My Healthcare Testimonial submitted to Street Roots, in response to the measure that is trying to be passed to cut and or limit healthcare in Oregon, this was shortened for social media character restrictions, however this is the original article .
A Necessity for Life
Healthcare, many individuals take this necessity for granted, until something drastic happens. I have always wanted a primary care physician (PCP, I still have trouble using this acronym) and up until I started going to college I never really had the ability to have a PCP, yet this service was still very limited with the college provided insurance.
In 2014 my husband and I became homeless after I had a full on mental break. I knew if we could get to Portland we would be ok, and that life would get better, making it possible to get the care I so desperately needed.
It was here in PDX that I refiled for SSI/SSD, and began again to seek medical services. Thanks to some new friends and Street Roots I found Outside In Clinic, there they helped me to reapply for OHP, and start the much needed medical care I required to become whole in body and mind, to again become a productive member of society.
With OHP I was able to obtain care from a PCP, chiropractor, acupuncturist, psychiatrist, a counselor, EMDR therapy, a seeking safety group, and much needed DBT group therapy. For the first time in my life I had providers who did not treat me as if I was a hypochondriac or a pill seeker, they truly care that I am receiving the services needed to maintain a healthy life, while I continue working through chronic pain and ptsd.
Instead of merely surviving I am learning how to live, and for the first time in my life I’ve felt a sense of relief, because my pain is real and I’m not crazy.
Believe me when I say this scared me, when I first started on this journey I was afraid that I would wake up and everything would have been a dream, leaving me that crazy lady screaming at the world.
When your life becomes full of flashbacks, night terrors, and many more, until you have experienced this you can never truly understand how debilitating they can make your life.
I’ve been working with my medical providers going on three years now and have made a lot of progress, however I still have a long journey ahead of me, you don’t simply unlearn fifteen plus years of trauma in a few months or even a few years.
While I’m still in the process of applying for SSI, thanks to Street Roots I financially help support my family, with the help of OHP and my medical providers, I am alive today sharing my story with you.
Namaste friends
AiDesigns2074 