Published: October 28, 2009 04:24 pm      

Self-doctoring not an option for many who visit Mercer’s free clinic

I looked at the bill for lab tests and shook my head — almost $200, as usual. Every few months I need to “get my oil checked,” as I like to call it. When you have to live with diabetes, getting your levels of glucose, cholesterol, lipids and whatever the heck you call the rest of it becomes a necessity. I don’t particularly enjoy making regular visits to a clinic and getting my blood extracted for a process that will cost me money, but the consequences of doing without are even more expensive.

When you’re trying to save money, having to pay for medicine, test strips and blood work is pretty annoying, but it’s merely an annoyance when you’re working and have health coverage. When you have neither a job or health insurance, you have to rely on the compassion of others. These are the people who have to wonder whether they are going to buy medicine or buy groceries for themselves or for their children.

Continuing unemployment and the high cost of living are sending more people to free clinics such as Mercer Health Right in Green Valley. I’ve visited the clinic while doing stories, and I see seniors and the unemployed; sometimes with serious ailments. I recently talked to Debbie Enigk, Health Right’s director, and she said that they are seeing more people arriving with more serious health issues; about 500 to 600 patients arrive each month. Sometimes they need to see specialists like cardiologists and neurologists.

The volunteers do their best to refer the seriously ill to specialists outside the area, but this is not always possible. Meanwhile, the free clinic has to see more people while the cost of providing care continues to go up. While the clinic does receive some financial help from the state, it always needs volunteer physicians, nurses and especially pharmacists. Even while the care may be free, providing it isn’t free.

During these tight financial times, almost everyone has a story about “self doctoring,” those instances when we probably should have seen a doctor, but didn’t because we feared the bill. I have to confess that I have more than one of those stories to tell.

One time years ago, I became ill from the flu or some other virus. For about three days I had chills, vomiting and a fever I suspect would have alarmed a doctor. Well, I didn’t have a doctor at the time, and money was a little tight.

I gradually got better, but surely I would have spared myself a lot of agony if I had broken down and gone to a hospital or sought out a doctor.

In another instance, one of my hobbies left me with a nasty cut. I collect knifes, and one day I was cleaning a nice pocket knife when my fingers slipped. The result was a deep cut on my right index finger that bled a heck of a lot. I cleaned and bandaged it as best I could, dosing the cut liberally with hydrogen peroxide. I even drank lots of orange juice in the hopes that the vitamin C would help me heal faster.

Frankly, I probably should have gone to a doctor for a couple of stitches. It’s lucky that I avoided an infection or tetanus.

Both those stories were the result of penny pinching and stubbornness on my part. For other people, being unable to pay a medical bill would be a more likely reason for avoiding a trip to a doctor or hospital. Their only real alternatives are public health departments or free clinics.

In both places, nurses and volunteers work hard to give those patients who come through the door the best care possible, often in less than satisfactory settings. The Mercer County Health Department, which shares its building with Mercer Health Right, has been seeking funds to replace the building. Every time rain falls, nurses are putting out buckets to catch the leaks.

The health department and free clinics deserve credit for filling in the gaps during a recession that is pinching many households and forcing people to make hard decisions. In order to help people in need, these entities need help, too. Mercer Health Right always needs volunteers and donations, and the public can let lawmakers know that getting renovation funds to the Mercer County Health Department would be helpful, too.

Doing a bit of self-doctoring might be OK when the ailment is only a scraped knee or a case of the sniffles, but it’s not an option for those with heart disease, breathing problems and other diseases that really require a doctor. There are times when only the attention of a real physician will do the trick.

Greg Jordan is a reporter for the Daily Telegraph. Contact him at gjordan@bdtonline.com.