[aunt jeannie]

Can someone advise me? My nephew just had a diving injury while visiting a friend - broken vertebrate C6 no sensation below chest. He is 24 with no health insurance and no money. He is currently in a Florida hospital. Will he be able to get treatment and therapy? I'm thankful that he's alive, but I am so scared and worried for him. I would appreciate any advice. Thank-you. Aunt Jeannie

[doublelibra]

Jeannie,
I'm sorry to hear of your nephew's injury. Your nephew is fortunate to have a caring family member such as yourself. You can talk to the hospital Social Worker, and he/she should be able to help him apply for Social Security or SSI, as well as Medicare or Medicaid. If such a worker isn't available, call the local Dept. of Social Services. The sooner you do this the better, because Social Security moves very slowly. Medicaid paid for extensive therapy for me in my state after my injury. I hope this helps.

doublelibra

This post has been edited by doublelibra: 08 July 2008 - 11:30 AM

[allis53ca]

medicaid "now"...everything else has various waiting periods of 60 days to 2 years...you or whomever has time can do all the apps and filings for him... his auto ins. "should" also owe him a min of 25k cash....even resources with waiting periods need to be applied for asap so that the calendar is the only thing he's waiting on....the hosp has an in-house soc worker, (somewhere) find him/her and ride their ass for everything he needs....some are great, some won't do shit unless you camp in their office...push, push, push, you can't wait for help to come to him..if you aren't proactive with the resources available he will not get what he needs...also find the "patient advocate" in the hosp, they are in all hosps and are independent of the staff and mgmt....

[stevensgirl14]

I know as a therapist that has worked with a lot of SCI's, most rehab hospitals will accept a certian number of indigent cases per year. Meaning basically they treat and rehab patients for no cost and chalk it up as a tax write off or loss. I'm not sure of how they do it in Florida and I do know the laws for therapist there are stricter than in most states. If there is ANY way for you to get him to Shepard rehab in Atlanta that's the best place in the southeast for SCI's. Good Luck and God Bless!

[aunt jeannie]

Thank-you for responding to me. I have taken all the advice you have given me, and followed up with professionals in the Florida area. Your responses gave me so much comfort at one of the scariest times in my family's life. Thank-you all for being there, and may God bless you all.