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A California-based ophthalmologist finds a way to do more for patients in need.
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Kimberly Cockerham, M.D., F.A.C.S., was getting frustrated as she watched more and more patients struggling with the healthcare system, and not finding the help or answers they needed. Many were simply falling through the cracks. These patients were in desperate need of care, but were unable to receive it because of financial burdens and insurance issues. While they were turning to Cockerham for guidance, and she spent countless hours trying to find ways to help them, she too began to witness the confusion and lack of resources her patients were experiencing.
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She was already involved in EyeCare America, the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s program which allows ophthalmologists to volunteer their services and provide eyecare for the medically underserved. But her hands felt tied at doing more for those who had needs beyond vision care. After witnessing one too many patients go without the help they needed, she decided to launch her own non-profit foundation to provide grants and other services. Cockerham has been helping patients ever since.
“The idea came out of spending more and more time administratively with my patients and trying to help them navigate the healthcare system,” says Cockerham. “My patients were being denied funding for services or medications they really needed. When I tried to reach out to drug companies for help, I was told I needed a foundation so that I could apply for grants—so that’s what I did.”
Growing Concerns
Over the last five years in particular, Cockerham says she’s seen the recession and changes in healthcare put her patients in some very difficult situations. She’s witnessed patients struggling to pay huge deductibles, patients who have had surgery denied after the fact, and still more struggling with the Medicare “Donut Hole.” Cockerham has also watched many newly unemployed patients on COBRA insurance unable to get the full care they really needed. “Many of these are executives who may have once been at the top of their game—hardworking, achieving businessmen and women that are now laid off and on COBRA insurance,” says Cockerham. “All of the sudden they can barely afford medical care and their plans don’t cover much.”
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Dr. Cockerham helped restore Gina's
tear drainage system
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In addition, Cockerham says she was finding that patients were confused and overwhelmed by all the information they found on the web—often information that was incorrect. “The Internet is a huge resource when used correctly,” she says. But Cockerham says when used incorrectly, it can be dangerous. There’s a lot of false information out there, she adds. “Many people just want to find links to get information about procedures and conditions but may end up getting incorrect information.”
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But perhaps what discouraged her most was the decline in the physician/patient relationship over the years. What is really meant to be a “helping profession,” and the reason so many go into medicine is to do just that—help others—has changed greatly as doctors’ hands are often tied as to what they can actually do for their patients. “I’ve been an MD since 1987 and during the last two decades I’ve seen the physician/patient relationship suffer greatly due to managed care pressures that limit interactions and require ever-increasing staff time to maneuver,” she adds.
As a solution, Cockerham founded, and is now executive director of, Let’s Face It Together, a non-profit that strives to put the “care back into healthcare.” The foundation helps patients who need help navigating the healthcare system through credible educational resources and seminars. It also offers grants to patients with a demonstrated medical and financial need and is working to facilitate further research and medical advances on some of the most common diseases and disorders.
Let’s Face It Together also provides what Cockerham calls a “consumer think tank”—a combination of blogs and chat rooms that can help consumers talk about how healthcare can get back on track. She is hopeful that with a collaborative effort, some long-term solutions may be discovered.
The Inspiration
While Cockerham says she has been inspired by many patients who have turned to her for help over the years, one in particular sticks out in her mind. In fact, Teresa Castenada—known by her friends as “Gina,” has been an inspiration to many. “Raised in poverty, abuse, and violence, Gina overcame the odds to become the first in her family to graduate from high school,” says Cockerham. “She is now a deputy probation officer for the county of Santa Cruz, counseling the kids in Salinas gangs to lead productive, non-violent lives.”
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Dr. Kimberly Cockerham
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Though Gina had done so much to help others, when she needed help, she struggled to get it. This had a real impact on Cockerham. “I met Gina months after a DUI driver slammed into her car, severely injuring her face and inflicting other injuries,” she recalls. “While insurance covered restoring the tear drainage system to prevent infection, embedded glass was present in her forehead, nose, cheeks, and lips. That was tender and disfiguring for Gina.”
Gina’s need for help was a major inspiration for Let’s Face It Together, says Cockerham. “She was able to be provided with care when our current medical system couldn’t give it to her,” she says. “Over the past year, the painful glass has been removed and the scars have been resurfaced with an advanced resurfacing laser. All of this with no cost to Gina, who has a modest income.”
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Cockerham says her background in the Army was also an inspiration. “I was in the Army for 15 years and in the military, community is so important. You take care of your own,” she says. “Then I went into private practice and academics and began to see a decline in community. Everybody is pointing their fingers at who should provide care, but nobody is providing it. I wanted to do something—go back to the Army motto of helping each other. So I started brainstorming what would be most effective to the most number of people. I obviously can’t solve everyone’s problems, but I wanted to start solving what I could on a local basis. Then, if other doctors want to join forces with the Foundation, they can help too.”
For more information, or to join forces with Cockerham, visit:
www.lfitfoundation.org
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