Patient Stories Vol. 1 | The Unmistakable Merits of Trust
Sahira's Story Sahira getting her heart rate checked by Joy. No more than 4 months ago, Sahira P. came to Care For the Homeless’ (CFH) Susan’s Place Health Center in the Bronx for a routine check-up. However, there was something else on her mind aside from taking her blood pressure and checking her resting heart rate. It turned out she had been struggling with a Percocet addiction. As is the case with many CFH patients, Sahira was (at first) apprehensive about telling her story, despite her intense desire to do so. “I was dying to tell somebody my story,” she commented. “But, I was afraid someone would judge me.” Judgement is just one of the many legitimate concerns CFH patients have when seeking medical services. Negative past experiences and financial insecurities lead patients to believe that they’ll also be, either turned away by providers or treated poorly by them. These complex concerns yield a litany of negative consequences. Perhaps the most severe ...