A Free Cure for What Ails YouIf you are lucky enough to have health insurance and you care about the growing number of Americans who don't, this column is for you. Most of us feel anguished as we watch the era of greed morph into this season of need. November saw the single-greatest monthly job loss in more than 30 years. At the same time, more families joined the ranks of the already 46 million uninsured. We hear such statistics, and it's hard to imagine there is anything we can do to ease so much suffering. It feels as if the Earth is hurling in the wrong direction and we are helpless to correct its spin. What can one person possibly do? Tell you what I'm not going to do: There'll be no unsolicited advice from me on how someone else should find a job. People who've lost their livelihoods through no fault of their own don't need to hear how it's not as bad as they think from those of us still blessedly employed. That whole "dust yourself off and work your sources" lecture rings mighty false when it comes from someone still benefiting from automatic deposit. I do, however, have a suggestion for the insured among us who are in a funk about the holiday season. Day after day, friends and acquaintances tell me they just aren't in the mood to spend money on gifts nobody needs. It feels wasteful, they say. And selfish. A cure awaits them. Across the country, the number of people seeking free medical care is exploding. In Ohio alone, there are 41 free clinics. Eight of those clinics were opened in just the past year, and those that were already in operation have seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in clientele in recent months. Overwhelmingly, their clients are people who have lost their jobs and their health care with single pink slips. "We're seeing a lot of people we've never seen before, and they're coming to us much sicker," says Marjorie Frazier, who is the executive director of the Ohio Association of Free Clinics.
They often are ashamed, too. One clinic employee after another told me in interviews that they constantly are trying to reassure clients that it's not their clients' fault they have no health care. "Everyone wants to be self-sufficient," said Lee Elmore, who is the executive director of the North Coast Health Ministry. "But we're talking about human dignity here. We're seeing people who waited so long to get help for chronic conditions, and we can't help but think, 'If only you'd gotten here sooner.'" Such delays in care can shorten lives, Frazier said. "Six or seven years ago, it was rare for the Physicians Free Clinic in Columbus to see a cancer patient," Frazier said. "Now it's rare if they don't see at least one person a week with late-stage cancer." For most, she said, that scary diagnosis of cancer is also during their first visit to a doctor. Elmore sees the same thing at her clinic. Sometimes, though, there's good news. Recently, her staff diagnosed a woman's breast cancer when it was still highly treatable — but only because they had the money to do it. Most free clinics depend on private donations. You won't find more bang for your charitable buck than by contributing to one of them. On average, every dollar donated equals $9 of care. If you don't know where the free clinic is in your area, you can look in the yellow pages or search online by entering your state and the words "free clinic." Chances are local hospitals and churches also will know who's offering free medical care in your neighborhood. As medical treatments go, this is one that flows both ways. The more you give to help someone else the better you are going to feel. Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and the author of two books from Random House: "Life Happens" and "… and His Lovely Wife." To find out more about Connie Schultz (cschultz@plaind.com) and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
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