Community Health Is In Style
Health Alliance For The Uninsured Says No Citizen Should Be Left Without Medical Care
In his work with the Oklahoma City nonprofit Health Alliance for the Uninsured, Dr. Dave Bratzler has seen patients who refused to go to a hospital because of lack of health insurance.
One gentleman, who relied on the free health clinics that fall under the Health Alliance for the Uninsured umbrella, thought his local clinic was closed. It wasn’t, but in the short time he didn’t receive medical care, he went into heart failure.
“His blood pressure was completely uncontrolled. Because of that, he went into heart failure,” said Dr. Bratzler. “When I saw him in the clinic, not only did he have uncontrolled blood pressure, but was starting to retain fluids and have difficulty breathing. Not surprisingly, he was one of those people who really did not want to go to the hospital because he couldn’t afford the cost or the co-pays.”
Because the Health Alliance for the Uninsured (HAU) works with partner hospitals and health agencies and buys medications in bulk, Dr. Bratzler was able to give the man the medications he needed to stay alive.