Crystal Greenwood was stunned when her primary care provider told her she needed to go to the emergency room right away after blood tests revealed serious kidney problems.
As Crystal struggled to adjust to living with a chronic condition, Regional One Health’s ONE Health complex care team provided the support she needed.
Thanks to ONE Health and her own determination, these days Crystal’s health is improving and she is getting back to the things she enjoys.
When Crystal Greenwood’s doctor called her the day after a routine primary care visit, the last thing she expected was a medical crisis – but that’s exactly what she got.
Getting through that crisis is a testament to Crystal’s strength and faith – and the support she received from the ONE Health complex care program at Regional One Health.
Crystal’s journey started in 2023.
“I hadn’t been to the doctor in a while, but I wasn’t having any problems,” Crystal said. “I went to a primary care appointment, and they did lab tests. The very next day the doctor called me and said, ‘You need to go to the emergency room right away.’”
She was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and was told she needed to go on dialysis. In an instant, Crystal went from assuming she was healthy to having a critical chronic condition that would require extensive care.
ONE Health social worker Ebony Richey visited Crystal shortly after her diagnosis. ONE Health is designed to help uninsured patients access medical care and support for social determinants of health, such as access to housing, food, and transportation.
“When I met her, her health had declined and she just learned she needed dialysis. That set her on a whirlwind,” Ebony said. “She had always been independent and worked her entire life. Being sick and not being able to work and care for herself was new to her.”
At that first meeting, Crystal was understandably distracted.
“I was trying to process everything going on; with being told I had to do this life-changing thing,” she said. “I’ll admit my mind was elsewhere. I wasn’t fully paying attention.”
But as Ebony spoke, Crystal started tuning in.
“Every issue I brought up she said, ‘We can help with that.’ Every need I had, she had a way to address it. After interacting with her for a while, I realized, ‘This woman really is here to help me,’” Crystal said. “She was so good to me in the initial days of my illness. I can’t sing her praises enough. She really was a lifeline. She was sent by God.”
Ebony helped Crystal arrange her dialysis appointments and set up transportation to and from the clinic. She connected Crystal with Regional One Health specialists to manage her kidney disease along with diabetes, hypertension, and neuropathy.
Ebony and ONE Health partner Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) organized Meals on Wheels deliveries so Crystal would have hot, healthy food. Ebony also helped Crystal access legal support to apply for disability benefits.
She also stepped in as a trusted source of information and support.
“I’m not a medical person,” said Crystal, who is retired from a career in banking. “I had to all of a sudden learn about so many medical terms and procedures.”
Ebony made sure Crystal understood her diagnosis and treatment plan and served as her advocate when she had a bad experience at her first dialysis center. “She wasn’t getting out until after 10 p.m., and we felt like that was dangerous for her,” Ebony said. “I helped her change to a new center and we worked hand-in-hand to make sure she was comfortable.”
For Crystal – who wanted to stay as independent as possible – it was a blessing.
“It’s not just a 9-to-5 job for her. She is very professional, but she also shows compassion. I am proud to call her my friend,” Crystal said.
That continued even after Crystal graduated ONE Health in 2025 after obtaining disability and Medicaid benefits. Crystal faced a setback when her catheter got infected and the infection traveled to her backbone: “I can’t even tell you the pain and misery,” she said. “I ended up having back surgery, and after the operation I couldn’t walk or even feel my feet.”
Crystal began inpatient rehabilitation after her surgery, but her health continued to decline. Distraught, she turned to Ebony for advice.
“She was at a different hospital, and she wanted to come to Regional One Health because that’s where her doctors are,” Ebony said. “I helped her get into our Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital. That’s when things started looking up for her.”
As the team at the Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital helped Crystal relearn to walk and regain her strength, Ebony remained a crucial source of support.
“She came to visit me even though I wasn’t her client anymore! She asked me if I needed anything, and I said, ‘I could sure use a cup of coffee.’” Crystal said. “She stopped what she was doing to go down to Starbucks to get me a cup of coffee, and she wouldn’t even let me pay for it. Simple things like that do a lot for your psyche.”
“She had no obligation to me at that point. That tells me the character of the woman. It isn’t just a paycheck. It comes from the heart.”
Nowadays, Crystal continues physical therapy with Regional One Health’s Outpatient Rehabilitation team to build her strength. She’s starting to use her wheelchair less and get back to the things she enjoys.
“By the grace of God, I feel so much better. I’m getting stronger,” she said. “For a long time I wasn’t able to go to church, and now with some assistance, I’m able to go.”
Crystal said Ebony and the ONE Health team played a big role in that.
“Without God and without the help of Ebony and ONE Health, my mindset may have gone the other direction. You can go down that rabbit hole quickly, and you need people who can get you out of that mental funk,” she said. “Everything I needed, she just made it happen.”
That’s what Ebony strives to do for every patient.
“Some people don’t have anyone to rely on, and I like to be that person for them,” she said. “Miss Greenwood reminds me of my mom! She could be going through so much, but she always finds something positive and pours into other people. I want to do the same for her.”
“The world is dark enough – I want to be the light for my patients and carry them through that dark time. That’s what drives me every day.”