“Advocating for Yourself in a Medical Appointment” is my latest of several healthcare-centric comics created in the last year. I am interested in teaching others how to understand and access healthcare services despite inexperience or financial barriers. The for-profit healthcare model is inherently predatory. We need to feel confident in the ability to advocate for ourselves as patients and challenge the existing structure as activists. Accessing healthcare is tricky and I enjoy trying to distill that information into the most palatable format imaginable: cartoons!
I have a BA in Recreation Therapy with a focus in geriatric mental health.
I created a program called “Rock N Roll Art School” for older adults with comorbid mental health diagnoses. Read about it here: ( https://chelsealohrcomics.com/rocknrollartschool/ ). The first program lesson is about how comics can be used as a way to communicate difficult emotional subjects.
Last year, I decided to take advantage of a tuition-assistance program for people receiving SNAP food benefits and, in June 2020, I earned my technical certificate in Medical Coding and Insurance Billing with a personal focus in US healthcare law. The new understanding of health insurance, reimbursement, medical terminology, and diagnostic and procedural coding have helped me as a patient more than I ever expected.
I plan to continue to make comics about my experiences as both a healthcare professional and as someone living a good life with disabling conditions. I only hope to help others better navigate this complex system.
Be on the lookout for new pages of my comic, “Still Not Enough”, about the Affordable Care Act posted only onInstagram:@c.a.Lohr
My comic “A Year Ago” can also be found on Instagram or my website . It is about my diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder, a neurological manifestation of PTSD. ( https://chelsealohrcomics.com/ayearago/ )
This is a brilliant beginning! Huge fan, and will be sharing this widely. Thank you!