After losing several loved ones and struggling to control his hypertension and diabetes, Marcus Crews was losing his sense of hope.
At Regional One Health, he found the ONE Health complex care program, which helps patients address medical issues and social determinants of health.
With the support of case manager Karen Tate, Marcus has regained his zest for life and taken control of his health care.
There are a lot of things in life that bring Marcus Crews joy.
His family. Socializing with former classmates and friends. His beloved Pittsburgh Steelers.
But a series of painful losses and the worsening of serious chronic health conditions made recent years hard on Marcus. “Since 2016, I’ve been losing people close to me,” said Marcus, who was born and raised in Memphis. “My mom passed, my dad passed, my grandma passed, my sister passed. It’s been a big burden.”
At the same time, Marcus was struggling with health issues including diabetes and high blood pressure. Without health insurance, he wasn’t able to get the monitoring, medications and care he needed to manage his chronic conditions.
He suffered a minor stroke and then was hit with another medical emergency – a severe dog bite on his leg.
The bite was bad enough to impact his nerves, making it hard for him to run or even walk long distances. Furthermore, as a diabetic, Marcus was at high risk of complications with healing.
While he was receiving treatment at Regional One Health’s Wound Care Center, he was visited by Karen Tate, RN, a case manager in the hospital’s ONE Health complex care program.
ONE Health case manager Karen Tate empowered Marcus to take charge of his health. “I heard what she was telling me: that I have to get up and do it for myself. That helped me more than anything,” he said. “I have been able to do it. That’s a real good thing right there.”
ONE Health supports patients who face fragmented care due to lack of insurance, resulting in frequent emergency department visits and hospital stays. It provides the medical treatment they need and also addresses social determinants of health such as housing, transportation and food.
Karen connected Marcus with doctors for his wound care, diabetes and hypertension, and arranged his transportation to the hospital to make sure he could get to all of his appointments. She made sure he had access to the medications he needed, and talked to him about speaking up and asking questions if he didn’t understand what his doctors were telling him.
Karen also supported Marcus in building a lifestyle that would result in better health.
She connected him with ONE Health partner Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association for meal deliveries and helped him apply for disability benefits. She educated and encouraged him about cutting back on greasy foods and limiting smoking, both steps that can promote wound healing.
She was thrilled by his response.
“He wanted to learn, and after a while he got more confident and started researching stuff on his own,” she said. “Now, he’ll take the initiative to sign up for programs when he hears about them. I’ll call to tell him about a program, and he’s already researched it! I’m proud of him.”
Recently, Karen was pleased to learn Marcus had joined Silver Sneakers, a Medicare program that provides seniors free access to fitness centers. Marcus likes to exercise in the pool and says that and his improved diet has helped him lose weight.
Marcus said he was inspired by Karen’s support and especially her message of self-sufficiency.
Case Manager Karen Tate said it’s rewarding to see patients like Marcus improve their health and quality of life. “I feel like he started to see hope in what I was telling him. His life and his health are way different now than they were before.”
“I heard what she was telling me: that I have to get up and do it for myself. That helped me more than anything,” he said. “Miss Karen has been a very big help, but she also told me it’s up to me to do this – and I have been able to do it. That’s a real good thing right there.”
Through it all, Marcus and Karen bonded, allowing her to support him in growing closer to his family after their series of tough losses.
“Emotionally, he had a lot going on. With all of the passings, the communication with the rest of his family wasn’t where he wanted it to be,” Karen said. “I feel like he started to see hope in what I was telling him. I’ve seen people get discouraged and give up, but he’s stayed with it. His life and his health are way different now than they were before.”
These days, Marcus has ample support from his family, and it’s helping him maintain his focus on his health. “With Karen, my little sister and my niece staying on me, I’m doing better – praise God. I have no choice…if I don’t, they’ll get mad at me!” he laughed.
He’s also back to spending time with friends at a business owned by a former classmate and cheering for his Steelers during football season. “I’ve liked Pittsburgh since ’71,” he said. “My dad and brother were Cowboys fans, but I’m a diehard Steelers fan.”
While Marcus knows that it’s up to him to continue to take charge of improving his health, he’s grateful for the role ONE Health and Karen played in the transformation so far. “I thank God for her – I really do,” he said. “She helped me a lot on this process I’m going through. She’s a 10.”