Patients should take active role in health with PCPs

National Public Health Week is this week, and Lifestyle Medicine Week 2022 is coming up at the end of May. It promotes health awareness on the impact an individual’s choices can have on chronic diseases. This week there is a focus on awareness on the six essential lifestyle elements that optimize health: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress reduction, substance avoidance, and social connection. For more information and resources on the six essential lifestyle elements visit https://lmweek.org.

In my new role, I serve as population health leader for Ascension communities served in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Our focus is on helping patients get the right care at the right place. Our population health teams are comprised of various functions. For example, we have care management team members who help patients coordinate and navigate the healthcare system. These care coordinators help patients seen within our care delivery network access the care that they need at the right time and in the right care setting.

We are currently working on improving the health of patients diagnosed with diabetes for example. One of the things that patients can do to take an active role in their health is to ensure that they ask their primary care physicians for information about their health condition so that they can keep track of how they’re progressing in their health. Patients can ask for a copy of test results and use that information to see how they’re improving. For example, if you have diabetes, how has your blood sugar improved the last three months? Or, how is the health of your eyes and your feet changed since your last office visit? We have tools that help our patients keep track of this information before, during and after a visit with one of our physicians. Additionally, now is a perfect time for patients who have not had an annual wellness with their primary care physician this year to schedule an annual wellness visit. I completed the

Population Health and Chronic Care Improvement certification through the Health Sciences Institute while working with clinics and physician practices to help provide training for these practices in engaging patients with self-management support. This training is to help position various health professionals to have the toolkit to understand the challenges a patient faces when they come into the system. In undergrad, I took a course called Therapeutic Communication Skills for Healthcare Professionals, and we learned about the impact healthcare professionals have in engaging with patients and motivating them to make a change in their health. The training I took helped me learn these various approaches to support patients to have optimal health.

The Creator blessed me to serve with mission driven leaders in the area of value-based care, clinical integration and population health in the Midwest, Florida and California and I’m thankful for the community driven leaders who helped influence my path in healthcare.

Lagrace, an Osceola High grad, is the new Vice president of Population Health for Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast. A part of this publication is derived from an earlier University of Florida interview. For more information visit https://alumni-giving.phhp.ufl.edu/2022/02/08/phhp-alumnus-spotlight-jacky-lagrace-b-h-s-06/