We started Groundwork because we've lived it.
Patient navigation isn't a concept to us — it's something we've needed ourselves. We built the practice we wished had existed.
Katie Klein
Research, systems, and infrastructure
Katie's background is in research and systems thinking — the kind of mind that looks at a chaotic, fragmented situation and starts mapping it. She knows how to find information in places most people don't know to look, how to ask the questions that unlock a conversation with a specialist, and how to build a coherent picture from dozens of contradictory pieces.
Her connection to this work is personal. Navigating the healthcare system for conditions that overlap, contradict each other, and confuse even experienced clinicians taught her that the problem usually isn't a lack of good doctors — it's a lack of someone holding the whole picture together. That's what she does for clients.
Katie handles the infrastructure of Groundwork: research, sourcing, documentation, and the systems that make the practice run. She's the person who will find the specialist four states away who sees twenty EDS patients a week, and figure out if telehealth makes them accessible to you.
Elaine Sheehy O'Connell, LCSW
Clinical expertise, advocacy, and practitioner networks
Elaine is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with years of experience in patient advocacy and student support systems. Her clinical background means she understands how providers think, what they need from a patient conversation, and how to frame a client's history in a way that gets heard — not dismissed.
She's spent significant time working alongside schools, families, and young people navigating IEPs and 504s, which is where Groundwork's school advocacy work took root. She knows the school system from the inside, and she knows how to push back when it isn't working.
Elaine's practitioner network is one of Groundwork's most valuable resources. She has built relationships with functional medicine providers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and specialist physicians who understand the overlap between EDS, POTS, MCAS, and neurodivergence. When you need a referral, she's not starting from scratch.
What we are — and what we're not
We want to be completely clear about this, because clarity matters when you're navigating your health.
We are
- Patient navigators and advocates
- Researchers who can find and vet providers
- People who will sit with you before, during, and after hard appointments
- Systems thinkers who hold the whole picture together
- Connectors to practitioners, resources, and communities
- Advocates in school systems and IEP processes
We are not
- Physicians or licensed medical providers
- Therapists or mental health treatment providers
- Insurance specialists or billing advocates
- A substitute for clinical care
- Able to diagnose, treat, or prescribe
The brilliant friend principle
Think about what it would mean to have a close friend who happened to know the healthcare system inside out — who had navigated the same conditions, built relationships with the specialists who actually help, and had the time and knowledge to research your specific situation. That friend would give you real information, not hedged disclaimers. They'd advocate for you in rooms you didn't know you could be in. They'd tell you when something wasn't worth your energy and when it was.
That's what Groundwork tries to be. Not clinical distance, not corporate service delivery — a knowledgeable, invested, deeply practical presence in one of the hardest experiences you can navigate.
We believe that lived experience and professional expertise aren't opposites. The people who have been through this are often the most useful people to have in your corner — because they know what the textbook misses.
Ready to work together?
Start with our intake form — it takes about five minutes and helps us understand your situation before we connect.
Start with the intake form