OneRecord and Suffering the Silence Team Up to Empower Patients Everywhere
NEW YORK, December 15, 2020 – OneRecord, a consumer-facing health platform with apps on iOS, Android, and web, announced today it has teamed up with Suffering the Silence, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing the unique life experiences of people living with chronic illnesses and disabilities. STS's mission to share patient stories through the power of art, media, and storytelling directly parallels OneRecord's mission for patients to take ownership of their health data and ensure providers understand their health journey. With an emphasis on improving the delivery of healthcare, this enables patients and caregivers to clearly and confidently express their experience and concerns so that they are valued, heard, and recognized.
Jennifer Blumenthal, Co-Founder and CEO of OneRecord, first met Allie Cashel, Co-Founder of Suffering the Silence, in 2017. Not long after both discovered they share a passion towards actively working on a mission to amplify patient stories, the strategic partnership was solidified.
"It is empowering to have a platform to tell your story and for people to listen," regards Cashel about patients living with chronic illnesses and disabilities. "It's also important for other patients who are suffering to hear these stories and know they can be supported. And further, their stories can be recognized at the organizational level to incite changes in the healthcare system. Our community is stronger with tools like OneRecord. Both of our organizations can work together to spread the message that suffering in silence is too common -- going at it alone and without the right [support] shouldn't be normal."
By working together, OneRecord and STS break down the barriers that patients face within the healthcare system, arming them with the supportive arsenal they need to continue being active participants in their own medical journeys.
As 2021 approaches, the two organizations plan to collaborate in a number of ways including live and virtual activations that will aim to share stories of patient experiences. Along with the events, they plan to continue extending knowledge around the ONC's 21st Century Cures Act which is legislation enabling patients to access their personal data needed to share their stories. Right now, more than ever, this is crucial for a community that is far too often overlooked and underrepresented.
"Joining with Suffering the Silence keeps us rooted in the reason we started OneRecord -- to give patients the tools to advocate for themselves," states Blumenthal. "We wanted to build a platform to empower people to access and own their medical history digitally. As we work on the technology to do this, having real stories told by real patients helps the OneRecord team co-design future functionality and a better patient experience for all with real people's experiences inspiring in every line of code. These stories -- these humans -- motivate us to work hard and design for systematic change we want to see made in the US healthcare."
Sign up for OneRecord or download the mobile app HERE
Learn more about STS and hear the stories of the community HERE
