Updates
In Healthcare, Race and Gender Still Make a Difference—and that’s not good news
We adopted two kids from Ethiopia eight years ago, a country rich in culture but very poor economically; a place where there is one doctor per about 48,000 people (as compared to here where there is one doctor per about 300 people). Up until a few years ago, that number was more like one in 100,000. Recognizing the need for better healthcare, Ethiopia expanded the number of medical schools in one fell swoop, opening 13 new ones in just a few years. While that has increased access somewhat, unfortunately the medical training doctors-to-be...
Read moreShout Out to Marin General Hospital
While certain things in life are predictable, many are not. Jeff and I mapped out, for example, our first two pregnancies and had our babies right on schedule. Graduate school for me, medical school for Jeff—these were steps we prepared and planned for in our lives. But other things came as surprises. We were not people who “always knew” we’d adopt, for example; yet that blessing in our lives has been especially lovely. And I never could have predicted I’d have a child die, much less that it would be due to medical negligence and that I’d...
Read moreSecond Opinions
The article linked below is an egregious story about a woman whose medical care was handled terribly. The patient’s nurse practitioner misread a test result and neither of the physicians she was referred to caught the error. (Did they read the test results themselves, or just rely on the nurse practitioner’s interpretation?) The patient ended up with both breasts and her uterus removed unnecessarily before she, herself, discovered the mistake the providers had made. This Washington Post article raises all kinds of questions (i.e. who reviews...
Read moreTell Your Story (with a chance to win)
Talia’s Voice is already coming into contact with other non-profits that are working to improve the patient experience. Our particular focus at Talia’s Voice is on bringing about a culture change where communication and listening (at all levels of care!) are at the heart of medical practice. Just in the weeks since we started our work publicly, we’ve heard from individuals who want to “do something” and other organizations that already are. We just received an email from the directors of Patients’ View Institute, and they are looking...
Read moreApples and Or…egon Health and Science University Students
It’s apple season in Oregon and the fruit is ripe for the picking—so many varieties, so much bounty! There is a range of flavor, size, color and crispness to choose from. Jeff and I spent Wednesday, October 4, interacting with medical students at OHSU, and, as with the season’s apples, appreciated the rich variety of ideas that came through their questions and reflections. We were looking forward to speaking with students and all of them were receptive to Talia’s story. It was apparent that Talia’s voice moved them. We found that medical...
Read moreOregon Health and Science University
On October 4, 2017, Dr. Jeff Goldenberg and Naomi Kirtner (Talia’s Voice founders) will be giving two presentations at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), where they will have the opportunity to speak with both 1st and 2nd year medical students, as well as to residents and faculty. Talia’s artwork will also be on display at the medical school, which always deepens the experience for those who are hearing about Talia’s life and death. We look forward to engaging with a range of people involved in the medical community when we head to...
Read moreTalia’s Birthday
Today, September 24th, is the birthday of our “unofficial” founder, Talia Goldenberg. She should be here celebrating her 27th birthday. Instead, we spent the day celebrating the amazing person she was. Talia’s family gathered around a table of stuffed animal zebras–a gift from her aunt and which are the mascot for those who suffer from EDS (the disease Talia had). Talia’s Papa baked cinnamon buns which she would have loved. We ate them for her. Each family member chose words or phrases they associated with...
Read morePatient Experience Forum
This past week, Board member Rita Radostitz and I had the opportunity to attend the Patient Experience Policy Forum (PXPF) in Washington, D.C. The goal of this new organization is to create public policies that will safeguard the patient and family experience, since it is well documented that the patient experience correlates with outcomes. The really unique thing about PXPF is their inclusion of actual patients and their families in the work at hand. It’s ludicrous but not a surprise that patients themselves have never been invited to the...
Read moreWelcome
Welcome to Talia’s Voice: Projects for Patients Safety. We hope our posts will spark conversations and generate discussions regarding various aspects of patient safety. Nearly every person has been or will be a patient, so we hope the posts in “What We’re Thinking” will be of interest to most everyone. There is a lot to consider when it comes to patient safety, and in particular, about the role of listening, hearing, empathy, believing, and communicating between personnel on medical teams and between providers and patients. We hope you’ll...
Read moreWhat’s In a Name
Talia sprang into the public eye when Mike Baker of the Seattle Times published his story about her, “A Lost Voice.” In the article, he quotes from a letter Talia wrote to her teammates when she had to give up her dream of playing college soccer because of multiple ACL tears in her knee. In it, she declared emphatically that, in spite of everything, she was still a person with dreams, hopes, beliefs; that she remained “a person with a voice.” Years later, the many providers who failed Talia would steal that voice. It is truly...
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