I smiled a sad smile as I noticed their hands. Their hands, with knuckles swollen from decades upon the keyboard, covered their smiling lips and patted cheeks flush pink like a youth.  I think these women know all about the feet of a ballerina. 

I next attended a session entitled Advocacy Alliance.  I was excited to hear this group mention many of the consumer campaigns of the ONC (Office of the National Coordinator of Information Technology).  They spoke about the upcoming video challenge focusing on consumer access to the EHR.  They spoke about the Blue Button download and the consumer pledge.  I was so excited by this conversation I sent a tweet to Farzad and Lygeia.  

Next I attended the AHDI tweet-up. I was so happy there was a tweet-up as I had only seen about five people tweeting so far.  The tweet up was hosted by a young man named Matt LaMond. He delivered a twitter tutorial focused on maintaining a twitter handle for a tech business.  Though his presentation was done in lecture format, I could not help but interrupt him at times. His presentation was not explaining the advocate view of twitter or that of the self-employed.  I hope my comments were considered friendly banter and not unwelcome harassment.  We began to debate about wether to retweet using the twitter function or to copy and paste with a RT or MT.  The audience asked about the difference.  I told them by typing RT they could improve their Klout score.  Then they wondered at the difference between an RT and an MT.  I said in a RT (retweet) your are just coping the work of another.  In a MT (modified tweet) your editing the content.  I think this conversation was very pertinent to the work these attendees do every day. Two attendees asked me to further explain the site and they both logged on by the next day. 



That afternoon I began the second painting named "The Window." Here the beauty is gone and only stress remains.  This painting is of a busy hallway in a hospital.  Two techs race by with a gurney.  A nurse is intently pushing a c.o.w. (computer on wheels).  The adults are all focused on the tasks before them.  



Upon the gurney a child kneels.  He is holding a blanket from Project Linus.  This blanket was the subject of our second keynote speaker Karen Loucks Rinedollar.  Karen began a national charity that bestows handmade blankets to children in the hospital or who are traumatized.  The blanket comforts the child as he sees a dark window in the wall.  In the darkened window medical transcriptionists work long hours.  They listen and write and rarely get a chance to speak.  They are in darkness and not considered part of the scene. 



After I finished this painting, both paintings and 15 signed prints were given away to attendees.  The winners were very appreciative and I hope the paintings inspire their owners in the years to come.  I met a lot of lovely people at this event. I met Sherry Doggett the 2011-2012 President of AHDI. She held my hand with an earnest intensity as she said she would like to be part of the wider advocacy work of The Walking Gallery.  I met Betsy Ertel and watched her race from session to session with a smile one face and a swing in her step.  

I met a lot of amazing advocates that self-define as Medical Transcriptionists.  I know their world is changing. Their hearts are large and they are devoted to a clear and correct medical record. I hope to see many of them on stage and presenting in the years to come.  They have the patient story in the forefront of their mind and I expect amazing things from them.

Am I a Stone?

Am I a stone?
by Regina Holliday

Am I a patient?
Do I sit within the chamber?
Knees knocking, thoughts blocking
That something could be wrong.
The paper gown does contain me.
Does not embrace me.

Am I the wife?
Just a visitor in 6218,
Only a number, easy to quantify.
While the nurse imprisons my husband's pain
as so much data on a chart.
While his breathing,
keeps pace with my weeping.

Or am I a stone?

Am I the stone that skips upon the water?
Do I dance above the surface
only playing at this service
to something greater than myself?
Then falling to the darkest depth
Leaving not a ripple.

Perhaps I am a stone upon the land
whose granite face wears the dust of years.
A silent sentinel upon a field of mourning.
The letters incised upon me
testifying to a life cut short
the only ripple left- a grassy mound.

No, If I'm to be a stone,
Make me the rock of Aesop.
Stacked high with all my brethren
so the thirsting crow can drink.
Just one among the bricks within the crucible,
stacked upon each other like cinderblocks.

Media and the Message

Regina. 

That is my name.  I have known why it is my name since I was a small child.  It is etched within my mind beside my childhood prayer: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord, My soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake… “

I am named after my great Aunt Regina Roggow.  She died in 1906 when she was only 5 years old.  She shares a grave with her little brother Erwin who was only three.  They died of Scarlett Fever.  If you are parent, you might have gotten those little slips of paper that warn of an instance of strep throat in the classroom.  After getting the note you probably watched your child more closely and perhaps made a trip to your local doctor to pick up some antibiotics. 

My great grandparents did not pick up antibiotics; there were none to be had, instead they picked out a headstone. 

When I was a child, I would visit this small grave on the wind swept prairie of Oklahoma.  I would grasp plastic grave flowers in my pudgy fist.  I would step carefully through stickers and cockleburs that would catch upon my ankle socks.  I would walk towards the back of the cemetery to the children’s section.  I want you to think about that.  The children’s section.  So many children died back then they had their own space.  Here the tombstones were smaller and often depicted lambs.  I would kneel at Regina’s grave and press the flower deep into the red dirt.  I would cry for a child I had never met.

When began I visiting Regina’s grave she had already been dead for over 70 years.  It was hard to read her name on the weathered granite.  I would trace the indentations with my little finger.  The years passed. I grew and Regina’s name faded.  Recently my Aunt Minnie asked the folks at Pellow Monument Works in Enid Oklahoma if they could do anything to improve the text on the grave monument. Aunt Minnie wanted the visitors to be able read the stone.  The Pellow team said they could.  The painted it with black lithochrome and then re-sanded the granite to its original tone.

Now its message is crisp and clear. Regina has monument on the prairie in Oklahoma.  Now due to this post, she will have one online as well. 

When I speak, I speak for children like Regina and I speak for men like my late husband Fred Holliday.  I, like many who work within patient advocacy, want to make sure our loved ones did not die in vain.  We want the world to remember them, and through telling their stories effect great and positive change.

Sometimes due to our personal sorrow or anger our messages are not clear or can be off-putting.  Sometimes due to inexperience we will say things that are considered rude within the world of social media.

I am writing this post to address the etiquette and protocol within social media as it applies to advocates and the communities to which they post.

Advocating from sixth stage of grief.   You probably know about the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.  A good friend of mine named Trisha Torrey wrote about the sixth stage of grief calling it Proactive Survivorship.  Proactive survivors have gone through the five stages of grief and want to help others.  They still remember their sorrow and anger, but they do not let these emotions control their advocacy or cloud their message.  They have replaced blame with hope and their story is not tragedy; it is triumph.  These advocates are often the most effective.

Some advocates are still actively experiencing anger and depression.  It is hard for them to hear the joy and success of their counterparts.  Often these two groups will be at odds with each other.  Please take a deep breath when you post to other members of the social media community.  We all have experienced suffering; we all have a reason for being here.  We may just be at different stages of the journey.

The smiley face is your friend.  In tweets or in facebook comments there is not a lot of time for nuance.  If you say something quickly and think it can be taken in a negative way the simple emoticon J can do much to eliminate ruffled feathers.

Don’t spam your friends. When you have a new link or post that you are excited about do not cut and paste it repeatedly in every forum or group.  Sometimes the post is of extreme importance with a limited window of action ie; public comment period is almost over, tweetchat is tonight or a reporter is looking for content relevant to a dead lining story. We will understand a deluge then.  Rather than over-posting, posting it where it is most appropriate, then tailoring your message to the group will help with spread.  If you become known as an advocate that spams multiple groups with the same post, your messages may become synonymous to white noise and disregarded.

Everything in Moderation. Do not attack a advocate personally for their thoughts on a subject.  We are all working toward a common cause of improving the patient experience. Try to be civil in your debate.  If you are concerned about comments directed to you in a public forum, contact the poster privately if possible.  If that is not possible, contact the moderator or admin.  They can remove inappropriate comments.  Know that certain types of comments can result in an advocate being blocked from a site.  It is important that list serves and facebook groups be safe places where people feel comfortable speaking truthfully and with respect.  Group membership will decline if the space feels like the Wild West.  I have seen too many groups loose valuable membership because of poor self-moderation of comments.

Know your social media platform

Twitter is a caused based platform.  In twitter we use hastags: #hcsm (healthcare social media) or #ptsafety(patient safety) to follow concepts or chat sessions.  This is usually done in a very public way and most accounts are open.  The stream of comments can be searched through google and those who tweet should know that their writing could be seen by anyone.  On twitter you can follow people who do not follow you back.  You can comment to them directly by posting in the public stream.  If you wish to say something privately you can send them a direct message if they can follow you back.  Direct messages are like short private emails between two people.

Facebook is a wonderful tool for finding people.  This platform is more closed.  I have never been able to find a facebook comment during a google search, though I can find the person and their interests.  In facebook, you can communicate by including a friend’s name within your post and it will appear publically on your wall as well as their own.  This is a good tool if you know this person well and know the message is very much inline with their life and mission.  If you think it might not reflect their worldview it is not considered appropriate to post it on their wall.  If you wish to say something privately a facebook message is used.  A message can be between two or more individuals but is not a public form of communication.  Copying the text contained in a message and sharing it without permission is considered a breach of trust.  Please always ask permission before sharing private messages with other people.

Your blog is your voice.  The blog is an amazing tool.  Here your can explain your stance in patient advocacy in great detail.  Unlike a website, it is rarely static and very easy to update.  You can post links to your blog on both twitter and facebook.  A lot of misunderstanding occurs online when you do not have the space to explain yourself in full.  A blog can give you the time and space to be clear and if you enable comments you will get questions directly.  Enabling comments will also help you to understand the hard job of moderating comments, a challenge that facebook administrators are well aware of.  Empathy is a good and valid teacher.

Writing in all capitols in twitter or Facebook is perceived as screaming or yelling in this space.  If you served in the military you may have written in all caps for clarity, but online this can be very off-putting.  It often reflects badly upon the person who posts in such a way.  There are many who will not read what you have to say when you do this, so do it rarely, choosing a word or two for special emphasis.

It may be called SoMe, but it is really about us!  In social media it is crucial to listen and share.  Talking and posting is important, but this relationship works because of give and take.   It can be very off-putting to other advocates if we post constantly about our own cause without focusing on and sharing the content of other speakers in this space.  It is very important to network our messages with other advocates, providers and thought leaders.  Look at the places you comment.  If you are constantly redirecting everyone to your own site and campaign, you are monopolizing the conversation. 

You are creating a monument to those you loved.   Remember all that you say in the world of Social Media reflects back on you.  It reflects back on your loved ones as well.   There are often times I wish to “blow a gasket” in this space.  And as you well know, I have, but this too with moderation.  Do not become a flamer, for flames breed fire and fire consumes all. 

When I die, I would like my body to be donated to science or burned.  I do not want a gravestone. If my family or friends wish to visit a grave they should visit little Regina Roggow’s grave.   She died too soon and I hope in some small way I have lived for her.  The only monument I will ever need is already being inscribed. It is crowd sourced and is the product of social media.  You can find it in the google search field by typing Regina Holliday artist.

Remember when you post online you too are building your monument or marker in this mortal coil, do so honestly and with dignity.

These were just a few thoughts upon this subject.  I am a big believer in crowd sourcing so please feel free to comment in the comment field to further expound upon protocol in patient advocate social media.