Health equity, written by a clinician who lived it
Because everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and treated appropriately.
Pulse & Heritage is health equity content for veterans and people of color. Written by an AANP board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and U.S. combat veteran. Clinically precise. Universally clear.
Why this exists
Across years in high-acuity care, ICU, oncology, cardiac procedures, and inside a VA clinic seeing veterans manage complex conditions, the same patterns surfaced. Who gets heard. Who gets dismissed. Whose pain is taken seriously. Whose symptoms are explained away. These patterns are most visible at the intersection of race, background, and military service. This site exists to name them. And to put practical tools in the hands of the people the system most often fails.
— Allison Smith, MSN, FNP-C
What we cover
Six pillars. One mission.
Health doesn't happen in isolation. Neither does the system that fails to deliver it equitably. These are the pillars we cover and the threads that connect them.
Conditions & Disparities
Diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, sickle cell, maternal health: what they look like in our communities and why outcomes diverge.
Misdiagnosis & Underdiagnosis
Pain assessment bias, diagnostic algorithm bias, dermatology on dark skin, eGFR racial corrections, and how to push back.
Veteran Health Equity
VA system navigation, service-connected disability claims, toxic exposure, and the gaps that hit Black veterans hardest.
Self-Advocacy Tools
Doctor visit checklists, "know your numbers" guides, second-opinion templates. Practical tools you can print and bring with you.
Financial Health
Healthcare costs, VA benefits, insurance literacy, and predatory product awareness. Financial empowerment is health equity.
Community & Stories
First-person narratives from misdiagnosis survivors, veteran health journeys, and the people doing this work.
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