Access to Health Care

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This week, we take a look at the health care debacle in this country. Travel with us to Crisis Ministries homeless shelter, the CARES clinic, the Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding Center, and into the homes and stories of people who have not been able to afford medical care when they needed it.

Meet Arthur Garrison, a truck driver who worked for 25 years, then lost much of his vision, his job and his health insurance before finding help at Harvest Free Medical Clinic. We also introduce you to Pamela Frazier, who's exhausted nearly every avenue to get treatment for bone cancer, and Leslie Carter, a student who was overwhelmed by her medical bills. Lewis Creel, HR Director for Alcoa, discusses the challenges businesses face in keeping up with rising health care costs, and Murray Neale explains how hippotherapy helps disabled children.

We explore many views on this complex issue. Dr. Carolyn Thiedke advocates a national health care system. Dr. Peter Kfoury gives some insightful commentary on our insurance system, and Dr. David Albenberg talks about his success in taking third-party payers out of his practice. We also introduce you to Dr. Anil Purohit, a medical resident who volunteers 2 nights a week at the CARES clinic, and the delightful Drs. Dan and Marjie Mengedoht, who describe the full service health care family doctors used to provide.

With our new bi-weekly schedule, this show will air for 2 weeks.

To learn more about health care in Charleston, or to reach groups from this episode, please visit these links:

Wellness House

Crisis Ministries

The CARES Clinic

Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding Clinic

Dr. David Albenberg, Access Healthcare