With you through ups and downs

Arkansas Blue Cross case managers assist member with life after stroke

Alone in a new city, Mary* began a new chapter in her life after surviving domestic abuse. A new job. A new apartment. A new challenge.

She had relocated for her safety and had no friends or family nearby. Her physical wounds were healing, but emotional scars remained. She suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She had been homeless and once was in such anguish she attempted to take her own life.

Just as things seemed to be improving, Mary suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. When she was able to return home, she needed something she had never planned for – a wheelchair.

Mary turned to the case managers and social workers at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield for help. She’d connected with them before, when she needed assistance for an outpatient procedure. Over the years, case managers Sharr Freire, R.N., and Shawn Green, R.N., became trusted sources of guidance and support.

Freire, Green and several social workers became anchors for Mary, helping her navigate challenges and access care and resources.

Mary lived in a second-floor apartment for safety and was too afraid to move to the first floor. But how could she navigate the stairs in a wheelchair? Her apartment complex had no elevator. She also relied on ride-sharing and public transportation, and she was concerned about navigating that as a person in a wheelchair. During the time she was unable to work, her employer provided assistance to help cover her bills and later enabled her to return to work by accommodating other needs.

“During that time, she was still struggling emotionally,” Green says of Mary. “But she had a positive outlook and was motivated to get well and return to work.”

Mary developed a friendship with an Uber driver who assisted her when Medicaid transportation was unavailable and picked up medications from the pharmacy when needed. Her Uber driver friend also carried her wheelchair down and later, back up the stairs.  How did Mary move herself down and up the stairs? By sitting on the topmost step and scooting down, childlike, on her bottom. Upon returning home, she used the same method to go back upstairs.

When they learned of the situation, Mary’s Arkansas Blue Cross team connected her with a charitable medical equipment resource, and she received a second wheelchair she could leave at work.

“Before we began working with Mary, she had no support system, which made trying to connect her with resources more difficult,” said social worker Ashley Stormes, LCSW. “She was having to use the money she saved for Uber rides to buy food. Her mental health was also suffering because she was in survival mode.”

In addition to helping her navigate the recovery from her stroke, her Arkansas Blue Cross team also helped get other medical and physical therapy rehabilitation treatments she needed for several medical conditions.

They empowered Mary to manage her own care and to educate herself about community-based resources beyond her insurance coverage.

“Mary learned how to advocate for herself and to think outside the box to take care of her needs,” Freire said.

“Seeing her grow from a shattered woman who isolated herself into one who worked, made friends, reconnected with her child and problem-solved was such a joy,” said Freire. “It was amazing to see her blossom through the years and to experience her grit and tenacity for survival.”

Through it all, Mary was always appreciative.

“She often thanked me and told me how grateful she was for the help,” Stormes said.

Step by step, they all helped Mary rebuild her life. They advocated for her, taught her about the benefits available through findhelp.org, and connected her with dental, vision and legal support. The team also assisted her in using her mental health benefits, including those available through Lucet.

“When I first started working with Mary, her greatest challenges were her isolation and her mental health,” said Freire. She and others helped Mary access mental health treatment and therapy, which kept her emotionally stable and able to use the coping skills she needed to survive those dark days.

Mary’s team also taught her about home health and outpatient therapy benefits. Her occupational therapists customized her therapy to help her better manage the stairs to her second-floor apartment. A physical therapist helped her improve enough to use a walker for short distances.

Following her stroke, Mary also reconnected with a behavioral health provider through telehealth and learned about Teledoc. These virtual health options helped her receive care at home and avoid the complications and the expenses of making a trip for in-person care.

“Mary communicates well with her providers and is a good advocate for herself,” Green said.

After several months passed without her Arkansas Blue Cross team members having any active cases open for Mary, she called Freire one day to thank her.

“She just wanted to express her gratitude for our care through the years,” Freire said. “Her mental health is better than it has been in years, and she now has friendships and support.”

Mary has since been approved for disability assistance, ensuring her rent will always be paid and that her healthcare is covered through Medicare.

“Finances were such a worry for her. With her being on her own and her health failing, she was so scared of being homeless again,” Freire said. “But when she received her disability, she knew she was safe from that worry and that she finally had security.

Our entire team of nurse case managers is ready to help you and your family navigate the stresses of challenging health situations. But they can’t help unless they know you need it. If you need assistance, visit Blueprint Portal or call the customer service number on the back of your member ID card and ask to be connected with a case manager.

*Details about the member in this story have been changed to protect her identity.