Are we really in a healthcare crisis?

These are people I have met - who are uninsured, and thankfully, the Dispensary of Hope played a small part in helping them. You won't believe the stories...

A 70 year old man qualifies for Medicare but has to work as the grounds keeper at the town cemetery to make ends meet and still cannot afford Part D Rx coverage. With no hope for retirement, he works full time yet has no employer coverage… and cares for his bed-ridden aging wife, who suffers from several diseases and daily debilitating migraine headaches. Without any other hope or other options, he goes to the Shelbyville Community Clinic who gives him a weekly supply of medicine for his wife– sourced from the Dispensary of Hope. I saw a hard-working man with dirty rough hands; hallow eyes, but a heart made of gold. Most likely he will never travel the world or enjoy afternoon golf as so many seniors do… meanwhile, his wife’s headaches probably stem from a larger issue but they can’t afford the cost of finding out. Harsh realities have robbed them both of their “golden years” - but he did not complain and was so grateful that somebody cared, and someone could help ease the pain.


A 40 year old single mom with 3 kids works full time but has no health insurance – and tries to make ends meet with income below poverty level. Already strained, stressed, and without hope for a happy ending to her financial or healthcare situation, she broke her leg in multiple places last week. In terrible pain, she drove herself to the local ER – but the hospital was in the process of moving locations and the wait time would be up to 8 hours. Despite the agony, she was the only guardian of her children and needed to go home. On the way, she stopped at the local community clinic – which provided pain medicine provided by the Dispensary of Hope. The clinic also called in a favor to a nearby surgery center who reluctantly agreed to schedule the patient for the next morning. After enduring the pain and discomfort of a broken leg all night long, she drove herself to the surgery center only to meet an office manager who acknowledged her appointment time but insisted of a $15 co-pay… on the spot. Embarrassed and undone… the patient did not have $15 – but promised to pay it over a few weeks… but the policy won out over compassion – and this woman was turned away for three five dollar bills. If only the clinic had known how poor the family was, they would have given her the money from their own pockets. Think about it… she was turned away for 3 five dollar bills.


One more…
A 50+ year old homeless man people call “Harley” lives downtown and rides his tattered 10-speed bike to work most mornings. He stands in line in hopes that there is construction work and earns $6 hour with no health care benefits. He gets colds and the flu like everybody does, but six months ago, he broke his right collar bone on a job site. With no workers compensation coverage or healthcare benefits, he hoped the local ER would have mercy on him. He waited for hours with the rest of the paying and non-paying patients in this Metro hospital – all waiting their turn based on triage nurse assessment. 5 hours later, they gave him shots for the pain, but turned him away after he did not have $60 payment to arrange surgery. I have since called the hospital directly and confirmed that they enact this policy. Harley seems like a tough guy, but I can’t imagine the pain of getting back on his 10-speed and riding back to the bridge he slept under at that time. In the following days, Harley approached the local clinics and got more medicine to ease the pain… but he needed surgery. I met Harley 6 months after this incident on a mobile loaves and fish sack lunch delivery and was shocked and appalled when he pulled down his t-shirt to reveal his clavicle (collar bone) was never operated on, still broken, and sticking up about 4 inches from his shoulder. Harley had gone back to different hospitals but was turned away each time and eventually gave up – accepting the idea that he would live the rest of his life with a broken collar bone. He said the pain is only unbearable in the winter – when the temperature gets really cold…

There Is No Medicine Like Hope

Nearly 47 million Americans are uninsured – with 16 million struggling to manage serious chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure – just like the rest of us who are fortunate enough to currently have insurance. Most work at least part time, but as fewer companies offer health insurance, and healthcare costs continue to rise, over 105 million Americans have incomes less than 200% of the poverty level and cannot afford essential medicines. While many communities are trying to provide a primary care “safety net”, nearly 25% of the uninsured admit they have not visited a health professional in the past year, and many just wait till they are sick enough to go to the Emergency Department. One study found that over 30% of Emergency Department visits were non-emergent or avoidable with earlier care – while the system tries to absorb the $40 billion in uncompensated care each year. For those who accessed care, nearly 60% could not afford to obtain the medicine prescribed to treat their condition– and go without. But there is HOPE. To see waht I am working on these days.... go to http://www.dispensaryofhope.org/