Lauren was one of my favorite patients. She was a beautiful
woman – full of life and with a smile that would melt anyone’s heart.
She was 55 years old, had no health insurance, and had not
received healthcare for quite some time. She came into the clinic the very
first night we were open. She was thrilled to be able to receive the
medications she needed for her asthma.
Lauren was taking care of her disabled husband. And the
stress from that was slowly killing her. We saw her regularly at the clinic for
the first couple of years; then she didn’t show up for a while.
When she returned, I didn’t recognize her – she had aged 20
years in the months we hadn’t seen her. She had developed a severe dental
infection (the uninsured have even less access to dental care than they do to
healthcare). As a result, she had lost all of her teeth and could not afford
dentures. She had gone from a lovely, vibrant woman to an old, old lady in just
a few short months.
And now, her depression was full blown. She was one of the
lucky ones as I had a counselor I could refer her to. Often, mental health
services are also seriously lacking for the uninsured. She was under so much
stress from taking care of her husband alone, and was having suicidal ideation (she
had a plan for suicide).
I don’t know the end of Lauren’s story. We were able to get
her on the County Health Plan, which isn’t insurance, but it does provide some
limited access to healthcare services. Like many of our patients, they come
through our system and then move on. We are only here for an instant in the
life of many uninsured individuals.
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