|
 "Mary
and Mike" — Covington, Kentucky
Letha, a Health Kentucky
hot line operator for six years, got a call
from "Mary." Letha could tell
from the first word spoken that Mary was
scared. It turned out that Mary's fear was
not for herself, but for her 20-year-old
son, "Mike." The concerned parent
explained that Mike had "found a lump
on his testicles" and they didn't have
any money or insurance. Because they didn't
have a family doctor, she didn't know where
to turn for help. A friend had told her
about Health Kentucky, so she was calling
to see if the program could help.
Letha tried to console
the tearful parent by offering assistance.
She explained that Mary needed to go to
the Kenton County Department for Community
Based Services office so they could determine
if Mike was eligible for the Kentucky Physicians
Care Program. Letha told Mary to call her
back after Mike had been determined eligible
and she would give them the name of a local
doctor. Relieved that some help might be
available, Mary enrolled Mike in the program
that day.
When Mary called Letha
back, she was given the name and phone number
of a family practice physician. She made
the appointment right away and took her
son to see the doctor. Concerned about the
condition, the doctor said that Mike needed
to see a urologist and advised them to call
the hot line for another appointment. Mary
called Letha and was given the phone number
of a local urologist.
Still fearful of the
possibility of cancer, Mary and Mike went
to the urologist's appointment. The doctor
examined Mike, ran some tests at the local
hospital and told them that he would call
with the test results. A couple of days
later, the doctor called. To Mary and Mike's
relief, the lump was not cancer, but a treatable
condition. The physician told them that
he needed to see Mike on a regular basis
and offered to continue doing so without
charge.
Letha got another
not-so-routine phone call from Mary, this
time thanking her for all of her help and
the doctors for their generosity. "I
was very glad that we could help,"
said Letha as she later recalled the conversation.
"It makes you feel good when you can
help people."
If you
know someone who might benefit from Health
Kentucky's program, call our toll-free hot
line at 1-800-633-8100 for additional information.
 Henrietta
Booth — Cynthiana, Kentucky
Ms. Booth, 48, is
like many other patients who seek help and
services from the Health Kentucky program.
She is poor, but knows she needs medical
treatment. She's worked hard, sometimes
two jobs at a time, but for the last few
years she's been battling numerous medical
problems. "Without the program, I would
have no medical doctors whatsoever,"
said Henrietta.
Dr. Greg Cooper, who
practices in Cynthiana, has agreed to see
Ms. Booth on several occasions without expecting
payment. "As a physician, it's painful
to think about people not being able to
get the quality of care they deserve,"
said Dr. Cooper. The Health Kentucky program
is helpful to him because he knows she can
receive ongoing continuity of care. Also,
he can write Ms. Booth a prescription, which
she can have filled at a local participating
pharmacy at no cost.
Thanks to Dr. Cooper
and the other physicians, pharmacies and
pharmaceutical companies that participate,
individuals such as Henrietta Booth can
receive the health care they need.
If you
know someone who might benefit from Health
Kentucky's program, call our toll-free hot
line at 1-800-633-8100 for additional information.
|
