Betty Long, of Wyndmoor, thought of the idea for Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates in 1999 shortly after her 85-year-old uncle George fell down the stairs in his South Philly row home.

George was transported to Jefferson Hospital, where Long met George’s wife Betty in the ICU. A medical resident approached them and began to explain that they wanted to put a breathing tube down George’s throat “to help him breathe better.”

Betty looked at Long as if to say “What does that mean? What should I do?” Long recalled. “In that moment, I thought, what do other families do when they don’t have a nurse or someone ‘medical’ to explain what all of this means?”

That moment served as the inspiration for Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates, a Flourtown-based, nurse-owned firm founded by Long. The agency provides advocacy services for patients navigating the confusing maze of tests and treatments, opinions and options, endless forms, unfamiliar terms and hard choices to make. 

Guardian’s impact and Long’s role in the agency have not gone unnoticed. The 24-year resident of Wyndmoor was recently honored by the Board of Nursing Archives Associates at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center (Boston University Libraries) who presented Long with the organization’s Mary  Ann Garrigan Award.

The prestigious national award, which was presented on Oct. 22, “honors individuals with outstanding professional achievements in nursing and others who have made substantial contributions to or in support of the nursing profession.” Long was selected in a unanimous decision by the center.

“Without a doubt, becoming a nurse was the best decision I ever made,” Long told the Local. 

Betty Long, a native of Southwest Philadelphia and the youngest of six children, moved with her family to Olney in 1968. A graduate of Olney High School, Long won a tennis scholarship to Boston University, where she spent two years before moving back to Philly to attend Temple University, where she earned a degree in communications/journalism. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Betty was a senior and died three years later.

“When my mom was in Bryn Mawr Hospital being worked up for stomach pain, I met Marsha Davidson, her nurse, who changed my life,” Long said. “Marsha, now in her 70s, cared for my mom, made her laugh, made me laugh and showed me just how impactful being a nurse could be.”

Before entering Abington Memorial Hospital Nursing School, Long was a tennis instructor at several city playgrounds with the National Junior Tennis League. She was also a proofreader at the Philadelphia Inquirer (her mom worked there taking ads). While in nursing school, she worked as a nurse extern on weekends at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. She later became a critical care nurse, nursing supervisor, cardiology manager, case manager and software implementation consultant.

“I have had plenty of challenges, both personal and professional,” Long said, “but one that sticks with me is having to place my 90-year-old father in an assisted living facility. He had been living independently for 90 years, but it was clear to me and several of my brothers that dad needed some assistance. 

“He did not agree, but together we did move him into a small apartment, and then soon thereafter he needed to be moved on to the nursing unit. It broke my heart. and each time I left after a visit, I would sit in my car and cry a little. As a nurse, I knew he would be safe, but as a daughter, it broke my heart.”

When Long began developing Guardian Nurses, she took four years to lay the groundwork.  “After all, I was a nurse, not a business person. The official launch date was Oct. 1, 2003, so we recently celebrated our 21st anniversary.”

Guardian nurse-advocates help with doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, nursing homes and equipment suppliers. Advocates will even accompany patients to their doctors’ appointments. The nurse advocate benefit is a part of the health care package offered by many unions in Philadelphia, including Philadelphia Firefighters & Paramedics, Sheet Metal Workers, Bricklayers, Steamfitters, Operating Engineers, Painters & Glazers, Plumbers and Philadelphia Police Officers.(Guardian Nurses works with non-union employees as well.)

Aja King, of Mt. Airy, recently benefitted from the services of health advocate Charlotte Jaroma. According to Betty Long, a surgical error nicked King’s vocal cords. Guardian Nurses became her voice, then helped her get her own voice back. Aja had access to Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates as a benefit of her membership in AFSCME District Council 47.       

“I went into surgery March 11,” King said, “and I woke up March 13. I really felt like I was in jail. Everything was foggy. The advocate (Jaroma) explained everything to me. She talked to the social worker, knew the specialists, knew who to call, advocated for me and eliminated 89 percent of the stress and struggle. She made the difference. I could not have done it myself.”

For more information, visit guardiannurses.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.