# @princetonspia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B-PxkGph3TL
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20742491-princetonspia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/c34e6069b7.jpg
- **Posted:** 2020-03-27T18:04:23.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Princeton SPIA (@princetonspia) — https://gondola.cc/princetonspia

## Caption

#WooWho: “I’ve been feeling the trade-off of going to graduate school the past few weeks. I have former colleagues in Philly and New York leading the response to prevent the spread of #COVID19 in their cities. I’m struggling a bit with being on the sidelines, but I’m trying to be the best citizen I can be. I’m reaching out to former colleagues, writing them words of encouragement. I’m donating to organizations serving vulnerable populations so they can deliver critical services as the crisis unfolds. I think we’re increasingly realizing how fragmented our social safety net is, and how important health policy is. I hope the crisis will make it easier for us to achieve universal access to health care and housing; these are issues I care deeply about. I became interested in health policy while working at mckinseyco after college. I helped health systems and insurers navigate the #ACA as it was being implemented. Later, I worked for PHLPublicHealth on issues related to housing quality and the healthy development of young children. It became clear to me that the health challenges we see are driven by so many things. A well-known model suggests only 20% of health outcomes relate to clinical care; the rest relate to things like housing, transportation, employment, and education. So, I think there’s a real balance in terms of what policymakers can and should do within traditional health policy and what they can and should do as advocates for universal access to health care, universal access to affordable housing, better employment, and education opportunities. In times like these, it’s helpful to remember what government can do, and how it can serve communities. Government can provide a safety net that helps people build a foundation on which they can thrive. And on an individual level, I am encouraged by my classmates, as so many of them are thinking about volunteering and advocacy around the crisis. Maybe that’s not surprising coming from a bunch of policy students, but it’s still wonderful to see.” - Natalie Kotkin MPA ’20. (Photo by laurenfairassociates). * #WooWho is a Wilson_School Instagram series featuring our community. Want to be featured? Comment/DM us.

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 129
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 9

## Tags

covid19, aca, woowho

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