 Grover
Gillespie is like a lot of people his age. He has high blood
pressure, high cholesterol and is overweight. The 52-year-old
Kansas City security guard also has something else in common with
many of them; he has no health insurance.
Grover is among the more than 44 million Americans without health insurance, even though many of them are employed. Grover works an average of 30 hours a week, earning more than $9.65 an hour but as a “part-time” employee, he doesn’t qualify for healthcare coverage and he can’t afford a private policy on his own. Fortunately for Grover, he doesn’t have to wait until he has a crisis to see a doctor. For the past six years he’s been going to the Kansas City Free Health Clinic, where he is able to see a physician for free. The clinic is one of seven Kansas City area community health clinics that participate in the Combined Federal Campaign. Kansas City Free Health Clinic saw more than 15,000 patients last year, of whom 72% were suffering from chronic health problems. Like Grover, most of them had no health insurance and weren’t covered under Medicare or Medicaid. Those that were covered were sent to other community clinics to receive care. The Kansas City Free Health focuses on those with no coverage who probably wouldn’t see a doctor until they faced a health emergency. The
Clinic managed to see all those patients with just a small paid
staff. The vast majority of the patients were examined by volunteer
physicians and students from area hospitals, colleges and
universities. In addition to the free exams and treatment,
patients also receive free medicine which is paid for with grants or
comes from samples donated by local doctors and pharmaceutical
programs. It’s important because without health insurance,
most patients wouldn’t be able to afford the prescriptions doctors
prescribed. Grover takes five different medications that he gets through the Clinic. While there’s no charge, Grover and other patients are encouraged to make donations if they can. Grover says he’s dropped a few bucks into the Clinic’s donation box over the years. But he tries to repay the Clinic’s generosity in other ways. Grover serves on the Clinic’s Consumer Advisory Board and attends monthly meetings, providing input for Clinic staff and volunteers. He says, “The clinic is really important to me and a lot of people who come here for help. I’m not sure what we’d do if Kansas City Free Health Clinic weren’t around. For a lot of us, it’s the difference between getting the help we need but can’t afford…or falling through the cracks.”
|
