I had spent the last five years of my career working in health care, observing statistics and trends from a birds-eye view. I knew I had reached a transition point, but I didn’t feel like I could move forward in my career until I moved closer to the front line—until I developed on-the-ground experience working with patients, nurses, paramedics, and other people experiencing the country’s health care challenges firsthand.  

With that in mind, I decided to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). I was curious about patient care, and this was a way to pursue a passion, help where I was needed, and find a place in my community. As an EMT, I had the opportunity to support people on their toughest days, meet inspiring frontline workers, and learn new lifesaving skills.

I also interacted with hundreds of patients, many of whom were calling 911 or going to the ER to address basic health needs—not out of choice, but because they lacked access to traditional preventative care. 

Every person I worked with on the ambulance wanted to do more—to address patient health needs upstream, before they dialed 911. But we lacked the funding and partnerships to shift from crisis response to upstream care at scale.