Patients Rising
Every morning, Executive Director Terry Wilcox pours her first cup of coffee, combs the news for the latest in health care news and debate, and strategizes how her young non-profit can help patients advocate for themselves, fight for access to the medications they need and deserve, and find the truth about vital therapies and services they might need.
Terry and her husband founded Patient Rising in 2015, and after a year of learning their way through experience, luck, and some mistakes, she turned to Jennifer Bright, recognizing that Jennifer’s experience with non-profits could help take the organization to the next level.
Jennifer understands the nuts and bolts of how a non-profit should run, and during the first year of our launch, I sometimes felt more mired in accounting and administrative work than in talking with funders and growing the organization,” Terry says. “She helped me with the basics, but she also helped introduce me to experts who could take over the administrative and legal, freeing me up to focus on our mission. We next turned to strategizing for the long-term, knowing that in order to stay viable, we had to expand funding sources.
Back to our ImpactShe helped us launch Patient Rising University to communicate patient stories and connect thought leaders with patients and their caregivers,” Terry adds. “Jennifer is energetic and proactive, and her focus and precision means that she gets things done quickly, calmly, and clearly. The incredible support and positive reinforcement that she has brought to the table set us in the right direction, and she reminds me daily that there is a place for us in the health care community.