#nurse-navigators

#nurse-navigators

Members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), affiliated with National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, went out on a strike to protect their health insurance and pension benefits. Dania Muñoz, a nurse practitioner at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, explained that the private hospitals she and others were taking on are 'some of the top paid hospital systems in the country.'

February is a time to honor Black history, resilience, and progress. It is also a moment to confront an uncomfortable truth: in New York City, equity in health, family stability, and community well-being is still shaped by race and zip code. For too many Black families, structural inequities continue to limit access to care, not because of individual choices, but because of where people live and how our systems are designed.

In many ways, public health can't afford to ignore gamification. Addiction is already gamified-and it's winning. As one example, "smart" vapes now feature screens, rewards, animations, and puff tracking. These high-tech devices have become top-selling products, with 32% of youth and 33% of young adults reporting using vapes with screens, games, or Bluetooth connectivity in the past month. These products are applying the same engagement strategies used in consumer tech to drive repeat use and ultimately sustain addictive behavior.

"Hello, how are you doing? Good to see you," says Honor Cousens, as she pushes a trolley loaded with cold drinks, sweets, biscuits, toiletries, newspapers and magazines. The volunteer at the Royal London Hospital is a familiar face on the wards, and has been supporting staff and patients for many years. She is part of the Friends of the Royal London Hospital, a charity that has been running at the Whitechapel site since 1979.

But these studies typically require large numbers of patients, huge amounts of data, and thorough follow-ups, none of which comes easy or free. The upshot is fewer investigations into scenarios that are clinically important but unlikely to yield a profit for the firms funding them. Accordingly, researchers have been developing an option that uses real-world data from insurers to save patients from falling through the cracks.

As the Magerstadt Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Khan studies the epidemiology of risk for heart failure. Using population-based cohorts and large electronic health record data analyses, she performs mechanistic studies that may enhance risk prediction and identify novel therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Khan and her team have developed a tool to predict risk and prevent cardiovascular disease such as heart failure, stroke, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease and many other conditions.

"I grew up in a family that valued hard work and education," she says. "Starting over in a new country reinforced that nothing comes easily, but progress is always possible."

AI plays an important role-but not by fixing fragmented data on its own. The work of organizing, connecting, and interpreting healthcare information still belongs to people and the systems they build. Where AI helps is after that foundation is in place: by bringing the right information forward at the right time, reducing the effort it takes to find what matters, and supporting better decisions in the moment of care.

My dad was in the emergency room, short of breath, chest tight, upper back aching. He looked pale and confused. An ultrasound showed excess fluid between his lung and chest wall. "We'll drain it," a resident said, as if he were unclogging a sink. For the next five days, thick, red-tinged fluid filled a plastic container beside my dad's hospital bed. Doctors sent his cells for "staining," a way to identify cancer. But no one used that word.

"I heard a pop in my head, like a big bubble," she said. "I tried to scream, but it wasn't a normal scream. I knew something wasn't right."

You get sick from staying inside, breathing the same germ-filled air. Open your windows, even for five minutes, to circulate the old air out and let in fresh air. Also, if you're taking your child to the doctor, don't wait to treat their fever because you want 'the provider to see the fever.' Your child might wait two hours to be seen, meanwhile their temperature goes up, and they might have a seizure. If you say they've been having fevers, we believe you.

As a long-time social worker, Merrill started the Bone Marrow and Cancer Foundation in 1992. In working with cancer patients for the past 33 years, Merrill saw a great need to create a strong community for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. "So 'CancerBuddy' is a platform where patients can upload their own information and swipe and to meet whoever they want to meet with based on their diagnosis, their age, their cancer center, their geographical location," says Merrill.

Adult literacy advocate Toni Cordell recounts the story of feeling comforted when her doctor told her that her medical concern could be solved with an easy surgery. She agreed to proceed without asking further questions and didn't understand the medical consent forms because she didn't read well. At a follow-up office visit a couple of weeks after the procedure, Cordell was shocked when the nurse asked, "How are you feeling since your hysterectomy?"

Public health consultant Dr Ross Keat said supporting people earlier to make small preventative changes would make "a big difference later on". Some 3,500 people in the north of the island within that age bracket are eligible for the checks. The checks will be carried out by two pre-existing nurses that support GP staff and would not replace GP appointments, Keat explained, adding that the cost would be minimal and absorbed by Ramsey Group Practice.

In 2026, the US healthcare system is changing. Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies have expired, causing premiums for marketplace plans to spike - and pricing some families out of health insurance entirely. President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reduce coverage for some patients with Medicaid and funding for hospitals, especially those in rural areas. Costs for Medicare and private insurance are also rising: Employer-based healthcare premiums have increased by 9%, the largest rise in more than a decade.

The world of medical practice management is changing faster than ever, driven by two simultaneous forces: escalating patient expectations and crushing administrative complexity. In my years working with healthcare organizations, I've seen these challenges evolve from nuisances into crises. Research by Bain & Company found that 65% of healthcare consumers want more convenient experiences, and 70% want more responsiveness from providers. They want instant answers to routine questions, immediate scheduling access and minimal friction.

Denise Kvapil has built her career in environments where decisions are immediate, outcomes are measurable, and accountability is non‑negotiable. From emergency departments to senior executive roles, she has led with a singular conviction: results matter more than rhetoric. "I define success by patient outcomes," she says. "If patients do better and teams grow stronger, then the leadership is working." That philosophy has guided her ascent through clinical practice, hospital operations, and executive leadership across complex healthcare systems.

Reducing those kinds of barriers to me is creating longevity of life for our residents, she said. A lot of times what happens is they don't get the services that they need, and as a result their life changes.