By Constance Day and Marilyn Bradshaw
The City Council said the North East needed more health centers when it included funding for two new health centers in the Lower North East in this year's budget. The Department of Health found the sites after years of searching for the right sites. One will be located at the Frankford Transportation Center and the other on the grounds of Friends Hospital on Roosevelt Blvd.
So who uses the city's health centers? Many people, including the elderly, uninsured workers and their families, immigrants, children and anyone who needs health care. We are two residents of the Lower North East who have been using the city's health centers for years for our health care, following issues that affect so many people.
My name is Constance Day. I worked for Pinkus Brothers, the clothing manufacturer, for 26 years until it went out of business in 2016. At that point I was offered COBRA coverage as required after a layoff. What do you think it costs? $800 per month after severance. I couldn't afford it, but my brother-in-law worked in security at a health center in town and advised me to go to his health center, which I did. I've been going ever since and feel like I've gotten better care there than with private insurance. Everyone is very attentive to me and seems to take a deeper dive into my problems. Now I'm on Medicare, but I still go to the health center in my town. It was a lifesaver.
My name is Marilyn Bradshaw. I have lived in Mayfair for over 40 years. Back in 1981 I was living the dream. I was in college, married, living in a nice house, and had just given birth to a beautiful baby boy. After about six or seven months, when our precocious little boy started pulling up furniture and walking, my husband decided he wasn't ready to be a father yet and didn't want to get married anymore. By the time our divorce was finalized, I was no longer entitled to his employment insurance.
I thank God every day for my mother and grandmother who helped me raise my son and the Health Center 10 on Cottman Ave. It took me a month to get an appointment at HC 10, which is nothing compared to the 9-12 months it takes for an adult today to register for health center care. Kids take over 5 months to sign up today.
I have had the privilege of being seen by doctors, nurses, phlebotomists, lab technicians, mammographers, family planners, gynecologists, social workers, pharmacists, and many other providers. Unfortunately now residents of the North East cannot easily access this cheap health care due to overpopulation.
However, we both know that the new health centers will be large enough to accommodate over 46,000 new patients, a real advantage for the people of the North East. There are nearly 50 city and federal health centers throughout Philadelphia, but only one in the entire Northeast.
The sooner we build the new centers, the sooner people will have access to the life-saving healthcare they need. We see the frustration Northeast residents face now while waiting to see their doctors at HC 10. The city funding is there and the city health centers pay for themselves with patient insurance revenue when they are operating. It is time to build these health centers, without further delay. ••
