I am a recent rehire at Henry Ford Hospital. I selected my HAP insurance benefits that would start at the beginning of the next month. I called my pharmacy at the clinic to get a refill on my blood pressure medication. I was notified then that my insurance was no longer active. I didn't have enough money to pay for the prescription out-of-pocket because I had just gone back to work. I didn't think much about it. I thought to myself "well, I can wait until my HAP is active and I'll see my new doctor at Henry Ford and get my prescription filled." I also thought that I had enough medication to last me.
I woke up two mornings with a nosebleed. This is a tell-tail sign for me that my blood pressure is high. I went to the Emergency Room at HFH just to ask a nurse a question about my blood pressure and my options. This is where I ran into Debra. I explained my situation. I also told her that I really didn't want to be seen as an actual patient because I didn't have the money for an ER visit. I just needed some questions answered. She said she would see what she could do. About an hour later I went back to Debra and she gave me a couple of options. She said she called social work, but they couldn't help. Maybe I could go to Urgent Care and see what they could do. The other option was to call the clinic and see if they would send a prescription to the Henry Ford Pharmacy (which I didn't know if they would charge me for that) and that she would pay for my medication "as long as it wasn't in the hundreds!" I was taken aback, I couldn't believe it! This nurse was actually going to pay for medication for me. Well, Debra made a couple more calls and then introduced me to a pharmacist. She said that Debra told her about my situation and she could help. The pharmacist called the clinic and had them send the prescription to Henry Ford Clinic and filled my prescription that would last me to the middle of the month. I would be billed for the medication, but it was far less than expected. I would have gotten my first paycheck and would be able to pay for it then.
Because of the hard work and dedication of Debra, (with the help of the pharmacist) they probably prevented me from having a stroke and maybe even death. Debra went over and beyond. She really went out of her way to help me and to save me because I really didn't know what to do. I was actually just going to go without my medication for the month. I can't thank Debra enough for her compassionate care.