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    Death Is Not an Option: a View from a Free Medical Clinic
    Death Is Not an Option: a View from a Free Medical Clinic
    Death Is Not an Option: a View from a Free Medical Clinic
    Ebook76 pages1 hour

    Death Is Not an Option: a View from a Free Medical Clinic

    By Bette A. Grey

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    About this ebook

    Bette Grey understands the plight
    of the uninsured. She has walked in
    the shoes of those she now helps to
    get healthcare. She believes the life
    events that triggered this journey were
    actually blessings in disguise to not
    only others but for her as well. She
    credits God with the nudges to begin
    the project. No matter what direction
    her life took, she always was brought
    back to the idea for a free clinic.
    While recuperating from a vital surgery, she thought about those with
    the same issues who had no access to care other than through the local
    emergency room. And then she really thought about those who might
    refuse to go. She knew they would ultimately end up in the emergency
    room as a necessity, nearing death. She credits the ABC news program,
    20/20 and the segment featuring Jon BonJovi. The performer was
    dedicating many dollars to a local free clinic in his community. The free
    clinic in Red Bank followed the Volunteers in Medicine clinic model.
    Bette innocently decided to explore the internet to fi nd out about this
    type of clinic. She had no intentions of doing anything further but she
    believes God had other plans.
    Fast forward with many meetings under her belt, she was able to open the
    fi fty-fi rst Volunteers in Medicine clinic. As she looks back, she believes
    the lives saved are incredible, more than she ever thought. She really
    thought the clinic would be more for acute illness rather than the chronic
    diseases the clinic have treated. Never did she expect the seriousness of the
    diagnoses that would lead to the deaths of everyday folks.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXlibris US
    Release dateNov 30, 2012
    ISBN9781479730803
    Death Is Not an Option: a View from a Free Medical Clinic
    Author

    Bette A. Grey

    Bette Grey understands the plight of the uninsured. She has walked in the shoes of those she now helps to get healthcare. She believes the life events that triggered this journey were actually blessings in disguise to not only others but for her as well. She credits God with the nudges to begin the project. No matter what direction her life took, she always was brought back to the idea for a free clinic. While recuperating from a vital surgery, she thought about those with the same issues who had no access to care other than through the local emergency room. And then she really thought about those who might refuse to go. She knew they would ultimately end up in the emergency room as a necessity, nearing death. She credits the ABC news program, “20/20” and the segment featuring Jon BonJovi. The performer was dedicating many dollars to a local free clinic in his community. The free clinic in Red Bank followed the Volunteers in Medicine clinic model. Bette innocently decided to explore the internet to find out about this type of clinic. She had no intentions of doing anything further but she believes God had other plans. Fast forward with many meetings under her belt, she was able to open the fifty-first Volunteers in Medicine clinic. As she looks back, she believes the lives saved are incredible, more than she ever thought. She really thought the clinic would be more for acute illness rather than the chronic diseases the clinic have treated. Never did she expect the seriousness of the diagnoses that would lead to the deaths of everyday folks. In the clinic, each patient becomes like a member of a large family. The volunteers and the small staff understand the population they treat. Practitioners have made the statement that the clinic reminds them of why they spent the money to go to medical school. There are no confining limitations on how long they can spend treating a patient. For many, they get something they don’t usually get in their own practices, the words “thank you”. They continue to provide their expertise to this population because of those words. Many patients once they are able to obtain insurance plead to continue to receive their care from the clinic. There are many unknowns about the clinic’s function if the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented. Bette is hopeful those who now have no access will be able to receive the care they truly deserve. Bette is a respiratory therapist. While completing her tasks in a variety of settings as an RT, she was always cognizant of those who had little to no access to care. Many of her life’s tasks have helped her to oversee the clinic operations. First and foremost she credits God with giving her the talents to undertake this large project. Bette credits her family including husband Bob, sons, David (who also endured several months of no health insurance), Jeffrey and her daughter-in-law Kimberly with providing the support she has needed during this journey. She also gives credit to all of the volunteers who have diligently participated in the clinic’s happenings. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to help fund the operations of the free clinic. Carpe diem.

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      Book preview

      Death Is Not an Option - Bette A. Grey

      Copyright © 2012 by Bette A. Grey.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

      in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

      without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

      Credit for Eric Foster, cover flap picture.

      To order additional copies of this book, contact:

      Xlibris Corporation

      1-888-795-4274

      www.Xlibris.com

      [email protected]

      121529

      Contents

      Foreword

      Patient L

      Patient A2

      Patient Ee

      Patient Ll

      Patient A

      Patient M

      Patient R

      Patient G

      Patient B

      Life

      Patient E

      Patient T

      Patient V

      Patient H

      Patient M And M

      DEDICATION

      The book is dedicated to:

      Bob, David and Kimberly, Jeffrey and Leah

      Dr. James Gallagher and Dr. Joshua Uy, volunteer clinic medical directors, who have given selflessly to guide the clinic.

      Myles and Joanne Katerman

      Michele Kulp for the book cover design.

      Patients who lost their lives because they had no health insurance.

      Patients who have found themselves uninsured.

      The volunteers, staff, and board members.

      The community which has supported the clinic financially.

      Colleagues across the country who agonize about the patients they serve.

      FOREWORD

      The stories contained in this book are the stories of those who probably died prematurely through no fault of their own. They were simply human beings who were not afforded access to health care. They had no health insurance. They were either not offered health insurance through their jobs or the premiums were too expensive. The premise the uninsured have to choose between paying a premium and putting food on the table for their family is real and very self evident in this country. Many feared losing all of their worldly possessions due to accruing a large set of medical bills. When asked why they waited so long to seek care, many said the care offered in the clinic was for other people, those who deserved it more. Those words cut like a knife. In reality those same words probably helped to place a nail in their own coffins. Those words are often spoken by many of the patients, not just those mentioned here. Many say that pride keeps them from seeking free care since they take extreme pride in working and providing for their families.

      On a daily basis, it is written and spoken that this country, the United States of America, has the best health care in the world. For many that best health care is untouchable. For the health systems that are for profit entities, many patients cannot enter those doors without first having some type of coverage. For instance, a woman who wanted a specific surgeon to perform her mastectomy was required to bring one-thousand dollars to the hospital before she was allowed to have her breast removed. The surgeon was going to perform the surgery in a for-profit hospital. The hospital admission personnel minced no words when they told her if she didn’t have the money, the surgery would not be done. Another patient facing bladder surgery to remove the cancer that was growing inside her bladder was told she would need twenty-five hundred dollars before she could have that surgery. Neither of these two ladies had the means to provide the hospital with these sums of money. It wasn’t until phone calls were made to the CEO of the hospital explaining the life or death situation they were in was it determined that they could bring less. For the mastectomy patient, one hundred dollars; and the bladder cancer patient, two hundred fifty dollars. These two scenarios play out all over the country and most people have no knowledge how to even navigate the system. For many they have few options. They either borrow the money from family or friends or charge it to their credit cards, not the best idea. But when you are facing death in the face, charging may well be the ONLY option and if not, then there is a resignation that death is really the only option.

      Other countries provide all of their citizens with health care access and do it quite well. Their citizens are well and live without fear of suffering a catastrophic event. Wellness and prevention become the center of that country’s health system, whereas in America, we still continue to focus on the illness rather than the wellness of our citizens. The number of dollars that could be saved simply by allowing everyone access would be immense. For many patients who know that they may be heading toward a lifelong and possibly a lethal chronic disease such as diabetes, hypertension, and COPD access to healthcare could provide the patient with the incentive to begin to pay attention their lifestyle. Quitting smoking earlier has proven to stave off the effects of COPD; better nutrition has led to a decrease in borderline diabetics; and decreasing sodium in a diet can only improve a patient’s blood pressure numbers.

      The view from a free medical clinic is not

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