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Public Health Transformation through Strategic Communication, Journalism & Art

ABOUT KIMBERLY JEANNE SOENEN

I am the founder and executive director of  "SOME PEOPLE," the organization and multiverse channel that examines the people, processes and systems that constitute the maintenance of, and barriers to, health. My areas of expertise are White Collar Healthcare Crime, Best Practice, Quality of Care, Single Payer Universal Healthcare, Fear of Reprisal-Free Cultures and Do No Harm Business Ethics. I speak frequently on the need to assign moral, ethical, cultural, social and economic value to lifelong healthcare maintenance. I also write on, and teach about, the urgent need to abolish the Commercial Health Insurance industry's Denial of Care Harm-for-Profit model.

I am the managing editor of THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine and the director of UpCode, the reputable network of veteran investigative journalists and lawyers who assist whistleblowers who have exposed White Collar Healthcare Crime.

During my early career I worked for Harper’s Magazine in New York, National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., and Kartemquin Films in Chicago. More recently, I was the Director of Global Business Development and Special Projects for VII Photo Agency / Foundation in New York.

I have worked with some of the most accomplished photojournalists and documentary filmmakers in the world. I am the supervising producer of Fatal Neglect, the six-part Médecins Sans Frontières documentary series about Global Health and supervising producer of Long Shadow, a national engagement project about mass incarceration. For the DOC NYC film festival I curated VII Uncommissioned which addresses pressing political and health issues globally. I financed and produced Defy  about rape as a weapon of war for the International Rescue Committee and Under Cane which exposed the causes of Chronic Kidney Disease among sugar cane workers. One of the most impactful long-running projects I've worked on is Bring it to The Table.

My writing has been featured in the Index on Censorship, New York Times Well, Loyola Magazine, Washington Post, Chicago Magazine, Gaper's Block, San Francisco Chronicle, Men's Journal, Chicago Tribune Magazine, Tarbell, The 2nd Hand, MILK, NPR, CNN, MinnPost, Pro Photographer, Chicago Sun-Times and the History in Africa Journal (Cambridge University Press) among many others. 

I frequently guest on broadcast media and at university and public forums discussing the economic benefits of Single Payer Universal Healthcare and the way in which it will leverage businesses. Appearances include The Skinny Trees podcast produced by the Center for Health Equity Transformation at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. The podcast explores various aspects of health equity, including structural violence, racism, and community health, often featuring interviews with researchers and community leaders speaking about the need for transformation. I've appeared on WGN Chicago's 720 Extension discussing the need for Single Payer reform and The John Williams Show to dicuss the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024 and many others.

I regularly read essays live on stage and on-air and have read on WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, for 10 x 10 Chicago, at Uncommon Ground and other venues. 

I proudly serve on the Advisory Council of the Phoenix Zones Initiative Institute for Universal Health, Rights and Justice and am also a member of the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

I am a graduate of Benet Academy College Prep and Loyola University Chicago. 

Feature Writing | Films | Art | Visual Storytelling

THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

My Country is Killing Me: Healthcare and The Unique Brand of American Depravity by Kimberly J. Soenen

(Aetna acquires IlliniCare Health. Disruption again. Self. Photo by Kimberly J. Soenen / January 23, 2020.) Today, May 25th, 2025, THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine ends its long publication run. The editorial mission and intention of THE FINE PRINT was to honor and celebrate the power of individual agency, the power of one.THE FINE PRINT has broken national news stories and ignited investigative reporting series in national papers of record, on podcasts and with broadcast outlets. The fe...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

"The Emergency Department is the canary for the rest of the healthcare system"

Dr. Graham Walker is an Emergency Physician, writer, and a developer. He graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 2008, then did his residency in Emergency Medicine at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital from 2008 to 2011. He earned a BS in Social Policy from Northwestern University. His academic interests include medical education, medical simulation, and clinical informatics. He lives in San Francisco with his husband AJ and speaks fluent Spanish and French. I met Dr. Walker 23 y...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

I'll Keep Dancing Through it All

Kristina Isabelle is a dance artist, choreographer, creative mentor, historic dance reconstructor and educator. She is the artistic director of Kristina Isabelle Dance company. Her Land Mass series engages with and animates natural environments with dancing bodies. She spent three years researching and reconstructing the work of modern dance master Sybil Shearer and developed a feature work called And The Spirit Moved Me. She has an MFA in Dance and Choreography from The Ohio State University an...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

"It's Heartbreaking" - Emergency Medicine Professionals Actively Oppose the Aggressive Harm to Public Health and Safety by the Party of Convicted Felon Donald J. Trump

(Dr. Halleh Akbarnia.)Dr. Halleh Akbarnia is an Emergency Medicine physician practicing primarily at Advocate Lutheran Medical Center in Park Ridge, Illinois. Much of her career has been devoted to teaching and resident education, a passion developed during her own residency program at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she went on to serve as faculty and as Assistant Program Director for the Emergency Medicine Residency Program before relocating to Chicago 17 years ago.She is also dedicate...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

Special Series: The Health of Our Mental Health Professionals

Today, in THE FINE PRINT, a second featured conversation about the Mental Health of our Mental Health professionals.Now retired, Dr. Robert Ellison started and managed the Minnesota Valley Psychologists Cooperative Association from 1987-2010. He is currently 75 years of age and resides in Roseville, Minnesota. A 1971 graduate of Hamline University in St. Paul, he received his B.A. in Psychology from New Mexico State University. From 1980-84 he worked for the Dona Anna County Community Mental He...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

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Dear Readers,Today, THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine launches its 2025 Winter/Spring editorial season. Another season has begun, as well. Project 2025 is now being forcefully implemented by the current U.S. administration. We remain committed to long-form writing, in-depth reporting, authorship, evidence-based fact checking, vetted data, high caliber visual journalism and original art. People from diverse backgrounds, abilities, ages, crafts, trades, professions and academic disciplines...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

When Corporations Practice Medicine

(“The Architects of Denial.” Multimedia art installation by Liviu Pasare for “SOME PEOPLE.” The Commercial Health Insurance industry invented a non-medical Denial of Care Harm-for-Profit vocabulary to intentionally drown patients in onerous administrative chaos. Chicago, 2019.)D. died two deaths. The first, when they took his human being; the second when they destroyed his human meaning.He was any one of us. He didn’t cause his fate, or deserve it. His life—hard worked and loving—was interrupte...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

Decaying Tupelos: The American Deification of Violence

(Night cycling in Chicago, 2020.) A knock at my dorm room door. I open it. He’s standing there, again. “Give me a minute,” I say.He paces in the common area while waiting for me. Everyone on my floor is asleep.It’s 2:30am.I lift my bike over my shoulder and carry it out the door. We wait together by the elevator where his bike is already leaning up against the wall. We roll our bikes into the lift and prep our jackets and bikes in silence. It’s early November in Chicago. The night is not yet biti...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

We Do Have Power: Artist John Francis Gerrard on Living with an Invisible Disability

John Francis Gerrard is a multidisciplinary artist who merges mental health advocacy with his art and writing practice. In 2018, he trained as a peer support worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association, a transformative experience that greatly influenced his future writings about mental health and neurodivergence.

John Francis Gerrard is a multidisciplinary artist who merges mental health advocacy with his art and writing practice. In 2018, he trained as a peer support worker with the Ca...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

New Book by Alice Driver Might Forever Change the Way Americans Think About the People Who Work in Animal Meat Processing Plants Across the United States

(Author/Journalist Alice Driver working in the field). On June 27, 2011, a deadly chemical accident took place inside the Tyson Foods chicken processing plant in Springdale, Arkansas, where the company is headquartered. The company quickly covered it up although the spill left their employees injured, sick, and terrified. Over the years, Arkansas-based reporter Alice Driver was able to gain the trust of the immigrant workers who survived the accident. They rewarded her persistence by giving her...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

Just Do It: Dr. Shikha Jain on the Women in Medicine Movement for Equality, Patient Safety, Do No Harm Leadership and Economic Empowerment

(Dr. Shikha Jain, Founder of Women in Medicine.)Soenen: What is your current professional role and what other organizations are you active with in the healthcare and healthcare policy arena?Jain: I am currently a tenured associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Illinois Cancer Center; Director of Communication Strategies in Medicine at University of Illinois Chicago; and Associate Director of Oncology Communication & Digital Innovation at University of Illinois Canc...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

WATCH: United States Senate holds hearing on Steward Health Care crimes as Stephen Andrew Feinberg and Ralph de la Torre, M.D. refuse to testify on their Harm-for-Profit Denial of Care scheme

September 12, 2024 // PBS NewsHour — Members of a Senate committee looking into the Steward Health Care bankruptcy said they plan to adopt two resolutions next week to hold Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre in contempt — one for civil enforcement and another for certification to the United States Attorney for criminal contempt — after he refused to attend a U.S. Senate hearing Thursday despite being issued a subpoena.(*Watch the hearing in the player above.)If approved, both resolutions will go to t...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

Fact Checking The United States of America Presidential Debate: Healthcare is Not a Human Right and Citizens Do Not Have Choice in Medical Care

Tonight, the 2024 United States presidential debate (the only one) will be broadcast live on ABC from Philadelphia’s Constitution Center. The days of true, informed, substantial debate are long gone in the United States and oratorial skill and grace are also near extinct, but overly simplified questions will be asked, and citizens will watch.What should be domestic agenda priority number one—healthcare policy—will be diminished and given minimal media real estate. Talking points will be regurgia...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

Look Up from Your Phones: Photographer Brenda Spielmann on the Paralympic Games, Parenting, Inspiration Porn and Luminaries

(Photographer Brenda Spielmann.)In the fall of 2019, the “SOME PEOPLE” group exhibition opened in Chicago to record-breaking attendance. We extended the exhibition run because of the overwhelmingly positive demand and impactful response. The live exhibition was scheduled to tour and programs were booked through 2023, and then, Covid.One of the relationships I forged during that curatorial process was with photographer Brenda Spielmann. For the exhibitoin, we printed a large scale photograph of h...
THE FINE PRINT Health Humanities Magazine •

Holding the Door Open: Reveca Torres on the Measurable Metrics of Connection, Humanness and Art

Reveca Torres is the Founder and Executive Director of Backbones, the Peer Connect organization for persons with disabilities. In 1994, when she was 13 years old, Torres was in a car accident that altered the trajectory of her life. Now, at the age of 43, she works across interdisciplinary circles nationwide on Health Philosophy Transformation.I caught up with her recently in Chicago to discuss Disability Rights Education, modern design, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and what, if anything...
THE FINE PRINT •

Fourth Down and Goal on Universal Healthcare: Will Tim Walz Catch the Single Payer Universal Healthcare Pass Thrown by President Barack Obama? Or will Harris/Walz Fumble the Future...Again?

In today’s New York Times, Carlos Lozada scrutinizes revisionist history and flip-flopping by United States candidates. Vice President Kamala Harris has flip-flopped on her support of Universal Healthcare. She publicly endorsed National Improved Medicare for All in 2023, then did a U-turn to appease campaign-finance donors, and instead committed to continuing to support the United States Commercial Health Insurance industry and their Denial of Care business model.In his OpEd, Lozada writes: “Cri...
THE FINE PRINT •

Open Letter to UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty from Dr. Linda Peeno | June 9, 2024

Open Letter to Mr. Andrew Witty CEO, UnitedHealth Group9900 Bren Road East Minnetonka, Minnesota 55343CC: Stephen J. Hemsley, Chair of the Board, UnitedHealth Group  John Rex, President and Chief Financial Officer, UnitedHealth GroupJune 9, 2024Mr. Witty, You do not know me, but I have known the likes of you for almost four decades.  Nothing about you surprises me.You see, in the mid-1980’s, as a young, naïve physician, I got a job with Humana, Inc, one of your competitors, based in Louis...
THE FINE PRINT •

Exclusive: Commercial Health Insurance industry whistleblower Dr. Linda Peeno breaks her silence to directly address UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty before May 1st

Here we are again.

Another opportunity for a corporate CEO to gaslight us about the wonders of American healthcare. On May 1, 2024, Andrew Witty, will testify before Congress about his company’s recent corporate debacle, set off by a cyberattack of Change Healthcare, one of his companies, which is responsible for the payment of $1.5 trillion in claims per year.

It is no surprise to me that we have come to this point. For nearly four decades, healthcare has been a gold vault for corporate raide
THE FINE PRINT •

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Medicine: Puff PR, or actual action, policy and practice?

Representation in medicine goes beyond just increasing diversity for the sake of inclusivity. It positively impacts patient outcomes, reduces healthcare disparities, and fosters a more compassionate and effective healthcare system. Embracing diversity and promoting representation in medicine is essential for building a healthier, more equitable world for everyone. But have medical associations, medical institutions and medical schools truly enacted DEI policies that change work and academic cult
Chicago Health •

Women Rising

Fact checked by Derick Wilder
 
Our story begins 160 years ago, during the Civil War era. Elizabeth Blackwell, MD, the first woman to earn a medical degree in the U.S., had graduated only 15 years earlier, in 1849. Blackwell was exceptional; most institutions at the time barred women from higher education and professional work. With a few exceptions, women largely couldn’t vote, take legal action, or own property.
Life looks vastly different for women in the U.S. now, though many states have ban...
THE FINE PRINT •

Chasing Polio: Photojournalist Jean-Marc Giboux on Health Literacy, Healthcare Education and the Need for International Global Health Cooperation

When I was young, I believed in Santa Claus even after my older brother told me he was not real. On one Christmas Eve night, we were told by my parents that Santa was going to visit our home before he took off on his sleigh to make global deliveries.

I believed, or, wanted to believe.

When Santa came to our front door carrying a large bag of gifts, he was jovial and joyous. He had a deep voice and a loud belly laugh just like the Santa I had been groomed to recognize in media, stories and book
THE FINE PRINT •

On Trust and Grace: Photographer Maggie Shannon on How to Document Vulnerable Patients and Dedicated Medical Professionals

Today, in THE FINE PRINT, a conversation with photographer Maggie Shannon.

On Thursday, March 14, the Vice President of the United States of America visited a Planned Parenthood medical care clinic near the city line between St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, marking the first time a president or vice president has toured a facility that provides Sexual and Reproductive medical care to citizens and residents of the country.

It was 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and
Washington Post •

Opinion | The health-care industry doesn’t want to talk about this single word by Ron Wyatt | Edited by Kimberly J. Soenen

Ron Wyatt co-chairs the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s equity advisory group and is faculty for the IHI Pursuing Equity Initiative. He was the first Black chief medical resident at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.When I write about health policy or speak with medical colleagues about barriers to care, there is one word — and one word only — that evokes a wide range of responses. Some respond with silence; others with avoidance. Some respond with anger and defensiveness. The...
THE FINE PRINT •

The Single Payer Healthcare Movement in the United States Has Failed...or, Has It?

Never before have so many organizations and individuals been fighting to enact National (Improved) Medicare for All and statewide Single Payer Programs across the United States.

Vertical integration by the Commercial Health Insurance industry has bulldozed its way through the halls of Capitol Hill since the early 1980’s when Managed Care first overtly telegraphed what it would do to the American people.

Members of the United States Congress and State Legislatures first greenlit the siphoning o
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THE FINE PRINT •

Americans Learning Scope and Scale of the Commercial Health Insurance Industry Denial of Care Business Model

Yesterday, Charles Munger died. He was the famed sidekick of Warren Buffett and often called “A titan of business.” Munger was a lifelong vocal supporter of Universal Healthcare Single Payer reform in the United States. Why? Because he understood how Universal Healthcare leverages the health of people, leverages the the health of business, and stabilizes Public Safety by reducing violence and trauma.

As more and more Americans come to understand the scope and scale of harm the United States Com
THE FINE PRINT •

First Responders, Healthcare and Being In-Between

It’s difficult to understand the life of a First Responder. They see what others turn away from, they confront the messy in-between of human strife and circumstance without judgment or blame and they are trained to preserve and restore when others have attempted to do harm or kill. The clock is always ticking as they race into the unknown, hourly.

Fire Captain Jeremy Norton has been a firefighter and EMT with the Minneapolis Fire Department (MFD) since 2000. He was promoted to Captain in 2007 a
THE FINE PRINT •

Searching for Humanity with Her Camera

For 20 years, I lived on Upper Randolph Street in Chicago’s 42nd Ward. The 42nd drives upwards of 60 percent of Chicago’s economic engine power as it is situated in the heart of the city’s tourist district. Every major music festival and event—from Lolla to Blues Fest, to NASCAR, to major political rallies and protests — take place in The 42nd.

The 42nd is where federal prosecutors, judges, and the Governor of Illinois reside or have resided. There are LEED certified skyscrapers, with undergrou

Bipolar Bear and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad (Commercial) Health Insurance

The system isn’t broken, Mr. Nibbles. It was designed this way. The Harm-for-Profit business model is intentional.

Theodore is a bear with wild mood swings. When he is up, he carves epic poetry into tree trunks. When he is down, he paints sad faces on rocks and turtle shells. In search of prescription medications that will bring stability to his life, Theodore finds a job with commerical health insurance benefits. He gets the meds, but when he can’t pay the psychiatrist’s bill, he becomes lost

HIM / HER / THEM

Originally from Prague in the Czech Republic (Czechia), Anna Rathkopf met Jordan, her now husband, more than 20 years ago while he was living there. In 2016, at the age of 37, Anna was diagnosed with HER2 breast cancer. At the time, their son was three years-old, and they were trying to have another child. Though doctors felt it was likely an early stage, it was aggressive enough that the physicians recommended surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy and estrogen blocking medication f

I Don't Always Have the Answers

Soenen: Let’s get right to it. Since 2013, Ukraine. Why?


Hoffman: It was a bit of happenstance that took me to Ukraine at first.

I moved overseas from Washington, D.C. to Moscow in the summer of 2013, so I was sort of nearby when the Maidan protests began just a few months later. I arrived to cover that story fairly early, in the beginning of December. The atmosphere during what came to be called the “Revolution of Dignity” was inspiring and unique, so when Russia began stirring up trouble i

The Crying, The Crying, The Crying

Soenen: Evegeniy. Great to connect with you. Thank you so much for making the time.

Maloletka: Of course. The Fine Print has been featuring some exceptional journalists and conversations about Global Health. Glad to be a part of it.

Soenen: Where are you based now?

Maloletka: We were living in basements and in the corridors of the hospital in Mariupol, but now, we live in somewhat normal conditions, renting apartments, staying with friends, or in hotels.

Now it is a much more comfortable sit

It Ain't Pretty, But It Reads Well

As a young woman, when I landed in New York to start my internship with Harper’s Magazine, walking through the doors of that address on Broadway was everything.

On my first day, I was given a first-iteration Mac to work on in my office nook, a nook which also served as a storage closet. First released in 1984, the computer had a keyboard that was attached to the screen. It was known as the Apple Macintosh.

My office nook was near the corner office of the publisher, John R. MacArthur, known as

We Are in Hiding From Each Other, Not Together in Public Anymore

I began working with Ed in 2011 as the Director of Global Business Development and Special Projects for VII Photo Agency in New York. We have worked together on mass incarceration stories, labor rights stories, and multiverse health projects, including “SOME PEOPLE” (Every)Body.

Recently, Ed worked on a health feature for TIME Magazine that gave us good reason to discuss the state of Global Health in 2023. I caught up with Ed on the road. He is currently traveling across the United States worki

On Par

There have now been more mass shootings in 2023 than days in the year.”

“O​ne of the essential accessories for performance shooting is a shot timer,” writes Caleb Giddings, a writer for “Shooting Illustrated” magazine, which is published by the National Rifle Association (NRA.)

Shot timers have been around since the 1980s. This was the decade when gun manufacturers began aggressively marketing military weapons to civilians in the United States. January 17, 1989 marked the beginning of this mas

They Are Other Nations

Note from the Editor: This article contains photographs of violence. These images may be triggering for select persons. Reader discretion is advised.

On January 19, the Royal Geographic Society will present the World Premiere of the documentary Eyes of the Orangutan. The film is a captivating exploration of one of the most troubling facets of modern wildlife tourism, and an uplifting celebration of the human animal’s closest living relatives: the orangutan.

Sharing 97% of our DNA, they are sen

Everything Will Be Different

When the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic hit in 2020, healthcare professionals, trauma surgeons, nurses, medical students, ethical business leaders, artists and writers began publishing work and giving testimony about the need for a Global Health Philosophy Transformation. Would humanity seize the moment, or would the moment seize us?

Zac Deloupy’s work titled “Le monde d’Après,” caught my attention and stood out. The ongoing series is an unapologetic and hard-hitting graphic novel series about the ravages

I Regret Becoming A Mother

As THE FINE PRINT publishes this morning, September 1, 2022, readers in the United States are ramping up to the midterm elections on Tuesday, November 8.

The recent United States Supreme Court ruling permitting states to ban women from accessing medical care, criminalize patients in need of medical care, and criminalize persons who assist pregnant persons with accessing medical care, is factoring in heavily to voter ballot preparation.

As a direct result of the SCOTUS ruling, the number of wom

What I learned Along The Way Was Everybody Was Cut Into The Deal Except for The Patient

After reading “Code Blue,” by Mike Magee, I contacted him to learn more about his personal and professional evolution, from working as a high-level executive at one of the most profitable pharmaceutical companies in the world, to publicly criticizing the Medical Industrial Complex in the United States.

Mike Magee, MD is a medical historian and journalist on the faculty of Presidents College at the University of Hartford in the United States. He has held similar roles at a range of academic inst

Many Miles to Go

“Jim Borling, one of the music therapists we featured, said: ‘Music allows us to tap into that innate desire to grow that is already within us, that desire to move toward wholeness, that desire to heal.’ I really like that.”

Taylor Sisk is Nashville-based healthcare journalist whose work is primarily focused on how policies and practices affect people’s lives. He’s served as contributing, associate, managing and executive editor of several newspapers and online publications. Recent projects inc

We Have to Call Out The Wrongs That We See In The System

“I have two daughters, ages 14 and 16. At a very young age, I empowered them to ask the doctor any questions they had at their checkups. They know they have to give consent for anyone to touch them. I teach them to listen to their body and give it what it needs. I’ve also told them to consider how a state respects the rights of women before they choose to live there. I think this should be considered when looking at a college or job. Young women everywhere should be asking: Where will I live and

I Want Them All To Know That I'm Fighting For Them

Recently, I spoke at length with Dr. Mary Owen about her lived experience as a Native American woman, physician and citizen.

Dr. Owen is a member of the Tlingit nation. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and North Memorial Family Practice Residency Program before returning home to work for her tribal community in Juneau, Alaska. After eleven years of full-scope Family Medicine, she returned to the University of Minnesota Medical School in Duluth in 2014, and became th

Great for Lawyers, Not So Great For Everybody Else

“Hospitals are really unregulated utilities. We need a national plan that covers everybody. “

Billable hours are sometimes tracked at the absurd rate of tenths of an hour. Their professional lives are rooted in the Letter of the Law, rather than the often-times less linear, gray and less analytical areas of the human experience.

Doug Aldeen is an ERISA attorney who recently served as ERISA counsel on behalf of the Berkeley Research Group in New York City to the $7.7 billion May 2016 acquisitio

On Water and Wild Rice: What Americans Might Learn From The Ojibwe People About Health, Healthcare and Public Health - An Interview with Staci Lola Drouillard | By Kimberly J. Soenen

“If our communities are to heal from the wounds of the past, historical truths, like sunken barrels of wartime munitions, must be brought to the surface, carefully uncapped, and responsibly disposed of so no further harm can be done.”

Of the states in the United States of America that have seen at least one rural hospital close over the past decade, Texas leads with 21 rural hospital closures followed by Tennessee, which has seen 16 hospitals close.

A variety of harmful governance models in th

Vicarious Trauma

First tears, and then he collapsed. Half of the country cheered, and the other half is weeping, again. Still.

The United States, very specifically, breeds a unique brand of systemic and fatal cyclical violence. Young men, across the political, religious and socio-economic spectrums, seem to be lost.

Of the three young men who were shot by Rittenhouse, one was suicidal and one had already been incarcerated for violence. As we all know now, Rittenhouse was using a lethal weapon illegally given t

79th Street Was America Then

Early in November, two men were shot dead and Cole was shot at during lunch-hour gun violence on 53rd Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that a 31-year-old man died after being stabbed in his right leg in the 5300 block of Cottage Grove Avenue and a 24-year-old man was shot and killed during a robbery in the 900 block of East 54th Place. Cole was shot at in a third crime, which took place around noon in the 1500 block of East 53rd Street. The fatal s

Failure to Act is a Violent Action

In the April of 2020, I co-authored an OpEd for the Washington Post with Dr. Ronald Wyatt about the language of marginalization and oppression across the United States healthcare scape.

Wyatt is an internationally-recognized Patient Safety advocate. We were first introduced by the editor of Please See Me literary journal. Dr. Wyatt attended a guest lecture by me that was cosponsored by The MedStar Institute for Quality and Patient Safety during the world premiere run of the “SOME PEOPLE” (Every

Got Cancer? Quick, Lace Up Those Running Shoes

Comedic Artist Alex Kumin has very strong opinions about the United States approach to, and model of, healthcare. She talks about it frequently on stage and manages to make people laugh about some of the most frustrating aspects of accessing, and affording, healthcare. She writes about bias in healthcare, unaffordable healthcare, illness prejudice, gender disparity in healthcare, and sexual and reproductive health medicine. She brings down the house each and every time.


Alex is an alumni of t
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