At the start of a new year, during the continuation of a pandemic and while experiencing a lockdown, I keep having to remind myself, “You are not alone”.

I had this image commissioned by gapingvoid – my favourite culture design company – for my health privacy work.

I use it to remind health care team members that when they are struggling with a difficult situation, when they are not sure what to do or how to act or whether something is a privacy issue or not – they are not alone.

They work in a team. There are people to ask.  They can reach out.  They can consult.

It’s also the image for our Shush community of Privacy Officers. In that community, we support each other in an effort to build trust in the health care system through privacy compliance.

Years ago, I sat in coroner’s inquests and listened to testimony of health care workers after the tragic deaths of their patients.  A theme came out of listening to people admit the mistakes they made. They all knew in the moment that the situation they faced was complicated and hard. They didn’t know what to do. But they did not ask for help. They did not consult with anyone else.  They were embarassed to ask. They did not know to ask. They did not think to ask.  The consequences of them going it alone were deadly.

When you face the most challenging times in your life and career – you are not alone.

There are people you can ask.

For your work – you can lean on your team. You can ask your advisors. You can look to professional colleagues inside and outside your organization.

For your life – you live in community.   You have family or friends. You can ask your advisors. You can seek professional supports.

This is a gentle reminder to reach out.  You are not alone.