Alister Martin
@alisterfmartin.bsky.social
ER by night 🌙, Democracy by day 🌞
ER Doc 📍Mass General Hospital 👨🏾⚕️|
CEO📍A Healthier Democracy (http://bit.ly/3jAU434) |
Assistant Prof.📍Harvard Medical School |
Building Vot-ER (https://vot-er.org/) & Link Health (https://link-health.org/) |
ER Doc 📍Mass General Hospital 👨🏾⚕️|
CEO📍A Healthier Democracy (http://bit.ly/3jAU434) |
Assistant Prof.📍Harvard Medical School |
Building Vot-ER (https://vot-er.org/) & Link Health (https://link-health.org/) |
Pinned
Building A Healthier Democracy | Alister Martin | Substack
Where the ER meets policy, real stories, big ideas, and practical playbooks for anyone ready to confront the brokenness of our system and help build a healthier democracy. Click to read Building A Hea...
buildingahealthierdemocracy.substack.com
In the ER, I see what broken policy looks like in a hospital bed.
Building A Healthier Democracy is my new home where I write the stories about the patients and the programs it takes to fix a system that keeps failing the people we serve.
buildingahealthierdemocracy.substack.com?utm_campaign...
Building A Healthier Democracy is my new home where I write the stories about the patients and the programs it takes to fix a system that keeps failing the people we serve.
buildingahealthierdemocracy.substack.com?utm_campaign...
Oscar rolled in through the double doors of my ER. No fanfare. No sirens. Just the quiet sag of a man on a first-name basis with rock bottom. He looked smaller than I remembered him.
Like the world had scraped him down since we’d last met…
Story continues here ➡️ lnkd.in/d9tKjz99
Like the world had scraped him down since we’d last met…
Story continues here ➡️ lnkd.in/d9tKjz99
November 14, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Oscar rolled in through the double doors of my ER. No fanfare. No sirens. Just the quiet sag of a man on a first-name basis with rock bottom. He looked smaller than I remembered him.
Like the world had scraped him down since we’d last met…
Story continues here ➡️ lnkd.in/d9tKjz99
Like the world had scraped him down since we’d last met…
Story continues here ➡️ lnkd.in/d9tKjz99
Reposted by Alister Martin
⚖️ Express Scripts v. Arkansas: Local pharmacy protection vs. national healthcare access. At stake: 600 jobs, 700K prescriptions, constitutional commerce questions, and rural healthcare. Both sides have compelling arguments about competition and patient access.
November 12, 2025 at 8:00 PM
⚖️ Express Scripts v. Arkansas: Local pharmacy protection vs. national healthcare access. At stake: 600 jobs, 700K prescriptions, constitutional commerce questions, and rural healthcare. Both sides have compelling arguments about competition and patient access.
In the ER, I see what broken policy looks like in a hospital bed.
Building A Healthier Democracy is my new home where I write the stories about the patients and the programs it takes to fix a system that keeps failing the people we serve.
buildingahealthierdemocracy.substack.com?utm_campaign...
Building A Healthier Democracy is my new home where I write the stories about the patients and the programs it takes to fix a system that keeps failing the people we serve.
buildingahealthierdemocracy.substack.com?utm_campaign...
Building A Healthier Democracy | Alister Martin | Substack
Where the ER meets policy, real stories, big ideas, and practical playbooks for anyone ready to confront the brokenness of our system and help build a healthier democracy. Click to read Building A Hea...
buildingahealthierdemocracy.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:21 PM
In the ER, I see what broken policy looks like in a hospital bed.
Building A Healthier Democracy is my new home where I write the stories about the patients and the programs it takes to fix a system that keeps failing the people we serve.
buildingahealthierdemocracy.substack.com?utm_campaign...
Building A Healthier Democracy is my new home where I write the stories about the patients and the programs it takes to fix a system that keeps failing the people we serve.
buildingahealthierdemocracy.substack.com?utm_campaign...
Reposted by Alister Martin
When the safety net starts ghosting us… who you gonna call?
Your elected reps. ☎️
From Medicaid to WIC to telehealth, vital programs are hanging by a thread.
If the system’s disappearing when you need it most, it’s time to speak up.
📢 Call. Write. Vote. The safety net isn’t self-repairing.
Your elected reps. ☎️
From Medicaid to WIC to telehealth, vital programs are hanging by a thread.
If the system’s disappearing when you need it most, it’s time to speak up.
📢 Call. Write. Vote. The safety net isn’t self-repairing.
November 5, 2025 at 6:29 PM
When the safety net starts ghosting us… who you gonna call?
Your elected reps. ☎️
From Medicaid to WIC to telehealth, vital programs are hanging by a thread.
If the system’s disappearing when you need it most, it’s time to speak up.
📢 Call. Write. Vote. The safety net isn’t self-repairing.
Your elected reps. ☎️
From Medicaid to WIC to telehealth, vital programs are hanging by a thread.
If the system’s disappearing when you need it most, it’s time to speak up.
📢 Call. Write. Vote. The safety net isn’t self-repairing.
Important funding opportunity to make change locally and nationally!
Nonprofits, this is your moment! The Centene Foundation’s Fall Grant Cycle is open from Sept 1 – Nov 30. Partner with Centene to advance health, social services, and education in your community. Apply now at www.centene.com/who-we-are/c... 💡 #HealthEquity #CommunityImpact #GrantOpportunity
November 7, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Important funding opportunity to make change locally and nationally!
Reposted by Alister Martin
When mental health funding is cut and “resilience” becomes the only official plan 🫠
Slashing budgets for community mental health services doesn’t make the need disappear, it just pushes it further out of reach.
Policy choices shape access. And right now, millions are being told to cope without care.
Slashing budgets for community mental health services doesn’t make the need disappear, it just pushes it further out of reach.
Policy choices shape access. And right now, millions are being told to cope without care.
November 7, 2025 at 2:03 PM
When mental health funding is cut and “resilience” becomes the only official plan 🫠
Slashing budgets for community mental health services doesn’t make the need disappear, it just pushes it further out of reach.
Policy choices shape access. And right now, millions are being told to cope without care.
Slashing budgets for community mental health services doesn’t make the need disappear, it just pushes it further out of reach.
Policy choices shape access. And right now, millions are being told to cope without care.
Reposted by Alister Martin
Good news for Massachusetts families: TAFDC/EAFDC benefits are still being paid out. 💵
Even as federal SNAP funding faces uncertainty, families receiving cash assistance through TAFDC & EAFDC will continue to get their benefits. Stay informed & check your case details through DTA Connect for updates
Even as federal SNAP funding faces uncertainty, families receiving cash assistance through TAFDC & EAFDC will continue to get their benefits. Stay informed & check your case details through DTA Connect for updates
November 7, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Good news for Massachusetts families: TAFDC/EAFDC benefits are still being paid out. 💵
Even as federal SNAP funding faces uncertainty, families receiving cash assistance through TAFDC & EAFDC will continue to get their benefits. Stay informed & check your case details through DTA Connect for updates
Even as federal SNAP funding faces uncertainty, families receiving cash assistance through TAFDC & EAFDC will continue to get their benefits. Stay informed & check your case details through DTA Connect for updates
Reposted by Alister Martin
Elevate Prize GET LOUD Award
Grassroots leaders, this is for you! 💙 $25,000 awarded each month to two bold organizations from anywhere in the world driving change. Check out their instagram and nominate your fav org 👉🏻 elevateprize.org/get-loud-awa...
Grassroots leaders, this is for you! 💙 $25,000 awarded each month to two bold organizations from anywhere in the world driving change. Check out their instagram and nominate your fav org 👉🏻 elevateprize.org/get-loud-awa...
November 4, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Elevate Prize GET LOUD Award
Grassroots leaders, this is for you! 💙 $25,000 awarded each month to two bold organizations from anywhere in the world driving change. Check out their instagram and nominate your fav org 👉🏻 elevateprize.org/get-loud-awa...
Grassroots leaders, this is for you! 💙 $25,000 awarded each month to two bold organizations from anywhere in the world driving change. Check out their instagram and nominate your fav org 👉🏻 elevateprize.org/get-loud-awa...
Reposted by Alister Martin
❄️ A potential SNAP freeze in Massachusetts could do more than halt food assistance — it could deepen health inequities across the state.
Check out our latest blog and learn about how we can respond together. link-health.org/2025/11/03/a...
Check out our latest blog and learn about how we can respond together. link-health.org/2025/11/03/a...
November 4, 2025 at 2:01 PM
❄️ A potential SNAP freeze in Massachusetts could do more than halt food assistance — it could deepen health inequities across the state.
Check out our latest blog and learn about how we can respond together. link-health.org/2025/11/03/a...
Check out our latest blog and learn about how we can respond together. link-health.org/2025/11/03/a...
Thank you to the American Public Health Association @apha.org for the APHA Award for Excellence.
This is a moment that calls for bold leadership to meet the health and justice needs of our time, and APHA has been at the forefront of leading with courage when it matters most.
This is a moment that calls for bold leadership to meet the health and justice needs of our time, and APHA has been at the forefront of leading with courage when it matters most.
November 3, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Thank you to the American Public Health Association @apha.org for the APHA Award for Excellence.
This is a moment that calls for bold leadership to meet the health and justice needs of our time, and APHA has been at the forefront of leading with courage when it matters most.
This is a moment that calls for bold leadership to meet the health and justice needs of our time, and APHA has been at the forefront of leading with courage when it matters most.
Honored to highlight how we are using AI for good at @linkhealth.bsky.social
🎙️ We’re back on AI and Healthcare with Dr. Sanjay Juneja! This week, we’re diving into how nearly 40% of ER visits happen because the system is failing patients, and how Link Health is using AI to connect them to federal benefits right there in the ER. 💡🏥 @alisterfmartin.bsky.social
November 1, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Honored to highlight how we are using AI for good at @linkhealth.bsky.social
Reposted by Alister Martin
When you remember voting every couple years is kinda… the point 😬
October 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM
When you remember voting every couple years is kinda… the point 😬
Reposted by Alister Martin
Just because a post sounds confident doesn’t mean it’s true.
Source bias is real and the loudest voice isn’t always the most accurate.
Here’s how I double-check medical headlines, viral claims, and healthcare stats before I share:
📌 Look for multiple sources
📌 See who funds or publishes the info
Source bias is real and the loudest voice isn’t always the most accurate.
Here’s how I double-check medical headlines, viral claims, and healthcare stats before I share:
📌 Look for multiple sources
📌 See who funds or publishes the info
October 29, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Just because a post sounds confident doesn’t mean it’s true.
Source bias is real and the loudest voice isn’t always the most accurate.
Here’s how I double-check medical headlines, viral claims, and healthcare stats before I share:
📌 Look for multiple sources
📌 See who funds or publishes the info
Source bias is real and the loudest voice isn’t always the most accurate.
Here’s how I double-check medical headlines, viral claims, and healthcare stats before I share:
📌 Look for multiple sources
📌 See who funds or publishes the info
Reposted by Alister Martin
💙 Last week, Patient Navigator Nishta helped a patient learn to use her new laptop, connecting her to church, family, and the shows she loves. Moments like this remind us that Link Health is more than benefits, it’s about connection, dignity, and care. 🌟
October 28, 2025 at 3:53 PM
💙 Last week, Patient Navigator Nishta helped a patient learn to use her new laptop, connecting her to church, family, and the shows she loves. Moments like this remind us that Link Health is more than benefits, it’s about connection, dignity, and care. 🌟
Incredible funding opportunity here 🚀
✨ Ready to turn bold ideas into lasting impact?
The Henry Luce Foundation is inviting nonprofits and institutions to apply for grants that advance knowledge, leadership, and public discourse across the U.S. and globally. 🌍
Whether you’re driving innovation in education, policy, or the arts—
The Henry Luce Foundation is inviting nonprofits and institutions to apply for grants that advance knowledge, leadership, and public discourse across the U.S. and globally. 🌍
Whether you’re driving innovation in education, policy, or the arts—
October 29, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Incredible funding opportunity here 🚀
Reposted by Alister Martin
💻 6.7 million seniors rely on telehealth.
But with key flexibilities expired and no long-term extension in sight, access is slipping away.
Because nothing says ‘functioning system’ like limiting care options for older adults who need it most.
Telehealth isn’t extra. It’s essential.
But with key flexibilities expired and no long-term extension in sight, access is slipping away.
Because nothing says ‘functioning system’ like limiting care options for older adults who need it most.
Telehealth isn’t extra. It’s essential.
October 24, 2025 at 2:04 PM
💻 6.7 million seniors rely on telehealth.
But with key flexibilities expired and no long-term extension in sight, access is slipping away.
Because nothing says ‘functioning system’ like limiting care options for older adults who need it most.
Telehealth isn’t extra. It’s essential.
But with key flexibilities expired and no long-term extension in sight, access is slipping away.
Because nothing says ‘functioning system’ like limiting care options for older adults who need it most.
Telehealth isn’t extra. It’s essential.
Reposted by Alister Martin
💰 We've officially crossed the $5 million mark in benefits distributed! 🎉
That’s $5,238,350 in life-changing support, helping families access food, internet, childcare, and healthcare through programs like SNAP, WIC, and Lifeline. 💙
Together, we’re proving that access = impact. 🌍 #HealthEquity
That’s $5,238,350 in life-changing support, helping families access food, internet, childcare, and healthcare through programs like SNAP, WIC, and Lifeline. 💙
Together, we’re proving that access = impact. 🌍 #HealthEquity
October 27, 2025 at 4:29 PM
💰 We've officially crossed the $5 million mark in benefits distributed! 🎉
That’s $5,238,350 in life-changing support, helping families access food, internet, childcare, and healthcare through programs like SNAP, WIC, and Lifeline. 💙
Together, we’re proving that access = impact. 🌍 #HealthEquity
That’s $5,238,350 in life-changing support, helping families access food, internet, childcare, and healthcare through programs like SNAP, WIC, and Lifeline. 💙
Together, we’re proving that access = impact. 🌍 #HealthEquity
Reposted by Alister Martin
Quoting aliens to describe how wild it feels watching millions lose coverage 👽🚨
October 27, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Quoting aliens to describe how wild it feels watching millions lose coverage 👽🚨
Reposted by Alister Martin
No costume needed Medicaid cuts are the real nightmare.
Millions of low-income families, children, and seniors rely on Medicaid for essential care. When funding is slashed or eligibility rules tighten, entire communities feel the impact.
This Halloween, let’s not be spooked by scary headlines,
Millions of low-income families, children, and seniors rely on Medicaid for essential care. When funding is slashed or eligibility rules tighten, entire communities feel the impact.
This Halloween, let’s not be spooked by scary headlines,
October 21, 2025 at 3:09 PM
No costume needed Medicaid cuts are the real nightmare.
Millions of low-income families, children, and seniors rely on Medicaid for essential care. When funding is slashed or eligibility rules tighten, entire communities feel the impact.
This Halloween, let’s not be spooked by scary headlines,
Millions of low-income families, children, and seniors rely on Medicaid for essential care. When funding is slashed or eligibility rules tighten, entire communities feel the impact.
This Halloween, let’s not be spooked by scary headlines,
Reposted by Alister Martin
The lioness. Strong. Focused. Definitely worried about Medicaid losing $1T for mental health. 🦁🧠
October 16, 2025 at 4:41 PM
The lioness. Strong. Focused. Definitely worried about Medicaid losing $1T for mental health. 🦁🧠
Critical funding for gamechanging innovation here!
Are you building a venture that can change lives? 💡 Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe, this grant offers up to $300,000 over a three year period plus deep hands-on support. Apply here 👉🏻 buff.ly/S90UWd1
October 20, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Critical funding for gamechanging innovation here!
Reposted by Alister Martin
@premedical-tyga.bsky.social
Don’t let a headline do all the thinking for you. 🧠
You can literally search the study name and check for yourself if it’s:
– Peer-reviewed
– Statistically sound
– Funded by someone who benefits from the outcome 👀
Science isn’t gatekept anymore.
Don’t let a headline do all the thinking for you. 🧠
You can literally search the study name and check for yourself if it’s:
– Peer-reviewed
– Statistically sound
– Funded by someone who benefits from the outcome 👀
Science isn’t gatekept anymore.
October 17, 2025 at 2:47 PM
@premedical-tyga.bsky.social
Don’t let a headline do all the thinking for you. 🧠
You can literally search the study name and check for yourself if it’s:
– Peer-reviewed
– Statistically sound
– Funded by someone who benefits from the outcome 👀
Science isn’t gatekept anymore.
Don’t let a headline do all the thinking for you. 🧠
You can literally search the study name and check for yourself if it’s:
– Peer-reviewed
– Statistically sound
– Funded by someone who benefits from the outcome 👀
Science isn’t gatekept anymore.
Every year, more than $142 billion in unspent cash assistance, including rental and utility aid, never reaches the people who need it most. And with new compliance strings like the increased requirements in the Big Beautiful Bill Act coming into play, that gap is only going to widen.
🎙️ We had the chance to join Dr. Sanjay Juneja on his podcast AI and Healthcare! Tune in to hear how Link Health is using AI to connect patients to the $142 billion in federal benefits that go unspent each year. Follow this exciting series to learn more! 💡
October 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Every year, more than $142 billion in unspent cash assistance, including rental and utility aid, never reaches the people who need it most. And with new compliance strings like the increased requirements in the Big Beautiful Bill Act coming into play, that gap is only going to widen.
Reposted by Alister Martin
@patelnk.bsky.social Community Health Centers Are in Crisis!
Over 1,500 federally funded clinics that serve more than 30 million patients are facing financial strain from delayed funding, Medicaid cuts, and the government shutdown.
These centers provide essential care: primary visits, mental health
Over 1,500 federally funded clinics that serve more than 30 million patients are facing financial strain from delayed funding, Medicaid cuts, and the government shutdown.
These centers provide essential care: primary visits, mental health
October 7, 2025 at 4:16 PM
@patelnk.bsky.social Community Health Centers Are in Crisis!
Over 1,500 federally funded clinics that serve more than 30 million patients are facing financial strain from delayed funding, Medicaid cuts, and the government shutdown.
These centers provide essential care: primary visits, mental health
Over 1,500 federally funded clinics that serve more than 30 million patients are facing financial strain from delayed funding, Medicaid cuts, and the government shutdown.
These centers provide essential care: primary visits, mental health
Reposted by Alister Martin
Even Mr. Rogers knows there’s a lot of help left on the table.
Every year, more than $142 billion in federal and state cash and benefit programs goes unused—money meant to help families with rent, utilities, and food.
At Link Health, our team of incredible certified patient navigators,
Every year, more than $142 billion in federal and state cash and benefit programs goes unused—money meant to help families with rent, utilities, and food.
At Link Health, our team of incredible certified patient navigators,
October 8, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Even Mr. Rogers knows there’s a lot of help left on the table.
Every year, more than $142 billion in federal and state cash and benefit programs goes unused—money meant to help families with rent, utilities, and food.
At Link Health, our team of incredible certified patient navigators,
Every year, more than $142 billion in federal and state cash and benefit programs goes unused—money meant to help families with rent, utilities, and food.
At Link Health, our team of incredible certified patient navigators,