The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I typically tell the story of an uninsured individual that works hard and has a tough story. But, as everyone assumes, we do have some come through our doors that make us wince. Last Tuesday night must have been a full moon. (I checked - it wasn’t!)

There was Nathan – someone we know well and see frequently. But, Tuesday night he came in here drunk. He disappeared for a long period of time, and then showed up again to pick up his meds. He will not be seen here again in that condition.

There was Janice, who had a bruised face and was crying. She’s usually a strong and stable person, so this was a change. Turns out she was injured at work by a client hitting her in the head; the hospital discharged her to our care. Medical advice I never thought I would give was: call an attorney. Now. Her needs were/are way beyond the scope of a free clinic.

There were two new patients who did not stay to be seen once they learned that we do not dispense or prescribe controlled substances.

There was Jane, who told us one story, but the next day we heard “the rest of the story” from a local physician’s office. Her problems are also beyond the scope of a free clinic.

Jeff was here from a local halfway house, which means he is fighting some kind of addiction. He was told that he has Hepatitis C. Again, that is beyond the scope of a free clinic. The treatment is expensive, intense and the patient needs frequent monitoring.

Robert was back; he is doing everything he can to manage his care following his hospitalization. But, it is tough. He is on his own, with very little support. His medications are expensive, and the clinic can’t monitor his Coumadin – he needs a primary care physician for that. We are able to help with most of his medications, we can do some teaching and give him some support, but not enough. We are only here one night a week. It isn’t enough.

In all, we saw 61 patients Tuesday night. There was the good, the bad and the ugly – to borrow a phrase. We do make a difference in the lives of the people we see. The volunteers are caring, compassionate, knowledgeable and just plain awesome.

But we all know this is not the way healthcare should be provided.