Melinda Kruger, a volunteer and board secretary at Kinship Community Food Center in Milwaukee, WI, often supports individuals navigating eviction, addiction, and complex bureaucratic systems. But in 2025, she found herself benefiting from support alongside one of her community members.
Kirsten* had experienced what Melinda described as a “terrible reversal of fortune.” Her husband, who had long managed the couple’s finances, developed dementia. As his condition progressed, Kirsten discovered their savings were gone. Already managing anxiety and vision challenges, she was suddenly forced to navigate complicated financial and healthcare systems on her own.
When a $10,000 nursing home bill arrived, her situation became even more urgent.
Kirsten reached out to the Center for Patient Partnerships (CPP) for help. Her case was assigned to student advocate Elijah Griggs, a 2nd year law student at CPP’s Health Justice Clinic.
“I was just trying to be her advocate and help her with whatever she needed,” Melinda said. “Elijah clearly took over and gave all of us a lot of peace of mind that we really had an expert on the team.”
Elijah worked closely with both Kirsten and Melinda, reviewing medical records and billing paperwork, setting up meetings, and explaining Medicare regulations in a clear, comprehensible way. He outlined their options and next steps, changing what felt like overwhelming circumstances into something more manageable. What made the greatest difference, however, was his encouragement and proactiveness.
“He really took the time to understand the case, and he was a very calming presence throughout the whole process,” Melinda said. “I couldn’t have been more impressed.”
Kirsten’s case remains ongoing, but Melinda’s toolkit of advocacy resources has already been bolstered with the addition of CPP.
“Anybody would benefit from having the kind of advocacy that we had,” she said. “But in particular, I work with a lot of people that are under the poverty level, as this person was. … What a great service this is to people that haven’t got the funds.”
Melinda now plans to share CPP’s information with Team Stride’s Director, Nancy Rodriguez, and others in her network, emphasizing “the depth of understanding and the professionalism and the thoroughness” she experienced.
“The Center for Patient Partnerships gave us tremendous peace of mind,” she said. “We really felt like we were in capable hands. We weren’t struggling through this alone; we had somebody that really knew the ropes and was going to fight for us. It was just invaluable.”
*The patient’s name has been changed to protect confidentiality.