Welcome Video
About The National Library of Patient Rights and Advocacy
The National Library of Patient Rights and Advocacy is a completely volunteer national initiative headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. It has been designated by the National Library of Medicine as one of the only digital libraries in the country devoted exclusively to education and information on patient rights, The Project is anchored by its website. The website offers patients a comprehensive list of reliable sources for finding information on medical conditions and treatment options as well as an extensive library of video segments featuring prominent physicians, healthcare providers, and healthcare leaders discussing how to improve the patient experience. The website also features informational video segments on the current issues in the areas of patient rights and patient advocacy. In addition to the website, The Library offers an outreach program that provides live and recorded educational workshops to patient support groups as well as a personal research service where medical librarians will research questions for patients on medical conditions and treatment options and compile easy to understand articles that can be sent by mail or sent electronically. Through its publishing division, Patient Press, the Library also offers a growing library of patient-friendly books on current topics in medical sociology and public health.
How It All Began ...
Work on creating The Power of the Patient Project, the National Library of Patient Rights and Advocacy, began in 2014 when a group of talented on-camera hosts, videographers, and segment producers spent the next three years, filming over 120 video interviews with some of the most prominent physicians and healthcare leaders in the country. This initial project was called Health and Wellness. In the spring of 2017, Bob Kieserman and a select group of his healthcare administration students at the Arcadia University School of Global Business, near Philadelphia, collaborated to expand the project and
created the current website and introduced the community outreach efforts of the Project. The mission of the Project was to educate consumers about their patient rights, help patients become more proactive with healthcare decisions, and teach patients how to have a more interactive dialogue with their healthcare providers. Based on the Medical Library Association guidelines for providing consumer and patient health information, the goal of the Project has always remained to transform patients from healthcare accepters to better healthcare consumers and help foster a better relationship between patients and their healthcare providers.
In the summer of 2017, the students became the Founding Executive Advisory Board and Bob Kieserman assumed the role of the Project's volunteer executive director. In August of 2018, the Project was designated the National Library of Patient Rights and Advocacy, and is recognized by the National Library of Medicine.
Our Dedicated Volunteer Team
Alexandra Collins, Chief Executive Officer
Alexandra Collins graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2024 with a B.A in Sociology and a B.A in Anthropology. She transferred from Berkeley City College (BCC) with an A.A in Liberal Arts: Social and Behavioral Sciences, A.A-T in Sociology, and an A.A-T in Psychology. Alexandra is a 'Mentor' for the Youth Mental Health Academy program through the Child Mind Institute. She plans on taking a gap year before pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology and becoming a professor. Additionally, she was a 'Research Assistant' at the Heart Equity & Access Research Treatment (HEART) Lab and has experience as a 'Behavioral Technician,' as well as management and customer service experience. Alex has managed our public relations division and contributed to our books. We are honored to have her lead the organization.