Grace

Sometimes one doesn’t realize that an act of helping someone may have an impact lasting beyond that moment. Grace first came to the clinic as a walk-in living in the community. She was homeless and living with a girlfriend and one day the girlfriend stopped at the Arbuckle medical clinic to inquire if the clinic might be able to help Grace. The story was told that Grace was homeless and the friend took her in but Grace had no money and needed medical prescriptions and help with her medical problems. The friend was told to bring Grace in the next day before lunch time and the clinic would determine whether it would be able to help her. The next day both women came to the clinic and Grace’s story was told. Grace had been hospitalized with shortness of breath, high blood pressure and new seizures that she thought were related to the high blood pressure. Grace did not know much more about her diagnosis but had been prescribed medication she no longer was able to have filled because of her financial situation. The pharmacy was contacted and they gave the names and dosages of the medications. The medications were all considered life sustaining; the cost to fill them would be $39.00. The clinic nurse knew that the Mission, by providing the medication would be acting in the best interest for Grace and was the most responsible decision for Grace’s health. Any other course of action meant paperwork and about a month’s wait for the medication. Grace’s blood pressure wasn’t stable enough for her to wait that long. While Grace and her friend ate lunch at the mission the prescriptions were filled, picked up and brought to where she sat eating. She smiled, gave thanks and went on her way.

In November 2008, Grace came back to the Washington City Mission, only this time as an Avis Arbor resident. She had been using drugs and alcohol for over 20 years and she still was homeless and in poor health. She never knew what it was to be off drugs and alcohol for any extended time. Whether it was being homeless or wanting recovery that brought her to Avis she would experience more in a short time there than any of us anticipated, including her.

During her stay she was seen by the clinic volunteer doctors and the paperwork for insurance was completed. The clinic continued to provide either sample medication or cover the cost of her prescriptions through the generic prescription program at Wal-mart. Through an arrangement with Washington Hospital Center we were able to obtain laboratory studies for free. It was recommended that Grace become established with a provider in the community and Crossing the Jordan clinic was chosen to be her PCP. Grace still continued to utilize the Arbuckle Medical Clinic as well in the interim. Although Grace’s blood pressure was controlled through medication there were other findings on exam that were concerning. She had a very large abdominal hernia for which she would eventually need surgery to repair; in the meantime it caused her intermittent pain. Another finding was a heart murmur that needed further testing to evaluate the severity and cause. The problem was her insurance had not come through yet to cover the cost of any testing.

In January of 2009, it became a matter that could no longer wait when she presented to the ER with symptoms -they admitted her. During this admission she was diagnosis as needing a heart valve repair which was the source of the murmur. It wasn’t performed at that time, instead they removed all her teeth which can be a source of bacteria and damage heart valves in susceptible patients. She was stabilized and sent home to heal from her dental surgery and readmitted as planned in February for major heart surgery.

Grace is now home at Avis Arbor, healing from surgery to repair her heart. She is thankful, tired, happy and clean from drugs. The clinic offers what help it can to those in the community. It was never envisioned that when Grace first came to the clinic from the community that she would become a resident and travel down a path leading to recovery of both her addiction and her heart problems. That path with the Washington City mission does not end yet. Grace still needs teeth. If her insurance doesn’t cover the dentures she needs-the clinic has a volunteer dentist who makes dentures for those completing the program.