The Faces of the Uninsured

Over the next few weeks, I want to introduce you to a few of my patients. All of their names have been changed to protect their privacy, but as you get to know them, I believe you will see the faces of the uninsured in America in a new way.

The stories are all about real people whom we have seen recently in our clinic, and there are dozens more of them. I can assure you that each of them are just like you: they hurt, they bleed, and they feel. They are our friends, our neighbors, and ourselves.

"...No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away to the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manner of thy friends or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind...."
John Dunne, Meditation 17

Trish

Trish looked scared and lost as she walked into our clinic a few weeks ago. When we first met her she was eight-months pregnant at the tender age of nineteen and fleeing a domestic violence situation. We didn’t know it yet, but Trish had escaped her violent partner by moving into a burned-out, boarded-up, abandoned building in the West Hill neighborhood of Albany, New York with her father. Because she won’t leave her father alone, she cannot move into a shelter. As I write this, it is November, which can be very cold here in the Northeast. The boarded-up building she is living in has no heat or electricity.

In spite of her circumstances, she was still so full of wonderment about her pregnancy that I couldn’t help wanting to get in her corner and care for her. I just wanted to see life start to break right for this woman who had suffered such trouble.

All of our staff began to reach out to her as the details of her story came to light. During her exam that first day, we discovered that her baby was in a breech position putting both Trish and her newborn at risk for life-threatening complications if the baby did not change position before Trish went into labor. If the baby didn’t turn, Trish would need an expensive C-section, but she has no health insurance.

After addressing her medical needs, our staff at Compassion in Action/Koinonia Primary Care began to gather much-needed and practical baby gear to help her prepare for her coming newborn. Car seats, baby clothes, furniture, and best wishes began to flow in as they began to advocate for Trish’s needs. We even took the clock off of our break room wall to send home with her so that she could time her contractions, just in case she started to go into labor.

As of this writing, Trish’s breech baby hasn’t turned. She needs to have the C-section, which is a procedure that I am not qualified to perform. During the past few weeks, we had to find an obstetrician willing to donate his or her time for Trish. We are very fortunate that a local obstetrician has volunteered his services. Trish is scheduled for the C-section tomorrow.

Thank God that the community is reaching out to Trish. My hope is that all of her needs will be met. She still needs to find housing for herself, her father, and her newborn. I believe that everything will turn out right for Trish.
I just don’t know how many more situations like Trish’s we can handle.