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 A Different Drummer
By Matt McManus, Senior Writer, United Way of Greater Cleveland When you first meet Chris, you can't help feeling the vibe of enthusiasm he generates. It's hard to believe that there was a time when all that positive energy would switch on and off from day to day. One day, he'd be the guy who lights up a room when he comes in, and the next day, he'd plunge into a deep depression that would render him barely able to function. That's what it's like for a person living with untreated "rapid cycling" bipolar disorder.
Chris is a music teacher -- drums, guitar, bass -- giving private music lessons to adults and kids. He studied classical voice while majoring in music at a local college, but he plays rock music too. He's been teaching music for more than 10 years. Chris is also married, and he and his wife Amanda have a baby daughter, Georgia, who they adore.
Mood Roller Coaster
With Chris' particular type of bipolar disorder, "rapid cycling," mood shifts can occur from day to day, rather than the several weeks or longer of up/down cycles most bipolar individuals experience.
Bipolar disorder, for many years known as manic depression, is a brain disorder that causes unusual changes in the person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Left untreated, bipolar disorder generally worsens, and the suicide rate is high among those with the illness. However, with effective treatment, bipolar individuals can live long, productive and enjoyable lives.
Shut Out
But the reality is, because of his diagnosed pre-existing condition, Chris simply cannot find affordable health insurance that would cover the treatment. He takes five medications, and one of them by itself would cost $600 per month -- if he could afford to pay for it out of pocket.
Chris found out about North Coast Health Ministry two years ago when he was pretty much at the end of his rope about how he could afford the medications. Meeting the income level and other requirements, Chris was taken on as a patient, and Nancy Webster, NCHM's Pharmaceutical Patient Access Coordinator, helped him fill out the complicated applications that qualified him for a combination of free and low-cost prescriptions to treat his illness.
"I couldn't do the applications on my own," says Chris. "Nancy is incredible."
"When Chris comes in, he lights up the office," says Nancy. "He's very polite and caring. He appreciates the value of the services we provide and always thanks us when he comes in or calls. Chris even brought the staff at NCHM a cake on his own birthday!"
Taming the Paperwork
Nancy is a Registered Medical Assistant, but spends much of her time at NCHM handling the paperwork for patients to determine whether they qualify for low-cost or no-cost prescriptions. NCHM patients must provide proof of their income status for eligibility through federal tax forms, payroll stubs, unemployment, workers compensation, Social Security or other documentation. In addition to the pharmaceutical company programs that Nancy applies to, NCHM also receives donated drugs from those companies, as well as nursing homes.
"These programs are invaluable to our patients," says Nancy. "Many of them simply couldn't afford their medications otherwise."
For Chris Young and a lot of other people with no health insurance, North Coast Health Ministry rocks.
North Coast Health Ministry is a faith-based clinic in Lakewood that provides free health care services for eligible individuals in western Cuyahoga and eastern Lorain counties. To be eligible, individuals must be age birth to 65, earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level and have no medical insurance, including Medicaid or Medicare. To find out more, call 216-228-7878.
United Way of Greater Cleveland funds North Coast Health Ministry's chronic illness management program, as well as more than 200 other health and human service programs helping over 400,000 people in our community each year. To find out how you can help the United Way of Greater Cleveland 2008 Campaign, call 216-436-2100 or visit uws.org.
See a short video of Chris playing the drums
Originally published on the web at: http://www.uws.org/community/chris_young.asp
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