Many immigrants and people with low incomes already saw preventive care as a luxury. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has created another barrier to their seeking and receiving health care.
Covenant serves more than 20,000 patients each year through five locations with a staff of about 200. Pettway was forced to furlough about 50 staff members and shut down two full-service dental centers, because dental care is not essential, even though 1,400 patients are on a waiting list.
The lack of patients seeking health care is a direct result of Michigan's tough battle against the coronavirus. As of May 18, the state had more than 51,000 confirmed cases, with Detroit registering more than 10,000 confirmed cases and 1,255 deaths,"Our patient population has been hard hit, no doubt about it," Pettway says."Those health disparities that we've seen due to COVID, they existed long before COVID. COVID just brought it to light." Joslyn Pettway is acting CEO of Covenant Community Care in Detroit. So far Covenant has tested at least 244 patients for the coronavirus, and it is planning to open a drive-in testing site.Courtesy of Covenant Community Care Joslyn Pettway is acting CEO of Covenant Community Care in Detroit. So far Covenant has tested at least 244 patients for the coronavirus, and it is planning to open a drive-in testing site.There's no better time to argue for affordable access to care for everyone, she adds. The coronavirus pandemic shows why we need to keep pushing to expand access to medical care for everybody, regardless of the person's status, Pettway says. "Nobody is excluded from the impact of COVID. And so people who are unable to access care for a variety of reasons, they increase the spread of the virus," ultimately impacting all of us, she says. Community health centers, like Covenant Community Care, were launched in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's, propelled by the civil rights movement and the War on Poverty. Their aim then, as it is now, is to provide comprehensive and affordable primary care to medically underserved populations, regardless of their insurance or immigration status and their ability to pay for services. Pettway says it's not atypical for Covenant patients to delay care, especially preventive care. To many low-income residents, preventive health care is a luxury. They either can't take the time away from work or lack transportation or child care.Covenant has been hit hard by the pandemic. Only one site is open for in-person urgent visits, such as testing for the coronavirus, newborn checkups or an abscess that needs to be drained. The other four locations are currently serving patients virtually., Pettway invested in telehealth software in March to keep the Covenant centers running.Family nurse practitioner Sage Davis set up the telehealth program for Covenant Community Care.
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