Philanthropy That Works

While politicians ruminate and demagogue about a health care crisis that may or may not exist, a philanthropic doctor is actually doing something about the uninsured that Michael Moore depicted in his documentary, "Sicko." Out of his own pocket, Dr. Jamshad Wyne is operating two free clinics for the Staten Island community providing the uninsured and underinsured with primary / pediatric and cardiac care. While the clinics are completely free of charge, they are indistinguishable from high caliber private facilities and staffed with reputable experienced private practice physicians such as Dr. Ralph Messo and Dr. Luigi Parisi.

I'm not sure what this skeptic was expecting when I scheduled an appointment after reading in a local paper about the Med/Ped clinic opening last week, but after touring the clinic and realizing that there was no catch to the "free," I then thought this must be costing the doctor a fortune. Well, it is, but the idea that he may go bankrupt one day doesn't stop Dr. Wyne from offering the very best care to all who need it. Why are you doing this, I asked? "It has to come from the inside to give back to the community," said Dr. Wyne, who was born in Pakistan and opened the clinics in memory of his late parents.

In the next two months, the cardiac clinic will obtain a state of the art 64-slice CT cardiac scanner which can gather a high-resolution image of a heart, brain or a pair of lungs in about five seconds. A scan of the whole body takes about 30 seconds. The idea that this high tech diagnostic machine will be offered free to any resident is an example of the superiority of private health care as opposed to the universal health system espoused by liberal politicians. I doubt seriously that this kind of preventative medicine is available in Canada or the United Kingdom at a walk-in clinic.

Dr. Wyne has received bipartisan support from local politicians, including Rep. Vito Fossella who said, "This is a win-win because it's meeting the needs of patients, reducing the burden on our hospitals and minimizing costs on taxpayers."

I also spoke with State Senator Andrew Lanza, who was instrumental in helping Dr. Wyne acquire medical equipment for the clinics. He had high praise for what Dr. Wyne is doing for the community but added, "No thanks to the HHC."

Mr. Lanza made no bones about charging the City's Health and Hospitals Corp. with total neglect of the Staten Island community. He said, "The HHC more or less told us 'You're on your own.'"

Mr. Lanza has been trying to push a bill through that would require the HHC to spend 10% of its budget in each borough to handle the uninsured. He said Saint Vincent tried to take up the job that HHC was supposed to do and it went bankrupt and now its successor, Richmond University Medical Center, is struggling as well.

I spoke to HHC's senior vice president of Community Relations, La Ray Brown, who assured me that while Staten Island does not have a public hospital, the private hospitals are required to provide health care to all. I asked her if she had visited the emergency wards here lately. My daughter-in-law was stuck in the emergency room for two days waiting for a room. The hallways were filled with patients on gurneys and reminded me of "Barbarian Invasions," which depicted the sad state of the Canadian health system.

I had originally contacted the HHC to inquire if Dr. Wyne's clinics were eligible for any grant programs from the city. I learned that none were presently available but Ms. Brown recommended the New York State Health Foundation, which offers grants to medical providers.

Frankly, I believe that Dr. Wyne is better off getting funding for his clinics from individuals with kind hearts and a concern for those who are unable to afford costly health insurance yet do not qualify for Medicaid. Of course, medical insurance wouldn't cost so much if we had more choice of insurers than that allotted by state law.

At least four other doctors are volunteering their services at the clinic, which I hope will inspire others to do the same. The Staten Island Heart Imaging Primary Care center is at 1497 Richmond Road and the Med/Peds Free Clinic is at 2248 Richmond Road. Their phone numbers are 718-351-5551 and 718-351-0500.

It would be wonderful if Michael Moore paid a visit here. It's much closer than Cuba.

acolon@nysun.com