About

About the Project

Join me in learning about the state of healthcare in America, one conversation and one state at a time. States of Healthcare is a narrative writing series based on interviews of residents across the fifty states about their experiences with health and healthcare. Through these conversations, I hope to gain a better understanding of the overarching states of health and healthcare across America. When it comes to healthcare, where do we stand united and where do our experiences and views diverge? How much does where we live impact our health and interactions with healthcare?

Featured individuals have a variety of roles and perspectives within healthcare, including those of patients, clinicians, public health practitioners, and administrators. It is impossible to fully capture the identity of a state from one person, and similarly there is no single patient story, clinician experience, or healthcare encounter that encapsulates the American healthcare landscape. Despite this, there is much to be learned from an individual conversation, much less fifty of them.

This project’s premise was inspired by the anthology State By State: A Panoramic Portrait of America, edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey, which compiles state-focused essays from an author in each locale. If State by State is the written equivalent of a cross-country road trip, let’s route our own version across America and trade in the RV for an ambulance.

About the Author

I’m Grace, a native Kentuckian and current Tennessee resident (ex-NY, VT, and PA). I am currently a Health Policy PhD student, and my research focuses on affordability and access to care, especially prescription drugs. I also work for a nonprofit that makes affordable generic and biosimilar medications. In my undergrad, I studied Health and Societies at the University of Pennsylvania and minored in Creative Writing. When possible I enjoy blending writing and healthcare. I can be reached at statesofhealthcare@gmail.com or through LinkedIn.