Nate's Story
November 27, 2019Accessible Primary Care for All in Our Community
Nate Burger’s blood pressure might have been dangerously high for decades. Yet because he had been receiving only limited primary care, the threat went undetected—until October 2016, when drooping face muscles brought Nate to the emergency department at Holy Cross Hospital. Nate was diagnosed with mini-strokes called transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs.
Soon after, Nate began receiving “secondary preventive care” at the Holy Cross Health Center in Aspen Hill, which provides affordably priced health care services to those who face financial barriers to accessing care.
Prescribed to prevent or make any future incidents less harmful, Nate’s treatments were at work when he experienced a stroke in April 2016 and another five months later.
Erik Rivera, MD, who has treated Nate throughout, says that, “Because of the medication Nate had been receiving, the strokes involved less area of the brain than they might have. They were less severe.”
Nate’s mother, Mary Burger, has seen her older son (whom she calls “Chip” as in “chip off the old block”) through it all. “If not for Holy Cross’ care, and referrals to specialists and therapists, we would have been lost,” she says. “We were afraid and knowing that Holy Cross would provide this care made the difference. Relief is putting it mildly.”
The care Nate has received at the Holy Cross Health Center in Aspen Hill has been crucial. I can't imagine what his life would be like without it. There would be no improvement. We would just be sitting on the porch." - Mary Burger, pictured above with son, Nate.
With both his speech and mobility impaired, Nate has received at-home speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and nursing care, all through Holy Cross and covered by his Maryland Physicians Care insurance.
Their support, Dr. Rivera’s care and Nate’s hard work have paid off. “Nate has made outstanding progress,” says Dr. Rivera, who continues to see Nate regularly. “Before, he would just stare and be unable to respond. Now, he is able to clearly understand both the written and spoken word, and can speak several words.”
Mary, too, has seen the progress. “We feel fortunate. Chip can eat more regular foods, talks to the therapists and we can travel now, about once a week,” she says. “His improvement is a big deal.”
Four Health Centers
Holy Cross Health is the only health system in Montgomery County operating its own health centers for providing affordably priced health care to those in financial need.
The four primary care health centers serve community members who are uninsured or are enrolled in Maryland Medicaid or the Maryland Children’s Health Program (MCHP). The health centers provide primary care, screenings, chronic disease management, behavioral health, preventive care, health education and follow-up care for emergency department and inpatient visits.
Our diverse staff includes individuals who can communicate in English, Spanish and French, and interpretation services are available for other languages. In fiscal 2016, the health centers logged 37,128 patient visits and served 10,000 individuals.
Maryland Physician's Care
Maryland Physicians Care is another way that Holy Cross Health helps those area residents in financial need. Founded in 1996, Maryland Physicians Care is a Maryland Medicaid managed care organization jointly owned by Holy Cross Health and three other health systems.
It is among the largest Medicaid managed health care organizations in Maryland, currently administering health care services for approximately 200,000 enrollees, helping qualifying Maryland Medicaid members make good decisions about their health and receive quality health care services through its network of providers.