The Invisible Patients

THE INVISIBLE PATIENTS tells the story of Jessica Macleod, a nurse practitioner, and four patients she cares for in their homes in Evansville, Indiana. With her laptop satchel and stethoscope, Jessica makes house calls, typically seeing 8-10 patients per day, many of whom live at the outer edges of our healthcare system, unable to visit a doctor's office due to a combination of multiple chronic conditions, functional impairment, and poverty. Jessica's work often places her in the center of important healthcare issues facing our country - how to take care of people who fall through the cracks, how to navigate end-of-life care, the confusing maze of health insurance, the burdens placed on families, and the emotional toll on the nurse practitioners like Jessica who often find themselves in dispiriting situations. According to Jessica, "When you go to someone's house to see them, you're telling them, 'I value you enough as a person to come see you where you are.' Nobody talks about it, but I think these people feel like, 'I'm kind of special,' you know? 'They're coming to see me, or at least someone cares.'"