Health Advocacy In Action: Meet Our Total Health Connections Team

Delivering health advocacy powered by trust

Meet Anthem’s Total Health Connections team

Every person's health needs are unique and the right support always begins by listening to someone’s experiences and understanding their needs. That's where health advocacy comes in. 

Through a first-of-its-kind advocacy solution, Anthem's Total Health Connections links employees with dedicated Family Advocates acting as their single point of contact for everything health-related. Each Family Advocate delivers inclusive, compassionate support, establishes trust with people and their families, and collaborates with care teams to provide the most appropriate next-health steps. 

We asked three Family Advocates to share more about how they build connections and what powers their dedication to helping others.

Why did you become an advocate? 

“I got into nursing because of my grandmother … I love it.” – Charlene B.

“The reason I got into nursing was because of my grandmother. When I was just a child, [maybe] seven or eight, I always talked about becoming a nurse because she was always sickly and I always wanted to take care of her. 

It's the same thing when I look at some of the members that we work with: because of their health conditions, because of those that don't have family members, those that don't know what to do … this is what I'm here for and that's the reason why I do what I do. I love it.” 

Why is it important to develop trust with the members you help?

“They know they can call you with any question, big or small.” – Kimberly M.

“It's nice when you can touch somebody and know that you educated them well, that they took your advice, that they know they can call you with any question, big or small, and you'll work on it for them. If they got a new diagnosis … you're right there to support them all the way through and make sure their emotional health is there too.

A lot of them do say [I already] have doctors that manage my care, but once we start explaining all the extras that they have, health professionals, additional resources and vendors, they start seeing the quality of our care and our interventions … you start building a great relationship and they can always depend on you.”

Why is it important for advocates to help members establish a care circle?

“They feel that your team has really been a support in their healthcare.” – Lynette P.

“Putting together a team that can support a member to give them the tools that they need to improve their health … that's where we come into play, to help them identify like, ‘What step am I ready to take? What step am I just not ready for yet?’

And I can't tell you how much even an email from a member, saying that one little supportive comment or that encouragement helped them, is really more that I can even share. It just brings you up in your day, and how the members feel that your team has really been a support in their healthcare and creating a good team for them.”

The power of health advocacy is rooted in connection. While each advocate has a personal reason for choosing this path as their career, they are united in finding meaning behind the trusted relationships they build and the circles of care they support. 

Learn more about how a trusted partner like Anthem can help your organization deliver whole-health support. In return, you could see happier, more productive teams, along with lower healthcare costs.