ODESSA, Texas (KMID/ KPEJ) – As health care worker shortages continue, the need for health care will reportedly also increase and it’s no different in the Permian Basin. 

A daughter and mother sat down with our Ozzy Mora and spoke openly about a recent medical scare that they said was a complete eye opener to the need of affordable health care.

“We all need our health, we can’t work, we can’t produce [and] we can’t take care of,“ said Midlander Mayra Thompson. 

Thompson and her mother Maria Donis visiting from Belize spoke about a recent medical problem.

“My mom got sick, she started with a cough, but turned out she had pneumonia,” said Thompson. 

She said she immediately panicked because her mother had no insurance.

“You know there are some of us who are regardless of what are sickness it can be [or] health condition, [they] can afford it,” she said. 

Then there are those that can’t afford health care costs at all.

According to a recent study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one in 10 people don’t have health insurance. 

Thompson said she was worried about her mother’s health, but also the hefty bill that would come after.

She said thankfully a doctor friend told them about a local group bridging health care gaps.

“We’re seeing that the number has increased, [and] we see 10 to 15 patients each time,” said Gregory Bartha, M.D. 

Bartha is a physician who volunteers his time to provide free health care at Casa de Amigos in Midland.

It’s an organization that offers health care services and other programs designed to help people meet their needs.

“It’s estimated that 20 percent of people here don’t have adequate insurance so that is a big barrier to people getting adequate care,” said Dr. Bartha. 

Casa de Amigos along with Midland Health and Texas Tech opened up a free health clinic called Leslie’s Place in August of 2022.

The group’s Executive Director Tonya Eckert said those that visit the clinic can’t afford health care.

“Since august of last year we have seen probably at least 400 individuals,” said Eckert. 

Ozzy: “That’s a lot.”

Eckert: “It is.”

The most recent report from the Texas Medical Association shows that in Midland County alone, about 29,000 people between the ages of 18 to 64 are uninsured. But that number is a few years old and it’s likely to be even larger now.  

“Sometimes you know even if it’s just a 20-dollar copay, even if it just 20 dollars it’s a lot of money,“ said Casa de Amigos Health and Wellness Coordinator Crystal Soria. 

Soria said they don’t turn anyone in need away and now a local hospital wants to share the same message.

“This hospital gives away typically 30 to 40 million dollars of indigent care, which means we give away 30 to 40 million dollars of free care every year for those people who can’t pay,” said Medical Center Hospital Odessa Public Relations Director Trevor Tankersley.

Tankersley said they want to make sure health care is accessible to all by helping with payment costs.

“We offer sliding scale payment systems [and] it’s based on the percentage of your income,” he said. “So, if you make more then, we go off based on that salary [and] if you are a family that is low income or no income at all, then we go based off that.”

He said MCH also works hand in hand with other rural health systems and groups to improve health care.

As for Thompson and her mother, they both said they hope that others without insurance won’t give up and continue speaking out about the need for accessible and affordable healthcare. 

We asked Thompson’s mother who only speaks Spanish how she feels now after recent treatments.  

She thanked us for asking and said she feels a lot better than before. 

Maria said she’s still on medication that is treating her pneumonia, and thanks the services at Casa de Amigos. If you are interested in its free health clinic, it’s every Tuesday and Thursday, adults only.

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