Levi Fox
Lead Care Manager - Enhanced Care Management, Vynca
The start of a new year naturally invites reflection. In Enhanced Care Management, the lessons are not theoretical. They come from lived experience. They come from watching people demonstrate resilience in circumstances that would overwhelm most of us. They come from seeing how support, once aligned and accessible, changes the direction of someone’s life. This work teaches us through story.
Here are some of the reflections and lessons that stayed with me this year, all shaped by the people and families I’ve had the privilege to support.
Dignity looks like having the tools and access needed to participate in your own decisions. I watched dignity return when someone regained abilities they had lost. Their confidence grew as communication improved, transportation was secured, and treatment became possible. Dignity often begins with inclusion. It continues when someone realizes their voice matters. You are not alone in this. Dignity is the ability to make decisions, to participate fully, to be invited into your own story with agency. Dignity is connection.
Care extends to the people who stand beside the person receiving services. When one person is sick, overwhelmed, or displaced, the entire family feels the impact. This year, a family received the opportunity to step away from crisis and share meaningful time together. That time strengthened connection. It created moments of peace during uncertainty. Care becomes complete when families are supported to stay connected.
Advocacy creates momentum. Many services require persistence and organization before progress appears. Navigating benefits, treatment approvals, identifying resources and programs, or accessing support, takes time. Advocacy is filling out applications no one thinks they’ll get approved for. It’s calling the organization back. And the next one. It’s knowing alternative pathways. It’s believing something might be possible even after someone has heard “no” a dozen times.
Hope is built through persistent support. When someone has help understanding the process, the impossible becomes possible. Hope grows from progress, even one step at a time. Hope is built through persistent support.
Time isn’t always more. Sometimes it’s better.
Time becomes valuable in new ways when stability is fragile. My clients have taught me that time without pain counts. Time in stable housing counts. Time is the space to breathe, celebrate milestones, or simply rest. I have seen how time to recover, time to plan, time to organize, and time to reconnect can change outcomes. Care coordination reduces barriers that take time away. It clears space for what matters. Time is the opportunity to live instead of survive.
Collaboration opens doors across programs and community supports. A medical provider may address one need. A housing partner addresses another. A nonprofit fills a gap between the two. ECM helps create clarity in systems that often feel disconnected. When everyone works together, people build stronger foundations. Outcomes improve because support is aligned and consistent. People gain stability. They gain choices. They gain futures. Collaborative care isn’t one system. It’s a network of people refusing to let someone fall through the gaps.
To treat every obstacle as navigable, even if the path isn’t obvious at first.
This year, working as an LCM taught me that persistence paired with compassion isn’t just a strategy, but a lifeline. It’s how the trajectory changes. It’s how stability becomes possible.
One lesson that stands out is the importance of staying committed. Progress rarely happens all at once. It builds through trust and steady communication. People move forward when they know someone is walking with them. Care is not only an intervention. It is a partnership toward independence. It is measured in stability, safety, connection, and the ability to move forward confidently. The people we support do more than teach us what care is. They show us what becomes possible when care surrounds the whole person and their community.
As we enter a new year, I am reminded that care cannot be measured by appointments alone. It is measured in restored confidence, regained independence, memories preserved, and the quiet relief of having someone to call when life becomes overwhelming. The people we serve do not just teach us what care is. They teach us what care makes possible.
To learn more about how Vynca can support your practice, or to refer a patient today, visit vyncacare.com, email us at hello@vyncacare.com, or call 1-888-227-8884.