If one lives in Northeast Philadelphia, should the wait time be longer than in the rest of the city?
Answering this question is at the heart of what the Philadelphia City Council will decide when it votes to either support building two new health centers or to throw out the last ten years of plans to improve health care.
Health Centers are open to every resident of Philadelphia. There is a sliding fee from $ 5 – 20. Surprisingly, the Philadelphia Health Centers don’t require funding from the city’s operating budget. The Centers use “healthcare navigators” to help eligible residents find affordable health insurance. Whenever possible, the centers bill insurance companies for whatever care is provided.
Patients report high satisfaction with the care they receive but not with the wait times at the North East Health Center. It can take as long as one year for an adult to get an appointment to see a doctor.
The need for health insurance is greatest among those who cannot afford health insurance, a number that will be growing as more and more people lose the support offered during the pandemic.
America’s healthcare policies tying health insurance to employment were developed years ago. Attempts to switch to universal health care have been tried over the years.
President Roosevelt traded support for universal health care for the Social Security program. President Truman gave up his efforts because it would have required new taxes. As Dylan Scott of Vox web page wrote: Employer-sponsored insurance may have become too big to fail, but it’s putting patients on the hook for more of the bill.
Hospitals do not offer the type or level of care the Health Centers offer. Under “The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA),” a hospital must provide available stabilizing treatment, regardless of ability to pay. But that doesn’t mean ongoing care or even care for chronic illness. Only enough care so patients don’t die in the waiting room. (Which happens on occasion despite the law.)
Some Health Center patients report ” putting their pride aside” to seek health care. Others become angry when they realize that when a company takes away a job, it also takes away an employee’s health care. In 2003, 75% of Philadelphians voted for universal health care. The Home Rule Charter was amended. It now calls for health care for all.
In most parts of the City, the health centers and the Federal Qualified Heath Clinics have enough capacity to offer treatment in a reasonable amount of time. Only one of the 50 Federal and City Health Centers is in the Northeast.
During the last 40 years, Philadelphia’s demographics have changed. Center City, Univerity City, and surrounding neighborhoods have seen an influx of wealthier families. The Northeast has become home to the highest concentration of people who immigrate to Philadelphia, and poverty levels have grown by over 350%.
A recent study by The University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Health Economics found that Northeast Philadelphia is a “healthcare desert .”
The demand for new North East Health Centers has never been greater. The existing Center has expanded as much as possible using all available space. But it is not enough.
After more than ten years of evaluations, studies, and budgeting, the city has plans to build two new health centers to meet the overflowing demand; one, a smaller facility near the Frankford Transportation Center, the other a much larger one on the grounds of the Friend’s Hospital off of Roosevelt Boulevard near the newly planned crosswalks and bus stops.
Some people have asked why the City can’t find a better site than Friends Hospital. Building on the site will require demolishing a dilapidated building, which the Historical Commission voted 7 to 3 to remove. For the last 30 years, there have been unsuccessful attempts to find the money to save the building. Some people have expressed interest in spending another 30 years seeking funds while the building collapses. Carol Rogers, a healthcare advocate, replied: “There is no perfect place, but there is a perfect time, and the time is now… Starting over will take at least another ten years and jeopardize the funding we already have in place.”
If the City were to stop the building of the health centers, thousands of Northeast residents would be deprived of services they need. The wait times will increase, and many will see their chronic conditions worsen.
The decision is squarely in the hands of Philadelphia City Council. Will they meet residents’ needs, honor the Philadelphians’ vote and finish the project?
As one Health Center advocate said: “To those who oppose offering care to those in need as quickly as possible, we ask: what is more important, to allow a dilapidated, vacant building to deteriorate further while the 30-year attempt to find funds to repair the building continues, or the health care of your neighbors? You don’t have to be a Christian to take Christ’s admonition to heart: ‘In whatever city you enter, heal the sick that are therein.’ (Luke 10: 8-9) We can all be ‘Good Samaritans’ and demand the health centers be built now.”
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