During my days of insanity, I find myself wanting to walk to Washington, D. C. but since I live in NE PA, it is about 250 miles and on some pretty treacherous roads. When I shared my idea with Sam Giordano, he encouraged me to do something in the virtual world.
In 2007, I founded and now direct a free medical clinic that treats the working uninsured, but now as the economy waxes and wanes, it is now about treating the unemployed. What I knew or pretty much assured myself was the fact that people out there did not always have access to simple things to us RT's but to the patient, it may mean the difference between life and death, that being the Albuterol MDI.
For most of our asthma or COPD patients, they don't have the ability to get MDI's, not always because the MDI is expensive, but more importantly because the cost to walk through the doctor's office cost $75 and up. Of course, you can get the MDI at that big box store Wal-Mart for about $22 dollars.
I cannot tell you how many times, patients came in to the clinic when they really belonged in the local ER. For many people that are struggling financially they do not want another bill to add to the pile, so therefore often their words are "I am not going to the ER, I have no money!" So, as the volunteer physician and I struggle with the fact that they won't go, my RT education and experiences come in quite handy. We are able to provide nebulizer treatments, antibiotics, prednisone(if needed), reassurance, etc. We have saved several people basically their lives, not necessarily dollars for the entire healthcare systems, since they didn't have to go to the ER.
I am inviting all respiratory therapists who know and have first hand experience with hearing the heartbreaking stories about not being able to get their Albuterol MDI's, if you can share them with me. I am compiling stories and will be taking them to Washington D.C. But more importantly, does everyone out there know where their patients who don't have access to meds can get them?
I strongly believe it is time for the RT's of the nation to stand up and be counted, to tell the horror stories to the policy makers.
If I decide to literally walk to Washington DC, it would be in October, National COPD Month.
I am hopeful that this literal/virtual walk will do a couple of things, bring RT's closer together as a community. It has been said we can do more with many voices than sometimes alone.
I implore everyone to help, if you know of sponsors that would be willing to promote the walk, please let me know. The other side of this is I am also in the process of trying to raiser over $10,000.00 for the clinic, so that we can provide the care that we have started to care almost 3.5 years ago.
And of course, this is just one layer of MDI's, we haven't even begun to touch the fact about how many people cannot even afford one disk of Advair and Spiriva, that is another story for another time.
Can I count on you?
Thanks a bunch,
Bette Grey