Sick care, Dr America?
Hello from Atlanta,
I’ve heard so many doctors in America voice the same complaint — the medical system doesn’t focus on healthcare, it focuses on sick care.
Dr. LaSonya Lopez, host of the ShyftU podcast, is one of them.
She says the human part of medicine is fading away
as processes become more automated…
and it’s becoming harder to look at a patient in a holistic way.
And it’s contributing to a problem where people just stay sick.
LaSonya and I have known each other since I moved to America ten years ago. Our daughters were in the same class in Pre-Kindergarten and are now together in Ninth Grade. LaSonya and I both realised we were burnt out and unhappy in our careers at the same time. We had long conversations about where we were going, being stuck and what to do.
Well, we both landed up leaving our professions (she no longer practices as a doctor, and I no longer work in main stream media) but we've both started podcasts and found our second acts.
LaSonya has also helped me navigate the complexities of the last election. She didn't vote for Donald Trump but she does support some of the questions his nominee for Health Secretary RFK is asking about America's Sick Care Model.
The latest episode of “Searching for America” is out now — it's worth listening to LaSonya's perspective on leaving medicine, resilience and being a black woman in America.
And you can find Dr LaSonya Lopez on her podcast ShyftU and her facebook group called Syp Tea.
Best,
Robyn
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