Patient Advocate Bay Area, Inc.

I reached out to Linda Garvin for assistance after my elderly father’s health began to decrease and he was admitted to the hospital. My father’s situation was complex, there were many decisions to be made about his treatment and care. It also became obvious that my father would not be able to return to his home and that some type of extended care and rehabilitation services would be needed. I realized that I needed help.nnA friend referred me to Linda Garvin. Linda is a patient advocate with an extensive medical and nursing background. I met with Linda, briefed her on my father’s condition, the concerns and questions I had, and the decisions I believed I had to make. Linda understood my father’s and my situation completely, asked a dozen questions, and immediately made several very helpful recommendations.nnOver the course of a year, Linda did exactly what she promised as an advocate and more. Given her medical background and professionalism, she was able to establish credibility and trust with medical professionals and care givers who cared for my father. She translated medical jargon and helped me understand the doctor’s recommendations and treatment options and helped me make the wisest choices for my father’s care. She always treated my father with respect and kindness. She successfully advocated for my father’s best care.nnI was working full time after my father was released from the hospital and Linda did all the advance work of identifying care facilities, visiting those facilities, determining their relative strengths and weaknesses, costs, and so on. Given her experience, she knew what to look for and what to expect Later, Linda arranged for me to tour the various facilities and meet the staff. I was able to select a care facility that worked best for my father.nnI am grateful to Linda for all that she did; as a former nurse, Linda was able to credibly and effectively engage my father’s health care providers. Linda provided expert guidance, insight, and follow up. She was available when I needed her help. I appreciate her genuine concern and compassion for my father during a challenging time. I highly recommend Linda Garvin for her expert knowledge, professionalism, kindness, sensitivity, and care she brought to my father’s situation.

Linda Garvin was very helpful in advocating for my father before he died. I called Linda to help me understand the medical reports from the doctors and to speak to my father about his conditions. Linda coached me concerning family dynamics. I needed support during this painful time. I am so thankful that I found Linda. I feel like I did everything possible for my dad; no regrets.

I hired Linda to work with a friend of mine in her early twenties who lives in New York City. My friend had a health problem that required her to see a Gynecologist and was informed she may have a pre-cancerous cervical condition. She was scared and unable to react fast enough to even get to a physician in a timely manner. Linda recommended that my friend also see a second gynecological physician who has successfully treated several patients with this problem. Linda’s great advocacy and health coaching skills resulted in an extremely satisfying outcome. Linda was able to accomplish the following: Quickly assess my friend’s health situation, outline what needed to be done and had her seeing both physicians within the next 8 days. Linda helped her understand her condition in easy to understand terms and assisted in preparing for both of her medical appointments with a couple of short coaching sessions on the phone. Linda gave my friend a better understanding of her condition. This gave my friend a greatly needed sense of confidence to deal with the medical world and her own health problem. Most importantly, Linda relieved my friend of her fears.nnEileen, San Francisco

We were in crisis mode trying to help our sister who lived in an upscale expensive independent living. She had multiple diagnoses, 7 treating physicians, cabinets full of dozens of medications and was getting more disoriented each week. We had a great deal of confusion as to each physician’s orders, medications and treatment plans. Except for one physician, it was constant struggle to get information over the phone even though we had HIPAA forms signed. It was a lengthy process to get a return call from medical office personnel or from the physicians. .nnLinda helped us sort through the turmoil and was a guiding force during our moments of crises, which included a few surgeries, neurodegenerative problems, urological issues and cardiac diagnoses to name a few. In the past 3 ½ years of working with Linda our sister has had three necessary surgeries (hip, bladder, gynecological), along with developments of dizziness, confusion, atria fibrillation, hypertension, type two diabetes to name a few.nnWith amazing talent, accuracy and wisdom, Linda has successfully managed these numerous complex diagnoses and urgent medical situations as they developed while our sister was either hospitalized, in her assisted living or in temporary skilled nursing facilities. She has exhibited masterful communication skills with hospital personal, physicians, hospitals and members of rehabilitation and assisted living facilities.nnLinda has been able to provide updated education & coaching to my brother and I regarding the multiple health challenges we faced with our sister over the years, including an understanding of how numerous diagnoses, medication and medical procedure can affect each other and what to possibly expect in the future.nnLinda assisted our family in becoming empowered health care consumers and made a daunting situation completely manageable, with sensitivity and compassion along the way. We recommend Linda highly and are very grateful for all she has accomplished with our sister and believe she has saved our sister’s life on more than one occasion.

Linda is an excellent patient advocate and has assisted me with two health issues .I initially hired her to put my health information in chronological order.She thus saved me valuable time I did not have for this task which enabled me to discuss health problems with different specialty physicians in a more efficient manner. The second issue involved attending the appointment with my oncologist to review the options for treatment of my breast cancer.Before the appointment we created a list of the important questions I needed to have addressed by the oncologist.Linda took notes during the exam and also brought up questions I had forgotten to ask.This helped me enormously in making the crucial decisions regarding treatment options.When you need to navigate the complex protocols surrounding cancer treatment,she is the kind of person you want by your side.Linda cares about you and helps you get the best care from the medical system.nDr. Cohen, Palo Alto,CA