Heidi Kyser joined Desert Companion, the premier city magazine that celebrates the pursuits, passions, and aspirations of Southern Nevadans, as a staff writer in January 2014. In 2018, she was promoted to senior writer and producer, working for both DC and State of Nevada. She produced KNPR's first podcast, the Regional Murrow Award-winning Native Nevada, in 2020. The following year, she returned her focus full-time to Desert Companion, becoming Deputy Editor, and became interim editor, replacing Andrew Kiraly, in July 2022.

In her 20 years as a print and on-air journalist, Heidi's done it all, from news writing for a weekly business publication, to producing multimedia stories for an alternative weekly, winning a handful of Eddie, Maggie, and Nevada Press Association awards along the way.

When she's not camping, hiking, riding her bike, or doing some other outdoor activity with her husband Peter, Heidi is most likely to be found on a yoga mat, being spotted by her 90-pound American Bulldog Buster.

During episode 510 on how to make healthcare work better for all, Heidi discusses her experiences reporting on healthcare for Desert Companion. Plus, she shares how a diagnosis of Valley Fever, a fungal infection that can attack a person's nervous system, their most vital organs, and lead to cerebral meningitis (and, in extreme cases, death) "brought home the healthcare system shortcomings [she's] reported on for years."

More specifically, Heidi shares:

Key changes in the healthcare system that could help medical providers AND patients
How her personal experiences navigating her own healthcare motivated her reporting with Desert Companion
Why self-advocacy is a vital patient competency
Her hopes for how healthcare will evolve by 2033

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Learn more about Heidi Kyser and her work at Desert Companion
Read 5 Big Ideas for Better Healthcare in Desert Companion
Learn more about Desert Companion
Connect with Heidi on Twitter
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