County: Life, Death And Politics At Chicago's Public Hospital (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Coming to Cook County Hospital as a young intern in the late 1970’s, David Ansell was prepared to take on the world. What he didn’t account for was the squalid and life-threatening conditions he found there. Long a dumping ground for the uninsured, Cook County Hospital's clients are almost universally uninsured, poor and either black or Latino. Ansell and his fellow young doctors battle for “equal access to all” in a city that has one of the most segregated populations in the entire country. Focused on a single Chicago hospital, I’m curious how this book would resonate with someone not familiar with County healthcare or Chicago politics. Most of the book takes place in the old hospital, which no longer exists, but it’s ultimately an indictment of our racist, inequitable national healthcare system which sadly does still exist. Best chapter in the book deals with the County patient dumping study, a hopeful example of how being brave enough to present the facts and dire consequences can effect positive policy change and save lives. Also loved reading about the crusaders, such as Ruth Rothstein, whose leadership led to the building of the new hospital and HIV/AIDS-focused Core Center. Something is lost, however, when you discuss the Cook County Health & Hospitals System in isolation. Once you get past the long lines, County is frequently able to provide better care for the uninsured than the insured simply because they’re not constrained by the crazy limitations imposed by health insurers. What many healthy insured Americans don’t realize is that once you become sick, you’re not as well protected as you had assumed. At the end of the day, an equitable healthcare system would benefit all Americans and cost us all less than the crazy and pricey system we currently suffer under.
What do You think about County: Life, Death And Politics At Chicago's Public Hospital (2011)?
I liked it- it was a reald eye opener on the problems of poverty and health care.
—seesaw
A must-read, especially if you live in the Chicago area.
—alex
