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Services
Patient Stories & Letters of
Appreciation
In 1998,
when
Gary Stillman was forced to change jobs, his medical insurance changed
as well-and not for the better.
The new coverage was minimal and, under the provisions of his
employer's contract, the insurance company reserved the right to assign
employees to specific clinics and practices. In the case of the Gary
and Deborah Stillman and their three children, the new location was
Packard Community Clinic.
For five years, the Stillmans and their
growing
family
received outstanding health care from the medical staff at PCC.
Certainly, there were challenges along the way, calling for special
attention and medical expertise.Matthew, their middle child, had been
born with Down's Syndrome and suffered from serious heart problems that
required, among other things, a pacemaker and a series of major
operations. Their oldest daughter, Charith, was Uninsured Week plagued
by upper respiratory infections that brought the Stillmans to Packard
Community Clinic for frequent visits.
"We were at the clinic at least once every
two
months,"
Deborah notes. "And whatever the problem, the staff was excellent, very
caring, very attentive, very patient. They always took as much time as
necessary to make a diagnosis. And they really kept track of us-how we
were doing, in every way." That sense of concern was especially evident
in December of 2002, when PCC chose the Stillmans as their annual
Christmas family. Presents flowed in from the PCC staff, more gifts
than the family had ever seen, and not Americans and small business
just items on their "needs" list but many from the "wants" list as
well. According to Deborah, the kindness was providential, since Gary
was pink-slipped in early January-leaving the family with no income and
no health insurance.
For nearly a year, as the family struggled
to make
ends
meet, the Stillmans and their three children continued to receive
health care services from Packard Community Clinic. Today, Gary
Stillman has a new job, but one that pays him just half of his former
salary. Fortunately, the family's health care will never be in
jeopardy, thanks to PCC. "We know that whenever we need medical
attention, it will be there," Deborah says, "provided by people who
really care about their patients."
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Lois
Cline
first heard about Packard Community Clinic from her sister, who was a
patient of Dr. Jerry Walden's at the time. That was more
than 20 years ago, and she's been on the patient roster ever since.
Speaking in a warm Kentucky accent, Lois
recalls
all the
years she worked as a nurse's aide in various elder care facilities and
nursing homes in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. She later took a job as
assistant supervisor of housekeeping at the Marriott, and also worked
as director of housekeeping services at Knight's Inn. During all that
time, none of her employers ever provided health insurance, which meant
continual worry and constant out-of-pocket expenses for medical care.
For Lois, Packard Community Clinic has made
all
the
difference. She credits Dr.Walden and the PCC medical staff with
helping keep her diabetes in check year after year-not only by
prescribing the best possible medications but also by encouraging her
to exercise and watch her diet. That condition brings her to the clinic
every four to six weeks. In 1998, when she was diagnosed with breast
cancer, the visits increased.
Now retired, Lois lives near South Lyon and
makes
the
25-minute commute to the clinic, as needed. "I've always been very
satisfied with the services I've received at Packard Community Clinic,"
she says. "In fact, everyone on the staff has been great. They're very
understanding and always willing to work me into the schedule when
there's an emergency situation."
But she has a special spot in her heart for
Dr.Walden.
"He's always been super nice," she explains. "And after more than 20
years as my doctor, he's become like one of the family, someone I can
talk to like a brother."
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Jim
Mogensen
was in his early 30s when he began experiencing chronic medical
problems, severe asthma and diabetes among them.
When deteriorating health forced him to quit his job as an occupational
safety and health engineer, the small company he had worked for renewed
his transitional medical benefits-known as COBRA-for as long as
possible. Eventually, following an extended hospital stay, he qualified
for Social Security disability income.
While many people are introduced to Packard
Community
Clinic by health care workers or friends, Jim knew about PCC through
Jerry Walden, a longtime acquaintance. Approximately seven years ago,
he became Jerry's patient. It's been an important relationship, for a
variety of reasons. "Jerry and his staff have a lot of expertise in
negotiating all the social safety net systems," he explains. "They make
sure that I see specialists as needed and that hospital admissions,
when they're required, are handled through the clinic instead of the
emergency room, which can be very expensive."
Even with the support of PCC, however, Jim
admits
that
keeping up with medical expenses is a constant, unrelenting struggle.
With nine different prescriptions, plus various medical supplies, his
monthly pharmacy bills often run as high as $300, accounting for nearly
half of his income. Yet despite obvious hardships, he worries more
about others than himself. "I have a fair amount of social capital to
draw upon and can navigate the system pretty well," he says. "A lot of
people fall through the safety net. And if they can't access the kind
of services offered by Packard Community Clinic, things can deteriorate
very quickly when serious medical problems arise. In fact, I've read
that one of the major causes of personal bankruptcy is unexpected
medical expenses among the underinsured and uninsured ."
For Jim, the importance of PCC is clear:
"Finding
ways
to assure that people have the health care resources they need is
vitally important. That demands a lot of time on the part of PCC staff
members, time that isn't covered by any insurance. It takes the
continuing financial support of the community to make those programs
work."
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Five
years ago,
Danielle Larson was about to begin her final phase of pre-med studies
at Eastern College in Pennsylvania.
Despite a variety of mysterious and severe physical symptoms, she was
completing her clinical rotation looking forward to a career in
medicine. It was then that she received a conclusive diagnosis of
multiple sclerosis from her physician. Soon afterward, with the
condition growing steadily worse, she was forced to drop out of college.
Last year, she and her infant daughter moved
to
Ann
Arbor to live with Danielle's mother.With no income and no health
insurance, she recalls looking through the Yellow Pages with a sense of
desperation. "Actually," she says with a wry smile, "I was hoping to
find a listing for a Paupers' Clinic. Instead, I discovered Packard
Community Clinic."
From her very first appointment, Danielle
was
amazed and
delighted at the reception she received at PCC. "I couldn't believe how
wonderful the staff was. They were so professional, so courteous, so
compassionate, so genuinely concerned. They treated me like a human
being. And they weren't selective. It wasn't just me-it was every
patient."
Danielle has special praise for Julie
Walker, her
nurse
practitioner, and Dr. Jerry Walden, both of whom, she notes, have gone
out of their way to help her locate other support services and
resources. However, even with their help and the assistance of various
social service agencies, her situation is extraordinarily difficult.
For nearly four years, Medicaid refused to pay the $1,200 per month for
an Interferon-based drug that would slow the progression of her
disease. As a consequence, Danielle's symptoms worsened considerably,
to the point that it often takes her as long as four hours just to get
out of bed and dress herself.
Danielle herself has no savings and, with
every
spare
dollar going toward treatment costs, her mother is now deeply in debt
as well. She readily admits that, five years ago, her views on health
care and health insurance were considerably different from what they
are today. "I used to think of the uninsured as 'those people.' Today,
I'm one of them," she reflects. "I'm just one human being who has
suffered a financial catastrophe due to lack of health insurance. And I
have to wonder: how many others have been devastated in the same way?"
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