As a nurse who has worked with low-income and marginalized populations, I see great value and potential in proactive solutions to health problems. So much of nursing and patient care involves reactive solutions where a problem has already occurred and now we are trying fix and stabilize something that could have been prevented. With a system’s approach to health, we analyze data and look at trends in order to identify problems before they occur in our patients or try to mitigate problems caused by social determinants of health. I believe that is what Upstream is doing – engaging in proactive problem solving and leveraging a powerful tool to improve outcomes not only for a handful of patients but for entire communities. As someone who has a medical background and has worked directly with patients, Upstream's work is where I see some of the greatest potential for societal change and improvement in the lives of the patients I serve. This is why I’m excited about the work the organization is doing and want to be a part of it.