New Book by Mary Lacyk, RN
The Birth of Health Advocacy and Case Management
A trailblazing journey from convent to healthcare pioneer — and a practical guide to patient advocacy that can transform how we deliver and experience care.
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About the Book
In today's healthcare landscape, health advocacy has emerged as a transformative force — essential for individuals and healthcare professionals alike. It serves as a catalyst for change, empowering individuals to take control of their health and inspiring professionals to deliver patient-centered care.
In Vows to Vision, Mary Lacyk shares her trailblazing journey from life as a nun to becoming a pioneer in medical case management and healthcare advocacy. What began as spiritual service became a decades-long mission to give patients a voice, dignity, and genuine representation within a complex system.
Whether you are a healthcare professional seeking deeper purpose, a patient navigating the system, or simply someone who believes that compassion and competence must coexist — this book is your guide.
"I wrote this book to share my deep passion for advocating for patients in the healthcare system. Over the years, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges and struggles patients face, and it has fueled my commitment to being their voice."
— Mary Lacyk, RN, Author
About the Author
Mary Lacyk is a seasoned healthcare professional with nearly fifty years of experience as a nurse. As a pioneer in the medical care and case management industry, she has led the way in care advocacy as a business entrepreneur and healthcare administrator.
Her journey is remarkable by any measure. She entered religious life as a Sister of Charity, serving as Sister Superior and Associate Director of Nursing — before a profound personal revelation led her out of the convent and into a secular mission of service. In 1979, she convened one of Southern California's first professional gatherings on utilization review and discharge planning, drawing over 200 nurses and social workers from across the region.
From there, she built one of the earliest patient advocacy enterprises in the country — the Catastrophic Illness Advocate System (CIAS) — at a time when the concept of "patient advocacy" barely existed. She worked through the insurance industry's skepticism, proved her model with early case successes, and helped define a profession that now touches every hospital in America.
Her dedication to patients has taken her everywhere from executive boardrooms to the wreckage of post-Katrina Biloxi, where she traveled to provide hands-on case management to the storm's most vulnerable survivors. Her wealth of experience and unflinching commitment to patient dignity shine through on every page of this book.
A New Initiative
"Healing is holistic — and every person possesses the inner strength to heal."
HEAL Ignites Soul Power™ is a mission-driven, human-centered healthcare education and advocacy initiative founded by Mary Lacyk, RN. Operating as a nonprofit — Health Care & Wellness Associations — HEAL addresses two converging crises in modern healthcare: epidemic-level workforce burnout among caregivers, and the chronic disengagement of patients from their own care.
HEAL's answer is a new class of healthcare professional: the Professional Wellness Advocate — a certified practitioner who bridges clinical science with human meaning, and who serves both the renewal of the caregiver and the empowerment of the patient.
Through a fully structured Six-Pillar Curriculum, a governing Board of Certification, and alignment with the American Nurses Association's core nursing mission, HEAL is building the infrastructure for a more compassionate, prevention-focused, whole-person healthcare model — at scale.
Restoring professional identity, meaning, and connection for healthcare workers experiencing burnout and compassion fatigue.
Equipping patients to become active participants in their own healing — informed, advocated for, and treated as whole persons.
A rigorous professional certification program that prepares healthcare professionals to serve as certified Professional Wellness Advocates.
Integrating physical, emotional, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of wellness into every layer of care delivery.
Partnering with hospital systems, academic institutions, FQHCs, and community organizations to extend wellness advocacy across populations.
Formally aligned with the American Nurses Association's 2021 definition of nursing — positioning HEAL as an amplification of the profession's deepest purpose.
HEAL is actively seeking institutional partners, healthcare systems, nursing schools, and community organizations committed to transforming how care is delivered and experienced. To learn more or explore a partnership, reach out below.
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Whether you are a reader, a healthcare professional, a potential HEAL partner, or someone who wants to discuss speaking engagements — Mary welcomes hearing from you.