6th Leading Cause of Death.....Is People NOT having Healthcare...

Please do click this title and read, this wonderful Blogger illuminates a horrendous statistic that must be shared....and explored..and Solved. I know this story is true, I actually feel that the statistics are worse than we know (scroll down to the Mortality Post below about 18,000- 22,000 dying per year without Healthcare). I do know that two people died on my street this year....and that they did not get the care they needed, and they both died broke and their houses were both claimed by the bank. I walk by those houses everyday, knowing that THAT this is not the way it is supposed to be.

Stand With Dr.Dean....We as a Country NEED Healthcare for ALL...

So I have been watching bits and pieces of the Hearings in DC....Somebody tell me WHY there are NO Single Payer Advocates? And WHY No Nurses and Doctors have been asked to join these Hearings ???....

Here is a Draconian Idea for "Fixing" Healthcare,"Hospitals Can Save by Doing Less".....Horrors...

The Study is odd, it basically Blames Hospital Costs on Increased Infections and MRSA Infections and Re-Admissions ( the joke here is that if People are Discharged from CARE TOO soon, that is a RISK and yes, they will be readmiitted..)This is a Conservative Notion, that if we cut back on Screening and Tests and Care, and Improve "Effeciency" it will save money...that if we all cut back on Care it will Save Someone Money.....20,000 people a year die of NO Insurance and NO Care, so the skeptical nurse part of me wonders Ohhhh, is that a Cost Saving Measure ?....It is time to end this era of Negligence.. The latest Un-Insured Numbers are Atleast 48 Million, ( it was 47 Million in 2004 ) with 5 MIllion more UnEmployed this year, the Number could easily be above 52 Million...We can no Longer be Ostriches about this situation, but cutting Care is NOT the Solution....

(( You know it makes me sad we have No One really advocating for us in the Senate or the House on Health issues...really sad...I miss Hillary speaking on it or Teddy....sigh....))

Walgreens to start offering Healthcare...finally a real solution for those without Health Insurance and real healthcare....

This Snippet from the Huffpost article:::
"The program is expected to last through the end of 2009. Walgreen runs 341 Take Care clinics in 35 markets around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and Cleveland.Free services will be offered only from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Walgreen said it will not offer free checkups, vaccinations or other injections because it is focusing on providing services patients might otherwise get at an urgent-care center or even an emergency room.Patients must present proof they are unemployed, including a federal or state unemployment determination letter and an unemployment check stub. They will have to sign a form at the clinic saying they have lost their jobs and health benefits. If they find a new job or get new health insurance, they will no longer be eligible for free care.Spouses and children are also eligible for free services if they don't have insurance of their own.Medical lab operator Quest Diagnostics is participating in the program by offering free tests for step throat and urinary tract infections."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So if you are working and don't have Insurance it looks like you can also go for care or for simple prescription refills. If you need more information , this is the number you can call to find a Take Care Clinic near you Please call us at 1-866-Take-Care (1-866-825-3227).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am hoping this idea spreads across the country and that more pharmacies do this to help people and provide more service and care, it makes sense that people will come and are needing care. Sometime people can not afford both the Doctor Appointment or the Meds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday Morning Update 4.1.09
So I called the Take Care Line, and it turns out that the Care they are offering is ONLY for people that have recently been laid off or lost their healthcare, or health insurance through being laid off, and have been patients at Take Care PRIOR to March 31st. I did suggest that perhaps they should think on expanding coverage to OTHERS that are are Uninsured and or Underinsured but working. She said that there are "policies" that won't allow that. I also tried to locate care for Downtown Cleveland Residents- but it turns out the "clinics" are ONLY the suburbs, NONE are in Downtown Cleveland.