Casey gauges wellbeing of healthcare

A crying baby and a waiting room full of patients in Bensalem may have taught one Pennsylvania politician a thing or two about national healthcare reform.

A crying baby and a waiting room full of patients in Bensalem may have taught one Pennsylvania politician a thing or two about national healthcare reform. U.S. Senator Bob Casey toured several health centers yesterday to find out what parts of the medical system are working and what needs to change as he pushes for national healthcare reform.

Listen:
[audio: 090706lfhealth.mp3]

Senator Casey is getting a tour from Terri Rivera, a Vice President from St. Mary’s Medical Center…which runs the health centers. Rivera says thousands of low income families each year get services at the one-stop-shop, including adult, wellness, maternity, and childrens’ services.

Rivera: One of the things that we’re trying to do here is create a medical home for the uninsured. So that no matter where you are on the continuum of life, you can come in and get medical services. You’ll have a doctor, you’ll have a midwife, you’ll have a nurse. They’ll tell you when it’s time for a mammogram, they’ll check your cholesterol, they’ll do all the preventive stuff.

Health center officials say the number of patients has spiked, likely because of the struggling economy. Senator Casey says the health centers could serve as a model for national healthcare reform.