Thousands in Hampton Roads have no health insurance

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05:55 PM EDT on Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Reported by: Kathryn Barrett

Robert Ritter of Norfolk lives with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and back pain.

He also lives with the knowledge that he doesn't have health insurance. He was laid off from his construction job and was denied disability benefits.

Ritter is one of the estimated 174,000 uninsured Hampton Roads residents, according to the Sentara Health Foundation.

AP

He used to go without expensive drugs he needs, especially insulin. Now he gets them and pays $20 instead of hundreds of dollars.

"Without Dr. Subir Vij and the pharmacy getting medication, insulin, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be able to afford my medicine," Ritter says.

Health care at clinics like Park Place Medical Center helps keep the uninsured from flocking to hospital emergency rooms.

"It is a clinic which offers care to anyone without any kind of insurance, or if they have insurance, we take that, too," explained Dr. Vij.

The Foundation's survey showed the region's top five health issues are access to basic health care, chronic care, mental health, maternal and infant services and dental care.

The survey questioned residents of Poquoson, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.

Access partnership, a coalition of 30 health care organizations, is using Sentara's information to try to come up with a coordinated system to help the uninsured across Hampton Roads.

Other findings:

uninsured adults are 25% more likely to die prematurely

Low birth weight rate exceeds state rate in five of those cities

Hospitalization rates for diabetes exceeds state rates in five cities