He Promised His Mom He’d Preserve the Household Wholesome. In Albany, Georgia, That’s Not Simple. — ProPublica

Clifford Thomas and his household misplaced 4 kin in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, together with his beloved mom, Beverly. A center faculty trainer, Beverly had struggled with continual well being issues all her life, and after they compelled her to depart her job as a result of incapacity, she was unable to afford common medical care. Her closing request to her son was that he hold the household wholesome.

However in Albany, Georgia, attaining that promise is a battle. Town is served by a single, dominant hospital system, Phoebe Putney Memorial. Its management of the market and Georgia’s strict limits on Medicaid have left almost one-third of individuals in Albany, one of many poorest cities within the state, uninsured.

Poor entry to high quality, inexpensive care has contributed to deep mistrust of the system. Residents like Thomas see Phoebe as extra of a barrier to good well being than a security internet. He gave up on looking for medical insurance coverage or a health care provider who would take care of him with out it.

Then, he started to get sick.

There are thousands and thousands like Thomas throughout the US and dozens of locations like Albany — locations with populations struggling excessive charges of continual however treatable circumstances, the place the dominant establishment is a hospital. ProPublica examines the nation’s well being care disaster in a five-part collection referred to as “Sick in a Hospital City.” Learn or hearken to the total collection right here. Watch this brief documentary for a close-up of 1 man’s effort to beat the obstacles to care.