Lessons from 'Mr. Happy' on post-hospital recovery

This story was part of Healthbeat’s live storytelling event, “Aha Moments in Public Health,” held Nov. 18 at Powerhouse Arena bookstore in Brooklyn. Watch the full show here. Sign up to receive Healthbeat’s free New York newsletter here. What matters most in health care goes beyond medical treatment. It is understanding what truly matters to each person and shaping care around their lives, not just their diagnoses. I learned this lesson firsthand in 2020, when I had just graduated from medical school, moved to the United States, and began my journey caring for some of New York City’s most vulnerable older adults through my work at JASA, one of the city’s largest providers of aging services. In medical school, I was trained to treat disease and preserve health, yet I quickly realized how little I knew about what happens once patients leave the hospital. Social determinants, daily challenges, and loneliness can profoundly affect recovery and quality of life. In 2021, I met a patient I wi