When a Child Gets Sick Under Our Current Privatized Healthcare System
By Margaret Franks, RN
October 23, 2022 is a date that Jasmine Spooner, RN will never forget. She brought her then 3-year-old son, Greyson to the Emergency Room at Vassar Brothers to see why he was having abdominal pain where X-rays revealed something more troubling than the constipation she had expected. She was told to take Greyson to the pediatrician the next morning and upon doing so, found herself in Westchester Medical Center by noon where Greyson began what would be the start of many rounds of tests. On Oct. 26, Greyson was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ganglioneuroblastoma, a cancer that can affect kids in their first five years. In the 16 months since he was initially diagnosed, her little boy has endured chemotherapy, radiation, endless bloodwork, transfusions, biopsies, and prolonged hospitalizations Through it all this child has kept smiling and his family have rallied around him to give him as normal a childhood as he can have.
Co-workers started a GoFundMe for Greyson after the initial diagnosis because we knewthat despite having NYSNA health insurance, there would be many incidentals that would not be covered in the many trips between Poughkeepsie and Westchester that were to come. Greyson is in the maintenance phase right now which requires him to be hospitalized 1 week out of each month and travel to Westchester Medical Center twice a week when he’s home. He has an NG tube for tube feeds and medications. Jasmine must pay out of pocket for the syringes, saline and flushes needed for his leukine injections as they are not covered by insurance.
Passing the New York Health Act would ensure that other parents would not have to worry about coverage for themselves or their children no matter what the circumstances. Under our current privatized system, medical -related expenses are behind approximately one third of all GoFundMe fundraisers clearly showing that the current system forces us to rely on the generosity of others for what should be a guaranteed right. We must change the course of healthcare and as nurses we have the power to do so. Please join us in helping to pass the New York Health Act so families across New York have guaranteed care for them and their children.
The article first appeared in NYSNA's Single Payer Healthcare Committee newsletter.