Nurse Advocate Entrepreneur

10/06/2026

Nurses everywhere deserve better.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the upcoming nurses strike at Mass General Brigham, where thousands of nurses are standing up for safe patient ratios.

Not for more money.
For patient safety.

And that matters because nurses know what it feels like to see the gaps in modern healthcare up close. They know what it feels like to carry the weight of a system that is not always safe, ethical, or sustainable.

If you are a nurse who is exhausted, discouraged, or wondering what the next chapter of your career could look like, I want you to know there is another way to use your clinical experience.

Professional patient advocacy may be that next step.

Patient advocates help patients and families navigate medical crises, ask better questions, understand their options, bridge communication gaps, and move through healthcare with more clarity and support. In many ways, it is like having a nurse in the family.

The New England Patient Advocacy Conference is happening October 12–13 at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it is a powerful opportunity to learn what patient advocates do, meet others in the field, and explore what this work could look like for you.
If you know a nurse who is struggling right now, please pass this along.

Professionals receive 10% off with code: NEPAC10OFF
Register here: https://www.patientadvocacyconference.com/

10/05/2026

The New England Patient Advocacy Conference is almost here, and if you are a professional patient advocate, nurse, social worker, care manager, healthcare professional, or someone looking to move into this field, this is your reminder: don’t put this off.

NEPAC is not just another conference.

It is intimate, practical, relational, and built for people who care deeply about helping patients and families navigate healthcare better.

We’ll be gathering at beautiful Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts, right in the heart of New England foliage season, for two days of education, connection, and encouragement.

You’ll hear from speakers from across the country, connect with other advocates and professionals, and leave with tools, ideas, and renewed energy for this important work.

There is also an optional networking evening for those who want more time to connect with advocates, speakers, and professionals from around the country.

If you have been waiting, wondering, or putting it off, now is the time.
Invest in yourself.
Invest in your work.
Invest in the patients and families you serve.

NEPAC 2026
October 12–13, 2026
Assumption University | Worcester, MA

Professionals, future advocates, and those already in the field can receive 10% off with code: NEPAC10OFF

Register here: https://www.patientadvocacyconference.com/

10/01/2026

Day One of NEPAC 2026 is about remembering why patient advocacy matters.

This work is personal. It is practical. And for many patients and families, it can change everything.

Day One will bring together powerful voices and meaningful conversations around medical harm, resilience, trauma, health literacy, serious illness, whole-person care, and the human side of healthcare.

It will be a day for advocates, nurses, caregivers, healthcare professionals, students, seniors, and families to step back and ask:
How do we better support patients?
How do we help people feel heard?
How do we improve understanding?
How do we walk with families through difficult healthcare moments?
How do we make advocacy stronger, safer, and more effective?

NEPAC is built to inspire, but it is not just inspiration. It is designed to give attendees practical tools they can use.

NEPAC 2026
October 12–13, 2026
Assumption University
Worcester, Massachusetts

Up to 12 CEUs are available for attending both days.

Students and seniors receive 10% off with code NEPAC10OFF.

If you are planning to come, now is the time to register.
https://www.patientadvocacyconference.com/

09/29/2026

I’d love for my colleagues and professional partners to join us for a Virtual Meet & Greet with Teri Frykenberg - a pioneer and nationally recognized leader in private patient advocacy, a growing healthcare discipline.

Help your clients navigate complex healthcare challenges!

This is an opportunity to gain valuable insight and practical resources that you can take back to your business and, more importantly, use to better support the clients and families you serve.

Join us Thursday, October 1, from 12–1 PM via Google Meet. Choose the day that works best for you!

I hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity. Sometimes the most valuable resource we can offer our clients is the knowledge and connections we gain ourselves.

🔗 Join via Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/yvg-hzup-dac

09/29/2026

If you work with patients, families, or older adults, I want to personally invite you to join us in Worcester this October.

The second annual New England Patient Advocacy Conference is happening October 12–13, 2026 at Assumption University, and this is not just another healthcare conference.

NEPAC is about learning, connecting, and bringing together people who believe patients and families deserve better support in today’s healthcare system.

We are gathering nurses, professional patient advocates, social workers, clinicians, senior service providers, care managers, caregivers, and others who want healthcare to work better for the people trying to navigate it.

This year’s speakers will bring powerful real-world stories, practical strategies, and lessons you can actually use. You will leave inspired, but you will also leave with tools, ideas, and connections that matter.

We will also have dedicated time for networking, including opportunities after lunch to sit with other advocates and professionals, ask questions, share challenges, and learn from people who understand this work.

And after day one, we’ll gather for a beautiful networking event in the atrium of the TFAC building at Assumption University, with stained glass windows, a jazz trio, drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and time to connect with professionals from across the country.
CEUs are available for nurses, social workers, certified care managers, and board-certified patient advocates.

If you have been thinking about coming, this is the year.
Please do not wait. NEPAC is almost here, and we would love to have you in the room.

NEPAC 2026
October 12–13, 2026
Assumption University | Worcester, MA
Register here: https://www.patientadvocacyconference.com/

09/21/2026

NEPAC 2026 is only a few weeks away, and the agenda is full of practical, powerful sessions for anyone who cares about helping patients and families navigate healthcare better.

This year’s conference brings together patient advocates, nurses, physicians, financial professionals, attorneys, care managers, healthcare professionals, educators, and advocates with lived experience for two days of education, connection, and real-world tools.

Across two days, attendees will learn about:
Health literacy from hospital to home
Medical billing, insurance denials, and financial strain
Care transitions and closing gaps in care
Family conversations before a crisis
Serious illness, ethics, and goals of care
Medical complexity and interdisciplinary communication
Trauma, hope, and patient empowerment
Integrative medicine and whole-person care
AI as a tool for patient advocacy
Advocacy frameworks and professional practice
Starting and growing an independent patient advocacy business

NEPAC is designed for patient advocates, nurses, caregivers, healthcare professionals, students, care managers, social workers, seniors, families, and anyone who wants to better understand how to navigate today’s healthcare system.

NEPAC 2026
October 12–13, 2026
Assumption University
Worcester, Massachusetts

Breakfast and lunch are included both days.
Up to 12 CEUs are available for attending both days.

If you’ve been thinking about coming, now is the time to register and make your plans.
Get your ticket here:

NEPAC 2026 is a 2-day patient advocacy conference in Worcester, MA (Oct 12–13). Learn practical tools, earn CEUs, and connect with advocates.

09/20/2026

Families dealing with severe, long-standing mental health challenges can reach a point where they feel like they have tried everything.

That is often when a patient advocate can help bring a fresh set of eyes to the situation.

Lately, I have been working with more families whose loved ones are struggling with complex behavioral and mental health needs. In some cases, the usual treatment approaches simply have not been enough, and families are left trying to figure out what comes next.

Our role is to help them keep looking.

That may mean researching specialized programs, identifying stronger diagnostic resources, comparing treatment options, or helping a family navigate the next level of care.

There are no simple answers in situations like these. But there can still be options, and sometimes having someone help uncover those options gives a family hope again.

If your family has struggled to find the right help for someone with complex mental health needs, I would love to hear your story.

Patient advocacy is about helping people find a path forward when the healthcare system has left them feeling stuck.

09/14/2026

Great patient advocacy requires more than instinct.

Instinct matters. Experience matters. Compassion matters. But when families are facing complicated healthcare problems, advocates also need a clear way to assess the situation, organize the facts, identify the real problem, and move toward practical solutions.

That is why we are excited to feature Lisa Berry Blackstock and Kayoko “Ky” Corbet, RN, BCPA at NEPAC 2026.

They will be leading:
Beyond Instinct: A Practical Framework for Consistent, Powerful Advocacy

This session will introduce the P2S, or Problem-to-Solution, Pathways Framework, a practical five-stage methodology designed to help independent advocates deliver more consistent results, collaborate more effectively, and strengthen professional credibility.

Through real-world clinical and billing/legal advocacy cases, Lisa and Ky will help attendees see how a shared framework can support stronger client outcomes and a more confident advocacy practice.

If you are an advocate, nurse, care manager, or healthcare professional who wants to bring more structure and consistency to your work, this is a session you will not want to miss.

NEPAC 2026
October 12–13, 2026
Assumption University
Worcester, Massachusetts
Get your ticket today: https://www.patientadvocacyconference.com/

09/11/2026

Care gaps can happen quietly.

They may show up as unclear discharge instructions, a missed follow-up appointment, medication confusion, poor communication between providers, or a family that leaves the hospital unsure of what happens next.

For patients and families, those gaps can create stress, confusion, and real safety concerns.

That is why we are so grateful to have Maura Lessard, RN, CCM, Aging Life Care™ Advanced Professional, CDP speaking at NEPAC 2026.

Maura will be leading the session:
Developing Strategies to Close Gaps in Care

This session will focus on how advocates can identify gaps in care, improve communication, strengthen coordination, and support patients and families through complex healthcare transitions.

Maura brings deep experience in nursing, case management, aging life care, dementia care, and patient advocacy. Her work helps individuals and families navigate aging, complex health needs, care transitions, and medical decision-making with calm, clarity, and practical support.

If you are a patient advocate, nurse, caregiver, healthcare professional, or someone who supports families during vulnerable healthcare moments, this is a session you will not want to miss.

NEPAC 2026
October 12–13, 2026
Assumption University
Worcester, Massachusetts

Get your ticket today: https://www.patientadvocacyconference.com/

09/09/2026

Health literacy can change the entire healthcare experience.

When patients do not understand their diagnosis, medications, discharge instructions, code status, goals of care, or what happens after they leave the hospital, the risk of confusion and harm increases.

At NEPAC 2026, Jason Kirchick will lead:
Bridging the Gap: Health Literacy from Hospital to Home

Jason brings the perspective of a hematology/oncology nurse, ICU survivor, trained death doula, and patient advocate. His work is shaped by both bedside experience and lived patient experience, giving him a powerful understanding of what patients and families need when healthcare becomes overwhelming.

This session will help attendees better understand how advocates can strengthen health literacy, prepare patients for care conversations, support safer transitions, and help families ask better questions before, during, and after hospitalization.
Because patients should not have to leave a healthcare conversation wondering what just happened.

NEPAC 2026
October 12–13, 2026
Assumption University
Worcester, Massachusetts
Register today: https://www.patientadvocacyconference.com/