Patient Advocate Bay Area, Inc.

I believe my grandmother is still alive due to Linda’s intelligent medical insight and diligent perseverance.

I contacted Linda when our family was in crisis. My grandmother had experienced several visits to the hospital’s emergency room for severe abdominal pain and a myriad of intestinal and esophageal symptoms.

After numerous hospital and emergency room visits at different locations (dependent on which house my grandmother was staying at for assistance), along with many visits to specialty physicians, my grandmother was only slightly better. Linda provided an action plan and guided me step by step through each health care procedure & specialist visit.

Linda took into account the detailed and various diagnoses my grandmother’s medical history listed, as well as her own health history intake from my grandmother & myself. My grandmother does not speak English, so I functioned as her interpreter. Linda’s gentle manner always put my grandmother at ease.

She moved forward in a confident, knowledgeable and professional manner. Linda was determined to resolve the problems at hand, even during the COVID-19 crisis and has continued to be an indispensable resource to my entire family and myself in dealing with the challenges posed by my grandmother’s multiple complex health conditions.

Linda recommended excellent referrals to pinpoint the precise problems, as well as guiding us to a pain management physician… an indispensable referral none of the other specialists ever made, which helped decrease her pain tremendously.

Linda took into account all the factors involved, including all of my grandmother’s complex health issues, her quality of life, as well as personalities and strengths of various family members that were interacting with us. She was receptive to our family's boundaries when it came to treatment locations and recommendations. She was also flexible as it sometimes took a lot of effort and time for my family to respond to her updates and suggestions.

With Linda’s emotional support and guidance, I was able to navigate through the hospital and medical systems going from one health care professional to another and in different health care settings. Linda has a warm and compassionate approach that makes working with her a pleasure. She was a great comfort in the frequent times of uncertainty we experienced.

I highly recommend Linda Garvin as a Health Advocate who looks at the holistic view of the person in solving challenging and numerous health uncertainties and works seamlessly with other family members.

Tony, CEO Bay Area

Linda saved my sisters life. My sister who is a severe diabetic had gotten behind on her appointments during Covid and her health began to deteriorate. We were watching her slip away as her condition continued down hill. Linda was able to get her doctors to focus on her problems and while it resulted in a long hospital stay, without Linda I am sure we would have lost her. We are forever grateful.

I reached out to Linda Garvin for assistance after my elderly father’s health began to decrease and he was admitted to the hospital. My father’s situation was complex, there were many decisions to be made about his treatment and care. It also became obvious that my father would not be able to return to his home and that some type of extended care and rehabilitation services would be needed. I realized that I needed help.

A friend referred me to Linda Garvin. Linda is a patient advocate with an extensive medical and nursing background. I met with Linda, briefed her on my father’s condition, the concerns and questions I had, and the decisions I believed I had to make. Linda understood my father’s and my situation completely, asked a dozen questions, and immediately made several very helpful recommendations.

Over the course of a year, Linda did exactly what she promised as an advocate and more. Given her medical background and professionalism, she was able to establish credibility and trust with medical professionals and care givers who cared for my father. She translated medical jargon and helped me understand the doctor’s recommendations and treatment options and helped me make the wisest choices for my father’s care. She always treated my father with respect and kindness. She successfully advocated for my father’s best care.

I was working full time after my father was released from the hospital and Linda did all the advance work of identifying care facilities, visiting those facilities, determining their relative strengths and weaknesses, costs, and so on. Given her experience, she knew what to look for and what to expect Later, Linda arranged for me to tour the various facilities and meet the staff. I was able to select a care facility that worked best for my father.

I am grateful to Linda for all that she did; as a former nurse, Linda was able to credibly and effectively engage my father’s health care providers. Linda provided expert guidance, insight, and follow up. She was available when I needed her help. I appreciate her genuine concern and compassion for my father during a challenging time. I highly recommend Linda Garvin for her expert knowledge, professionalism, kindness, sensitivity, and care she brought to my father’s situation.

I hired Linda to work with a friend of mine in her early twenties who lives in New York City. My friend had a health problem that required her to see a Gynecologist and was informed she may have a pre-cancerous cervical condition. She was scared and unable to react fast enough to even get to a physician in a timely manner. Linda recommended that my friend also see a second gynecological physician who has successfully treated several patients with this problem. Linda’s great advocacy and health coaching skills resulted in an extremely satisfying outcome. Linda was able to accomplish the following: Quickly assess my friend’s health situation, outline what needed to be done and had her seeing both physicians within the next 8 days. Linda helped her understand her condition in easy to understand terms and assisted in preparing for both of her medical appointments with a couple of short coaching sessions on the phone. Linda gave my friend a better understanding of her condition. This gave my friend a greatly needed sense of confidence to deal with the medical world and her own health problem. Most importantly, Linda relieved my friend of her fears.

Eileen, San Francisco

I contacted Linda with multiple health concerns. I have a complicated health history and needed some immediate attention addressing multiple health problems, including difficulty walking, lack of stamina, severe arthritis throughout my body, breast cancer post 3 years, severe back pain, vision distortion and high levels of depression and anxiety. I did not know where to start.
Linda helped me navigate through these complicated health issues, developing an action plan, prioritizing what needed to get done and making several necessary medical appointments for me.
Linda researched thoroughly to find a psychiatrist who would take my insurance and provide me with the necessary tools and medications to improve the quality of my emotional well being.
She spoke with my Oncologist’s office to find out which repeat scans and testing needed to be completed prior to my follow-up appointment and scheduled my repeat Cat Scan and Mammogram tests, making sure my Oncologist received copies of these tests.
Linda helped me find an excellent pain management physician, who I continue to see on a regular basis. She scheduled the necessary physical therapy and occupational therapy, along with discussing the necessary pieces of equipment
I would need with these therapists… (the proper type of cane, safety bars in the bathroom, a First Alert system installed and lights adjusted for proper lighting).
Linda helped explain an Advance Directive, Power of Attorney for Medical and Financial and the importance of a POLST form. Prior to meeting her I had no knowledge about any of these important forms. She also provided a list of excellent attorneys so I could have a Trust completed.
Linda was extraordinarily knowledgeable and compassionate in helping me make difficult decisions through this whole process and working with her has been an extraordinary blessing.
Helen, San Francisco, CA