Advocacy FAQs
Who do we serve?
Anyone with a serious or life-threatening illness, regardless of income or residence. We do not advocate for individuals whose primary diagnosis is a mental illness or chronic pain as we do not have adequate knowledge or training regarding these issues.
Which phone number do I call?
For advocacy services, call our Advocacy line at (608) 890-0321 or email our advocates at advocacy@patientpartnerships.org. For general questions , call our Business Line at (608) 265-6267.
Is there a cost for advocacy services?
No. Our advocacy services are free and available to anyone with a life-threatening or serious illness who is willing to share their journey with a student. In this way, advocacy is provided in exchange for the learning experience you provide students.
While we don’t charge for our services, we are able to provide them due to the generosity of individual donors like you. Any amount helps, please consider donating today.
How long will I work with an advocate?
We want to help you along your health care journey as efficiently as possible. As an educational center, our advocates are students who provide services on a semester schedule (three to four month blocks). Whenever possible, we try to complete advocacy within a semester time-frame. Your advocate will explain these dates and work with you to create an advocacy timeline. Of course, not all issues can be resolved within a semester timeframe. In those cases, we’ll work to smoothly transition your case to another student advocate.
Is my information kept confidential?
Yes. Staff, student, and volunteer advocates all sign a Confidentiality Agreement and receive training about confidentiality and ethical practice. We will only release specific information to identified individuals or institutions as you authorize. If you have additional questions about privacy, read our Privacy Policy (PDF) or ask for a copy of our Authorization for Release of Information Sheet.
What is “empowered, patient-centered” advocacy?
Advocacy is a partnership. You have a significant role in advocacy, and will likely need to continue advocating for yourself or family members long after your work with us is complete. Therefore, advocates at the Center will not do all the work – we will work with you to advocate for a better health care experience. Sometimes you may not be able to provide as much self-advocacy as you would like – during those times we will provide additional support and/or help you create an advocacy network – a group of family and friends who can help you.
What is my role in advocacy?
Significant. Each of us is our own best advocate. Each of us either already knows or needs to identify our own values, what we really care about in our heart, and what we want to prioritize on our health care journey. Advocates at the Center are here to help you develop tools to enhance your own advocacy and to help you focus on your values during your health care journey.
What is the value of working with a student?
Our students are committed to providing the best advocacy they can to their clients and are supervised by staff with significant advocacy experience. These students will soon become professionals working within the health care system – by experiencing health care from your perspective, they will be better providers and stakeholders in the health care, insurance, and related systems.
For more information on our advocacy services, please contact our Advocacy Line at (608) 890-0321 or advocacy@patientpartnerships.org.