LISTEN TO LOU MARKWITH HERE
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August 4th, President Barack Obama addressed members of the AFL-CIO at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington, D.C. Security for the event was very tight and I was informed that I would not be able to get in to see President Obama’s address. Elsewhere in the gargantuan Convention Center (which cost D.C. taxpayers some $850 million to construct), the National Association of Free Clinics was hosting a one-day free medical clinic.
As I made my way to the health clinic, I stopped in front of a television: President Obama’s speech was being carried live. In his speech, Obama touted the success of the recent healthcare reform. It seemed ironic to hear Obama’s words while watching people descend on the free clinic.
In total, the one-day clinic treated 1,200 patients and turned away an additional 500 individuals. “The demand was phenomenal. It was more than we can handle,” said Tom Susman with the National Association of Free Clinics. While the clinic treated people from throughout the D.C. metro area, in the District of Columbia alone, there are more than 57,200 residents who are uninsured, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. When asked by the CDC, 48,000 District residents reported not seeing a doctor in the past year because of cost.
Lou Markwith is the Executive Director of the Virginia Association of Free Clinics. He took a break from his duties at the Convention Center to discuss healthcare – and dental care – issues in Virginia and throughout the U.S. Markwith said, “In Virginia, there are about 1.1 million people who don’t have any health insurance. There are over 3 million in Virginia who don’t have dental insurance. I saw a national news report two days ago [that said] there are over 100 million people in this country who don’t have dental care. And because of that, if you’re mouth is not healthy, your body is not healthy.”
Markwith said, “Most of the infections people get comes into their mouth – or through their mouth. So it is extremely important that we do something to bolster healthcare in terms of oral health throughout the nation. I was just at a clinic in Wise, Virginia last weekend and over 2,600 teeth were extracted from patients there who had rotten teeth and problems. And it’s a major health problem that is not addressed in health reform law and it’s a major gap that we need to address.”