Published by: Maya Linson on 12/10/2010 11:57:03 AM
Last week many NAPH staff volunteered at the local Martha’s Table, which offers food, clothing and educational services for those in need around DC. We spent our time organizing nonperishable food and prepping vegetables for soup – and meeting wonderful people! Not to mention, pondering the parallels between this service and the services our member hospitals provide for those in need...
What was amazing to me was how many people were there volunteering their time in the middle of a regular workday. Two older women I had the chance to work with said they try and come three days a week to lend a hand. We started chatting and they asked where our group was from. When I said we came from an association for public hospitals, they gasped! They said: Where is that? Sounds like we need it! After a few more minutes of conversation, I realized they were excited about having somewhere in DC they could go and get care – they misunderstood and thought we worked for a local public hospital that they had yet to hear about. I explained the work we do to support public hospitals, and they were so pleased that an organization like ours exists, but they went on to lament the difficulties they find regarding health care for themselves and their loved ones, as well as the folks served by Martha’s Table.
They told stories about people they knew who could no longer afford the care they needed, who no longer had insurance, who were surviving on a single income and struggling with Social Security and bills and everything else. I listened intently. They continued to tell me about their wish for more public hospitals and health systems because so many people in their lives need that kind of help and support.
It occurred to me then how important it is to continue talking about the safety net. Part of my job here at NAPH is to manage our social media and general web presence. I spend so much time communicating online and rarely get the chance to just have a chat with people outside my personal and professional network.
But that day was a great reminder: each person we meet has someone in their life that has needed or could benefit from a safety net hospital. The safety net is often the only trauma center in the region, provides nearly 37 million in non-emergency room outpatient care, and accepts all patients regardless of their ability to pay. That means treating a serious amount of people, often for little or no financial gain.
So I have a test for you – when you are with your family or friends this holiday season, find out just how close you are to your safety net hospital or health system. Try and bring up health care in conversation – not necessarily the legislation or the politics behind the system (I know, hard to avoid!), but just the idea of health care. Where do they go when they need care? Where would you be taken if you got into an accident? Do you know someone without insurance? The more you talk about this with the people in your lives, the more you will see why the safety net is a critical and invaluable part of the community.
Photo: Packing breakfast for children that come to Martha's Table before they ride together to schools in NW DC. NAPH staff from left to right - Betsy Carrier, Diane Bessette, Josel Fritz and Mark Cambell.