Mutual Aid for a More Just World pt. 10
First Published at Cultured
Photo by Hush Naidoo Jade Photography on Unsplash
People need medical care to both maintain health and prevent the progress of disease and illness. Especially amidst poor access to healthy food choices. The American healthcare system erects price barriers which limits access.
This system profits at the expense of public health. How do we fulfill medical needs until healthcare is established as a human right? Just as we realized educational outcomes fall short when competing with the profit motive, the same is true with healthcare.
Free medical clinics organize volunteer medical professionals to fill gaps in the safety net. Some travel, and others sit stationary. They do great work until the day that TN decides to expand Medicare, or these United States put our heads together for something grander and more caring.
For example, Remote Area Medical provides roaming medical services to fill needs in rural Appalachia. From Florida to Ohio, they organize volunteer medical professionals for people who can’t afford the services they need.
I learned of this organization through a family friend who manages volunteer efforts for them. They organize days in rural communities of need and offer free care — medical, health, and dental.
People arrive with critical conditions that could be avoided with early detection, if that were a political priority. Like Free Stores, Free Clinics require no ID. These programs are essential while we replace the systems that cause such great need.
Commentaires