In early 2024, Jessica was trying to prepare for the baby she and her partner were expecting, but feelings of being overwhelmed and immense stress were interrupting that journey. Between managing her own health conditions and coordinating care for her children, the Hampton Roads resident felt like she could barely keep up with the paperwork, phone calls, and insurance-related hurdles in her path. 

And then the phone rang, with one of Waymark’s care coordinators on the other end of the line.

"I kind of thought it was a spam call," Jessica said. "It went to my voicemail, and I was like, 'Okay, I think this is one of those spammy commercial things'—you know, like those Medicare Advantage Plan commercials you hear. But then I remembered my grandma got a call from a company like Waymark back in the day, and I thought, ‘you know, maybe it’s worth just checking it out’.”

“I’ll just meet you at the office”

Jessica was juggling a multitude of challenges, to the point where she wasn’t even sure where a partnership with Waymark’s community-based care team could even start. In addition to managing her own pregnancy and chronic health conditions, she was managing the administrative burden of medically complex children: doctor’s visits, therapy, referrals and specialized services. 

"When you're running into roadblocks and you don't know how to word things correctly to insurance companies, you just hit wall after wall," Jessica explains. "And when you're pregnant, they can't medicate you for ADHD, so my brain fog that was already there from the pregnancy was just really bad. I couldn't think straight at all on that first Waymark call."

Enter Ty Hudgins, one of Waymark’s Hampton Roads-based community health workers. 

“I was getting ready for an expecting parent appointment when I first talked to Ty, and I think I mentioned that to her,” Jessica said. "I think Ty could tell I just couldn't function. And she said, 'You know what? I'm going to meet you at the office’."

That simple act – meeting Jessica where she was, literally and figuratively – helped Jessica feel like she wasn’t the only one advocating for her own care. Not only did Ty support Jessica during the appointment, but she also helped Jessica understand the benefits available to her through her insurance. 

“A doula’s support was something that was really of interest to her, and she wasn’t aware that was something actually available to her,” said Ty. “So once we connected those dots, she was really interested and I was able to get her connected with that resource to assist with the rest of her pregnancy and the delivery.”

The doula attended appointments, helped Jessica communicate with medical providers, and stood by her side during labor—even when hospital staff initially resisted Jessica's requests for pain management.

"Having that advocacy, having somebody there—it made all the difference," Jessica said. "When I said I needed a C-section, the doula backed me up. She said, 'You heard her.' That's what I needed, and I wouldn’t have gotten that without Ty."

Empowerment through advocacy and collaborative care

In the months that followed, Jessica experienced the impact of Waymark’s approach to whole-person care via a community-based care team. When Jessica's children needed access to benefits like menstrual products – a significant expense for families managing chronic health conditions – Ty and other Waymark care team members connected her with community organizations able to connect Jessica’s family with those resources.

Ty was also able to connect Jessica with case management for children’s mental health services so her second-youngest child could receive appropriate care. And, when Jessica struggled to find a primary care provider accepting new Medicaid patients, Waymark made calls on her behalf and got her in the door.

"When I'm making phone calls and being told 'No, we aren't accepting new patients,' they were able to call and get me in," Jessica said. "They took the roadblocks out. They removed the barriers."

When Jessica tells members of her community about Waymark, she often references a moment of crisis in which Ty and Daisy Rodriguez, one of Waymark’s Virginia-based certified pharmacy technicians, stepped in to liaise between a pharmacy that wasn’t filling a prescription and a doctor’s office.

“I was in tears on the phone because the pharmacy was saying the prescription was fraudulent when it really wasn’t,” Jessica said. “I didn’t know what to do because I couldn’t get in touch with the doctor’s office and really needed the prescription filled. I told Ty, and Ty brought in Daisy. Daisy just pulled up the prescription, got on the phone, and the prescription was filled in the next one or two days.”

Jessica said what stood out to her most was the level of professionalism and focused urgency both Ty and Daisy displayed. While Jessica felt like she was floundering, Daisy was able to spring into action, while Ty reassured Jessica that she would do everything she could to help Jessica get the care she needed.

"They know how to correctly say what needs to be said to offices to get you in the door," Jessica said. "When you call yourself, you don't know the right words. But they do."

“Waymark never gives up. They just keep showing up.”

Looking back on her experience with Waymark, Jessica emphasizes one thing above all: having someone who believes you and advocates for you changes everything.

"When you have ADHD and you're pregnant, and you can't think straight, and you're trying to manage everything, having somebody to help make sure the system doesn't fail you is huge," she said. "Everyone at Waymark, they know how to work around the system when you, the patient, are hitting walls."

For Jessica, Waymark proved to be exactly what she needed when she needed it most – and during a time when she couldn’t even untangle what she needed, let alone how to ask for it.

"If someone in my community asked me about Waymark, I'd tell them it's really helpful," Jessica said. "Like, when you can't navigate the system, or it's just too much, they take the hurdles out. They know how to word things correctly. They actually educate you and open the door to what you actually need."

Now, Jessica's children are thriving, and she continues to work with Waymark's care team. For a family navigating the complexity of multiple chronic conditions and the limitations of the Medicaid system, that ongoing support is essential.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say Waymark has helped with every aspect of our functioning as a family,” Jessica said. "We're probably one of the most unique cases that have come along. But they never give up. They just keep showing up."