I went to the party and remembered what you said. You asked me not to drink alcohol, so I drank a Sprite instead. I felt proud of myself, as you said I should feel. You said I should not drink and drive, contrary to what some friends told me. I made a healthy choice and your advice was correct, as it always is.

When the party finally ended, people began to drive without being able to do so properly. I went to my car with the certainty that I would return home in peace. I never imagined what awaited me, Mom. Now I’m lying in the street and I hear the policeman say: “The kid that caused this accident was drunk”. Mom, his voice seems so distant. My blood is spilled everywhere and I’m trying with all my might not to moan. I can hear the doctors say, “This girl is going to die”. I have the certainty that the young man, who ran at full speed, decided to drink and drive, and now I have to die.

Why do people do this, Mom, knowing that this is going to ruin many lives? The pain is cutting me like a hundred knives. Tell my sister not to cry, tell Daddy to be strong. And when I go to Heaven, I’ll be watching for you all. Someone should have taught that boy that it’s wrong to drink and drive. Maybe if his parents would have told him that, I would not be dying now. My breath is getting weaker, more and more. Mom, these are my last moments and I feel so desperate. I wish I could hug you Mom, while I’m lying here dying. I wish I could tell you how much I love you, Mom. So… I… love… you… goodbye… ”

~ These words were written by a reporter who witnessed the accident. The girl, as she died, was saying these words and the reporter wrote them down… very overwhelmed. The journalist started this campaign, if you read this note, please click “share”, so more people can be aware. Therefore, I ask one small gesture, send it to your friends, family and loved ones.

~ PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE – DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE! It might be your own life that you save, or the life of a loved one. Please don’t let anyone else drive that’s drunk either. Offer to drive them, call them a taxi or a friend. Please SHARE

Access Health is a model for Health Care Reform
Earlier this year I began working on a project to find people who can tell about their experiences with a program called Access Health here in South Carolina. So far, I have met some amazing people who have no insurance and limited access to quality care. These people don’t look different from you and me. They are our neighbors and the people we see at church.
From Oconee County to Spartanburg County to Kershaw County, I traveled to meet Access Health clients, as well as physicians, nurses, medical clinic directors, and hospital executives who advocates of Access Health, an initiative that is bringing quality care to individuals who do not have health insurance.
Here is what I have learned:
1. One of every six persons living in SC has no health insurance. Most of them can’t afford it. During the recent recession, the numbers of unemployed and uninsured citizens in our state reached historic levels.
2. Each day, thousands of South Carolinians from all walks of life are forced to choose between paying their rent or going to the doctor, between feeding their children or having prescriptions filled.
3. In several communities throughout our state, Access Health is working with healthcare providers and community organizations to deliver coordinated care that focuses on the unique needs of each patient. They are offering not only hope, but results as they give low income persons a chance for a healthier, more productive life.
What do I mean by “coordinated care”?
For many individuals who do not have insurance and therefore no primary care physician, the smallest health issue takes them to the emergency room. The staff of the emergency room tries to resolve the issue immediately during that visit; however, without follow-up care that a primary care physician would provide, the medical issues are often not permanently resolved.
Access Heath not only helps with medical situations, but also provides case managers who follow up with the patient. This treatment focuses on the patient as a whole person and the medical problem as more than a set of symptoms. One gentleman who lived with untreated epilepsy for five years didn’t even know that he was diabetic until he saw an Access Health doctor. He had attributed all of his health problems to epilepsy.
Since the program’s start in 2008, Access Health networks have provided services to more than 25,000 South Carolinians. Use of emergency rooms among Access Health clients has decreased by an average of 19 percent.
One individual who lost her job and health insurance described the services provided by Access Health as better than when she had medical insurance. Specifically, she was impressed with the coordination of her care and how the Access Health providers truly educated her about how to live a healthy lifestyle. After “graduating” from the program, she had a better understanding of how to manage her health and navigate the health care system.
The ultimate goal of AccessHealth is not only to provide comprehensive healthcare for the uninsured but to remove obstacles and empower “clients” to become their own health advocates. AccessHealth networks refer clients to appropriate social services. Addressing social needs along with medical needs greatly improves their chances for a healthy, productive life. One client told me that they even helped her son apply to college, something no one in the family knew how to do.
Access Health SC is a model for Reform
The Access Health model is one that I think can be a model for reform right here in South Carolina. The Medicaid Expansion investment could be a tremendous resource to fund models like Access Health in South Carolina, models that are already proven to be a success. Imagine more medical homes, better coordination of care, reductions in emergency room visits…all for the uninsured of South Carolina.
Why not follow the lead of other conservative states and expand Medicaid, leverage the resources, and reform the way care is delivered? We’re already reforming the way care is delivered right here in South Carolina.
Bobby Rettew, M.A., Principal of BobbyRettew,llc, http://about.me/bobbyrettew, phone: 864.517.6149, twitter: @bobbyrettew

I want to thank Bobby for his contribution. I’ve made my position clear about Medicaid expansion here, however, y’all know this site is an open forum.

Normally don’t read chain e-mails, but I found this one had some merit.

If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for being in the country illegally … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If you have to show identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book, but not to vote who runs the government … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If the government wants to ban stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines with more than ten rounds, but gives 20 F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If, in the largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not a 24-ounce soda because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If an 80-year-old woman can be stripped searched by the TSA but a woman in a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government intrusion, while not working is rewarded with EBT cards, WIC checks, Medicaid, subsidized housing, and free cell phones (with your money) … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If the government’s plan for getting people back to work is to incentivize NOT working with 99 weeks of Unemployment checks (with your money) and no requirement to prove they applied but can’t find work … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big screen TV while your neighbor buys iPhones, TV’s and new cars, and the government forgives his (with your money) debt when he defaults on his mortgage … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If being stripped of the ability to defend yourself makes you more “safe” according to the government … you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

Amity Shlaes, author of the new book, Coolidge, discusses the 30th President and how he cut federal spending and lowered taxes while remaining popular.

S.381 is the bill I introduced on 2013.02.13 which reduces dew administrations salaries proportionally to the percentage of improper payments as calculated by the US Department of Labor.

Here’s the introduction remarks of s.381 in the Senate Chamber: