Lin Tollefsen celebrates history in Ithaca
A while back, Lin Tollefsen and her son came through town to visit dear friends. Taken with Ithaca’s offbeat charm, its natural beauty, they stayed on, and for the past 12 years, Ithaca has been their home.
Growing up along Lake Michigan in a beautiful section of Chicago, Lin left home and journeyed to the East Coast where she began her training in medicine, culminating in her B.S. in nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Interning at Baltimore’s City Hospital, from the trenches, she saw the wide range of medical needs the human family presents. And she knew she had it in her to begin sharing what she knew in ways to alleviate suffering amongst all demographics.
“So many people feel isolated and uncared for in an increasingly complex and sometimes scary world,” she said. “I have always wanted to help others find their way through the complexities we face.”
After a stint as a nurse, Lin utilized the national Nurse Training Act to complete her doctorate in nursing education at Columbia University. During her years working and studying in the New York City metropolitan area, Lin formed a deep affection for New York City, and when she travels there to visit dear friends, they take in ballet, one of Lin’s favorite arts.
With her credentials in hand, Lin knew how to build upon the nursing education she had received, enhanced by the big city experiences she had responded to first-hand. This led to a fulfilling, albeit demanding, career teaching future nurses.
During those years, Lin shared her acumen in nursing, nutrition and health services in university settings, all the while adding to her professional and personal understanding of the many ways people must piece together health care in America to obtain the services they need.
As Lin navigated through American healthcare, she was also increasingly aware of the uneven quality and distribution of healthcare and how the availability of medical care differed amongst the rich and the poor, black and white, and old and young.
Some communities had varied options; others had scanty healthcare. And for many residents who were poor, barred from accessing care (like non-citizens) or unable to travel on their own— there was no health care.
Family Medicine Association was established in 1976 in downtown Ithaca. Owned jointly by a group of physicians, this practice has thrived and expanded to include two offices. FMA provides care six days a week for an assortment of folks in Tompkins County: young and old, rich and poor, able bodied and less so.
Twelve physicians, nurse practitioners and a physician’s assistant, plus a nursing team, all assisted by the welcoming, approachable and helpful staff currently offer: pediatric care (including routine immunizations and well-child care), adult medicine, gynecology exams, in-office surgery, diagnostic laboratory and the wraparound, ancillary services patients need to be as healthy as they can be.
“It’s like a big marriage,” Lin said. “Every provider within FMA brings a different set of skills and personality. Each doctor has a large following.”
Some patients have seen the same loved doctor or nurse practitioner for over 40 years, Lin said.
“Plenty of patients seek out a longtime staff member to hug before leaving,” she said. “Little kids have grown up in FMA and now bring their kids. There is always someone on call, and patients can move amongst providers, with confidential records accessible to treating staff. … Now, that’s continuity of care.”
Lin said she has found a place for herself at FMA, which suits her personality and overall outlook on life.
“As a problem-solver, I listen to people to glean what it is they need,” Lin said. “Bewildered patients wonder if they are eligible for services the doctor recommends, and if so, from which service? I help them navigate the healthcare system.”
Lin’s position is to support providers and patients by arranging care outside the office with specialty services and creating connections with the best health care sources available, she said.
“I represent Family Medicine to the larger health care community,” she said. “It’s unusual in a healthcare practice to employ someone who is available to work with patients, to advocate and negotiate for patients’ needs, but the role I play fulfills FMA’s goal—to provide quality healthcare for all our patients.”
Lin said FMA supports its providers by knowing the resources for care available to our patients and by connecting our patients to the best resources.
“We support our patients by being aware of their special healthcare needs and by knowing the best resources to meet those needs,” she said.
Sometimes an insurance company’s “No!” doesn’t mean “no” after the situation is examined with the insurance company staff. And changing a “no” to “yes” can have a huge impact on a sick patient and desperate family members.
“The dream I had growing up on Lake Michigan to help people has led me to this work in Ithaca, where my family and I can savor the beauty of Lake Cayuga,” she said.
