The Neurological Disorder Podcast
The Neurological Disorder Podcast is a podcast created by Mridula Bharathi, a young changemaker and advocate for neurological disorders. In this podcast, she interviews people who are affected by neurological diseases, and they share their incredible stories as a fighter of the disorder. She also talk with doctors and surgeons who are experts on these disorders, researchers who are working to find cures for them, and more! Through this podcast, she hopes to spread awareness for these neurological conditions so more people can stay informed, look out for early signs of these sometimes debilitating conditions, and be involved in creating a change, through legislative advocacy and community awareness, to improve care for everyone impacted by neurological diseases.
The Neurological Disorder Podcast
17. Here's an Ally: Patient Helpline + Patients Rising ft. Samantha Sauer
This week's episode is with Samantha Sauer, a patient navigator and the Director of the Patient Helpline at Patients Rising. Patients Rising is an organization that aims to empower patients in America to advocate for reforms, placing them, alongside their doctors, in control of their healthcare choices. The Patient Helpline, a nonprofit program associated with Patients Rising, provides direct and personalized access to needed resources. Samantha and her team help patients navigate challenges in their healthcare journey, including transportation, insurance, and medicinal access issues.
Today, Samantha shares the initial purpose of the Patient Helpline and its remarkable growth and evolution through the challenges of COVID-19. In fact, Samantha and her team have helped around 10,000 patients in just 4 years, which is truly incredible. We discuss how her team is structured and what issues they commonly address. She later shares where the Helpline is heading in terms of growth and impact, and we touch on Patients Rising's current policy initiatives and programs.
Samantha truly shows an unwavering enthusiasm and deep passion for helping others get the resources they need and encouraging them to advocate for themselves in healthcare settings. We share a few laughs as we talk about the necessity of 'googling workshops' while also exploring the nuances of Medicare's failure to cover medical transportation.
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Email me at- neurologicaldisorderpodcast@gmail.com
Helpful Resources Samantha Mentioned:
- https://patienthelpline.org/
- https://www.patientsrising.org/