Advocacy, Compassion, and Personalized Attention
By: K.M. Robinson
After years of cookie-cutter health care, a new solution has opened its doors locally. Amanda Igata, a registered nurse practitioner, and Raven Parke, a board-certified physician assistant, are on a mission to change the clinical and impersonal feel to healthcare with their new practice in the heart of Forest.
Igata and Parke partnered together to create a primary care practice that focuses on advocacy, intentional listening and discovery, and peaceful appointments. Their office is specifically designed to create a welcoming and calming environment for patients.
“We really wanted our office to feel like a home away from home,” Igata explained. “If you can feel comfortable and understand some about who we are as people, I think it makes everyone feel less nervous. I am absolutely a maximalist at heart, so I love art, décor, knickknacks everywhere!
The colors and art are just an extension of our heart and desire as providers to show our compassion and joy that we so desperately need in healthcare.”
The field of healthcare can be incredibly overwhelming to many patients. With fast-paced visits and a lack of conversation and education, it can be difficult for patients to advocate for themselves during appointments. Parke believes patient advocacy, both by providers and patients, is incredibly important.
“I want every person who walks in to know that this is a judgment-free place. For most people, just coming through the door is hard enough. We are all human; it is not my job to judge,” she said.
With a practice designed for collaborative advocacy, Igata and Parke make it easier for patients to get real and effective help during their visits. Parke goes on to point out, “We practice patient-centered primary care. Patients can expect a judgment-free environment where their provider cares about them as a person. We do annual wellness visits, sick visits, physicals, and everything in between. If there is something I don’t know, I also don’t hesitate to say, ‘I’ll research it.’ I don’t know everything, but I am willing to learn. We are a team with the goal being to get you to be the best version of yourself!”
Both Igata and Parke know first-hand about the importance of changing the way healthcare typically works in modern society. “As a long-term plus-size woman, patient advocacy is critical,” Igata explained. “We have to know how to be able to speak up for ourselves sometimes in order to be heard. I think more of healthcare is trying to listen and allow patients to be their own advocates but at the end of the day, this is something all of healthcare has to work on. To be questioned or challenged is a good thing. It allows us as healthcare providers to learn and grow and get better.”
Fortunately for their patients, Igata and Parke focus on spending adequate time with their patients—something not often found in the healthcare industry today.
“The human body is so complex, and the stories and experiences of each patient add another layer of complexity to understanding their specific symptoms
and disease processes,” Parke discussed. “We purposely book longer appointments for this reason and sometimes we still can’t get through everything in one visit. Our goal is to get to know you as a person beyond the number on the scale or blood pressure machine.”
Igata points out that using a team mindset to collaborate with the patients on their care allows them to be able to work together to make suggestions, ask questions, and do research. “The biggest difference I see in how we practice is that I want you to actually know me as a person. I want you to feel a sense of who I am and bring back some of the humanity that is missing from healthcare.”
Together, Igata and Parke use their own life stories and experiences to better communicate with their patients. Relating on a personal level allows for better, more informed discussion that can lead to receiving more qualified care.
Not only does the practice focus on creating a better environment for patients, but it also works to ensure the providers are given enough care to be able to show up as their best selves for each other and those they serve. Their friendship allows them to actively support each other and ensure neither is struggling.
For Parke and Igata, their friendship has only grown stronger when they combined forces in the community. Parke beautifully admitted, “Evidence of our friendship can be seen throughout every aspect of the practice from décor to our expansive snack collection. Opening the practice has made our friendship turn more into family. We have both poured ourselves into making our practice the best we can for our patients. Amanda is so selfless and cares so much about her patients, which has been such an inspiration. You only meet one Amanda in a lifetime; her patients are lucky to have her, and I am lucky to call her my friend.”
A healthcare practice focused on serving the community in a more human way is an important addition to the area. For Igata and Parke, supporting patients starts from the moment they step in the door with a space that feels as comfortable as a family member’s home, and continues throughout the years a patient spends time at the practice. Their highly relational attitude toward the healthcare experience makes working with them an easy and positive choice for the community they’re building.
