Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is that all Americans with serious illness, especially the sickest and most vulnerable, receive comprehensive and person-centered care that is consistent with their goals and values. Their goal is to achieve this by empowering consumers, changing the health delivery system, improving public and private policies, and enhancing providers’ capacities. C-TAC works with a wide range of members in order to create a collaborative network of information, resources, and support to produce transformative results in advanced illness care.
C-TAC works to provide quality health care and resources to communities that are disproportionately affected by health care inequalities. C-TAC is looking at how systemic injustices have plagued the American health care system for generations, and is working to make a visible change. This passion to transform advanced care sparked my interest in C-TAC’s partnership and programs internship. I am interested in working in the field of public health, and I was inspired by C-TAC’s complex outlook on the field. C-TAC is working to ensure that health care is meeting people where they are with the appropriate resources and support. C-TAC examines health care through a social, political, and spiritual lens, which has further expanded my understanding of the layers involved in advanced care planning.
While interning at C-TAC, I am interested in learning about the current policies that C-TAC is working to implement in order to advance equity in the health care system. One facet of C-TAC’s mission is to address health care policies in order to pursue a comprehensive policy agenda. Health care inequity and the racism found in the healthcare system need to be addressed. C-TAC is developing a strategy that is focused on utilizing public policy at both the state and federal level to address inequity issues that impact those with serious illness.
As an intern at C-TAC, I am connecting with potential coalition members in community-based services, health services, and foundations. I am reaching out to organizations, informing them of the work that C-TAC is doing on different levels and educating them on how membership can further support their organization. Through membership, C-TAC is bringing together a coalition of healthcare organizations and supporters in order to create a unified change in advanced care on an array of different platforms. Through outreach, I have had the opportunity to become better acquainted with different health care organizations, including a volunteer hospice in Anchorage, Alaska, a large hospital in Wisconsin, and different nonprofit foundations nationwide.
Along with outreach, I am participating in an intern podcast in which we discuss current events including Tweets, LinkedIn posts, and policy updates in the field of advanced care planning and public health. Through these podcasts, we will be creating an open environment to talk about the importance of undergraduates in the field of advanced illness. We have had the opportunity to discuss the intersection of advanced care planning and the LQBTQ+ community, mental health, and social determinants of health.
I believe that my work with C-TAC this summer will be a small step towards bridging the gaps in the healthcare system. Reforming the healthcare system is not a simple task, and I want to be part of the change towards equality. I truly believe that healthcare and related services should not be a privilege, but rather accessible to everyone. Through my internship at C-TAC, I have the opportunity to connect with potential members, gain a better understanding of the complexities in the field, and help C-TAC get one step closer to fulfilling its mission. Comprehensive change can only happen from a magnitude of different perspectives in order to ensure progress and continue to push for a visible transformation in the health care system.