Chris in Gary, Indiana

Chris in Gary, Indiana
Originally uploaded by walk4healthcare

As I walked along 25th Avenue (on the way to Gary), I heard a honk from the road. They stopped, I looked over. “Hey, Doc—weren’t you on TV last night?” And so I headed over to say hello and get the next story of the day.

With traffic zooming on by, we didn’t have much time for chitchat. But he, Chris was his name, told me, “We need help, it’s rough out here for everybody—not just the elderly. There’s drugs and alcohol problems, no treatment and the price of medications is too much.” I asked if he could share a specific example. “Sure,” he replied, while the older gentleman in the passenger seat with him nodded in acknowledgement. “My mother’s got Alzheimer’s and her medications are $500 to $600 dollars a month. It’s impossible …”