Public Health and Stories: A Good Story Makes the World a Better Place
Stories are some of the oldest forms of data we possess. Historically, oral tradition was a critical form of passing down knowledge, art, and culture through speech or song. Yet in an Excel-powered, digital world, stories have taken a back seat. Don’t get me wrong; knowing the percentage of Coloradans who are uninsured or how much is spent on Medicaid is important! But at the end of the day these numbers represent real, dynamic people with stories to tell.
This is my story.
My family is a bit unconventional. My siblings and I are all adopted. It’s a beautiful thing, but having a puzzle-piece family doesn’t come without struggles. Socially, there have been awkward moments, like when I couldn’t participate in a classroom activity because I couldn’t match my physical characteristics with those of my parents, or when a friend asked me about the “foreign exchange student” we had living with us. That brown-eyed-dark-haired student is my sister, a permanent member of our family.
Moments like those were soft, passive reminders that my family and I didn’t quite belong, that I wasn’t naturally a part of the social fabric that existed in my small town. I struggled with finding validation for my feelings of displacement and uncertainty. After all, I looked like most of my peers, grew up in a comfortable and safe neighborhood, and received a private school education. What right did I have to be discontented?
These are all emotions and experiences I can share today because along my life journey I’ve connected with families, read and conducted research, and developed personal relationships that have helped legitimize and strengthen who I am as a complex person.
I chose to work for the Colorado Health Institute because I felt a need to contribute to strengthening and improving the lived experiences of all Coloradans. The population of Colorado is increasing, and every day we have new people who are seeking their own validation, discovering their self-worth as new members of our communities. Colorado’s programs and policies should be well-developed and informed to recognize the needs of our diverse population. As we at CHI work toward our vision of supporting health policy discussions with evidence-based analysis and informed insight, my hope is that our work helps our state and its members to grow and improve in all dimensions of health and wellness.
In public health, our purpose and mission is to support the crafting of good stories -- toward a world where people have the chance to live better, healthier lives. Because stories aren’t just an extra to go along with important statistics. Stories are the reason why we want to make the world better.
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