Gauze and Effect Volume 4: Health, Data and (Heavy) Times
By: Dr. Sarah Marie Martin
Tags: Public Health, Startup Life, Healthcare, Data Science, Technology

By Dr. Sarah Martin and the mySidewalk Health Squad

Volume 4: Connections

Dearest Readers,

It’s 11 pm and I am stuck on the floor of my kitchen. You may be asking yourself why… or maybe you are NOT asking yourself that because you know me well enough to not second guess why I would be stuck on my kitchen floor. It’s very on-brand of me.

Whenever anyone asked me if I had pets, I would laugh in their face. I would usually say “I have three kids… that’s enough pets for me [HA HA HA insert laugh]”. Never in a million years did I think I would be sitting on my kitchen floor at 11 pm because my new puppy was finally passed out against my legs with an entire cow femur in her mouth and I didn’t want to disturb her. Never in a million years did I think I would be working for a software startup. Never in a million years did I think that I would be literally hooting and hollering and applauding when a puppy did her business in the grass of the backyard instead of on our area rug. Never in a million years did I think that one day I would be creating solutions alongside really smart partners that could improve the health of entire cities, counties, and states. For all the big dreams I had, I had written off a few of them. And now they are real, and here I sit on the kitchen floor with red wine to my left side and more cow bones to my right side marveling at the twisty road of life.

While I sit on the kitchen floor, I scroll mindlessly through twitter and watch the live streams of the local protests. I see clips of videos that I can’t watch all the way through — the murders of black men in broad daylight. I watch the local news report from the field as they dodge tear gas canisters. I watch people on Facebook wring their hands virtually about the loss of property, not the loss of life. I whisper (so as not to wake the dog) to my 16-year-old son that he can’t go to the protests, because I don’t trust the vibe right now. We argue about performative protest behavior and about showing up for the cause the other 364 days a year. I make a vague promise to take him this weekend… not even sure if I have the energy for it.

(Side note, he would later go with permission from his father, and it did not end well. But that’s a story for another day).

I have a lot of texts I have not returned because, to be honest, I’m irritated. There are so many of us working in health equity who have been shouting from the rooftops about oppression and the social contract and implicit bias and cumulative stress and immunity and LITERALLY EVERYTHING for our whole careers. We told you — our white friends and family — to go read Between the World and Me and watch The 13th and the 1619 project and (if that was too much too soon) read this article from the CDC or this New York Times infographic. My experience doesn’t even begin to compare with my colleagues of color across the country actively engaged in the work and being systematically oppressed at the same time. I don’t want to hear about how some family member is sad about this. I’ve been sad for 15 years since the truth was revealed to me, and my mentors have been sadder even longer.

My heart is softening, though, recognizing that people crave connection right now. People flood the streets to create a revolution because after all this COVID lockdown (and believe me, I hope you got used to it because I have a hunch those early-open states are gonna be right back in it eventually), they want to be seen. People of color were excluded, kept silent, hidden from view since long before COVID. None of this is new. None of it. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t new to some people — people who had never recognized their own privilege, who heard George Floyd call for his Mama and had their hearts broken into pieces. I hate that this is what it takes — a pandemic, public lynchings — to wake folks up.

In yoga, as well as meditation, you are directed to focus on the points of connection between your body and the earth. It’s a way to anchor you… to bring you back to the center. If you’re reading this and feeling unmoored — find your connection. Find it physically, but find it emotionally as well. I hope that this issue provides an anchor point to remind you that you are here, you are alive, you are seen.

PS: As head of the Health work at mySidewalk, I am making a commitment to reviewing all of our templates and best practices to make sure that they are informed, inclusive, and relevant. All across the company, we are looking inward to carve out ways we can make a change. More on that next month.

The work still continues

Even with emerging needs, health departments and their allies still have to keep producing good health assessments and community improvement plans. The work of Public Health doesn’t stop for a pandemic or new attention to injustice. But it can feel awkward to release government reports during this time — which is why Kate Mallula and team developed some new ways to frame your CHA’s and CHIP’s to highlight the relationship between your priorities, equity, and preparedness.

You can see Kate discuss the work HERE

We will also host a community “open house” for the new materials and how to best utilize your CHIPs and CHAs to advocate for real, long-lasting change. We’d love for you to join us!

More to come soon, but you can sign up now here!

Empathy and connection between patient and provider

One of the central challenges in healthcare is how to break through the mountains of patient information a provider has to consume in order to give a glimpse into the social determinants of health. Our newest health solutions are designed with this challenge in mind. Read more about how we define social and economic drivers of health and how it influences our work at mySidewalk.

Let’s Cheer Them On!

A group of 5 fearless mySidewalkers and 2 customer-friends are participating in a virtual relay from KCMO → St. Louis for the whole month of June. The proceeds benefit the Missouri Nurse’s Association. Good luck Adam Runner, Cole Ashby, Jennifer Curtis Graham, Dr. Sarah, Nicolette Wallis, Elizabeth Walsh Yoder, and Kate Bender!

If they were actually relaying, they would be near the Love’s Travel Stop just short of Columbia pictured above! Have a virtual gas station hot dog for us, team!

Customer Spotlight

We learn new things from our customers all the time. This month, we learned the term “gating”, as in “gating criteria” that communities should pass before they move on to the next phase of COVID reopening. Lawrence-Douglas County produced this really awesome report tracking their progress towards the next phase. Check it!

New this month: getting to know ourselves better

Working remotely has forced us to rethink the ways we connect with each other. We need to work harder to get to know our teammates since organic water cooler chit chat isn’t a thing these days. This craving for connection led us to unveil a new spotlight series — the Gauze and Effect Proust Questionnaire. Modeled after the Vanity Fair feature, but interviewing much more glamorous and important people, our version turns a lens on our colleagues and gives all of you a glimpse into who they are and — in turn — who we are as a company.

Our first teammate on the hot seat is Matt Barr. Matt is Chief Technology Officer for the company and is one of the veterans of mySidewalk — he’s witty, intelligent, and loves cats apparently (see above). Here’s a little more about Matt:

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Developing a team, an environment, and a platform where data and science drive improvements to equity, justice, resilience, health, and performance of public services are really exciting. I’m also really proud of the makeup of the science team, we’ve got dimensions to improve on but it’s over 70% women today. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Perfect happiness to me is a combination of the opportunity to pursue missions you’re passionate about, the acceptance that you’re always going to have a little bit of longing or ”un”-satisfaction, and some free time where you’re not doing anything constructive — just recharging. What is your favorite occupation?

I love tough “optimization” problems that require tactics, strategy, and exploration. So, video and board games, sports, and projects that contain those elements are juicy ways to pass the time for me. What is your most treasured possession?

I don’t think I own anything that has all that high a cash value or that I have a big attachment to. The item I miss the most when I’m traveling is definitely my bed. What or who is the greatest love of your life?

I’ve been with my partner going on 7 years now. We’ve both grown a lot in that time. It’s taught me a lot about the value of working things out and growing together rather than walking away as soon as there’s tension or conflict or one of you gets bored. Those compromises and that work “fill in the curve” of your relationship. What is your most marked characteristic?

As much as I’d like to say it was positive personality or mental attributes, I’m 6’6 and keep a pretty well-groomed and large beard, so I’d have to say the vast majority of people who have encountered me would remember those physical traits. What is your greatest fear?

I really dislike being manipulative, but I also like to get my way and get things done. Those desires kind of come into conflict and then there are epistemological issues at play in free-will and motivation that make the topic even more challenging to think through. I’m frequently afraid that I’m being manipulative in some way and deluding myself that I’m being logical or persuasive. What is your greatest extravagance?

I’d be healthier and wealthier if I spent less on red wine and scotch whiskey. Which talent would you most like to have?

I wish I could fall asleep more easily. I’m always jealous of people who are good at napping. Where would you like to live?

Seattle, Denver, or Vienna. What is the quality you most like in a person?

Independence. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

See my greatest fear. What do you most value in your friends?

Honesty (and independence). Which living person do you most admire?

It’s probably a really common/pedestrian answer but given what’s going on in our country for the last 3 years, Barack Obama. I feel really lucky to have had such a great thinker, speaker, and public servant as our national leader during my lifetime and I’ll probably be comparing every president after (unfavorably) to him. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

I use “fascinating” teasingly A LOT. Like when someone makes a bad choice or their explanation seems made up I’ll say, “I find that fascinating,” or, “that’s fascinating, because…” How would you like to die?

I’d prefer not to but I’m not all that worried about it. I guess if large amounts of pain or suffering were involved, I’d want it to be some kind of worthy or noble sacrifice. If not, going out quietly and unconsciously at an old age surrounded by loved ones would be cool. What is your motto?

I really like “Draw the rest of the f*cking owl.” and I’m trying to work in “Look where it is and you’ll find it.” Definitely a theme there…

Welcome to the family!

A hearty mySidewalk HELLO to our newest health department partners: Orange County, Florida, and City of York, Pennsylvania! OC, FL joins a long list of fellow Florida health departments using mySidewalk, but we are uniquely excited for Orange because of a certain giant theme park (or set of theme parks) within. The City of York has the distinct honor of being our first Pennsylvania health department partner, as well as always making us crave a York Peppermint Patty every time we get off the phone with them. Welcome, friends. We can’t wait to see the magic you make!

PS: We also welcomed the American Heart Association’s Voices for Healthy Kids Campaign into the mix last month. We will most definitely be spotlighting our National partnership with them in the coming months. Stay tuned…

This month’s Podcast: the Epidemiology Elizabeths

This month, Dr. Sarah sits down with two Epidemiologists named Elizabeth to talk about the pre and post COVID days, Ozark, and the fundamentals of leadership. LISTEN HERE!