Every doctor and nurse in our hospital's emergency room knew Jerome. He was one of our regulars.
In his 20s, he had back problems that led him to become addicted toprescription painkillers. That habit proved too expensive, and he switched to heroin.
Jerome used to come to the ER nearly every week. Often, he just wanted a sandwich and someone to talk to. He had lost his job and his home. Several months ago, he decided he had to quit heroin.
We helped him with health insurance so that he could find a primary care doctor. Our social worker connected him with addiction treatment, including medications and mental health counseling. He was also working on rekindling a relationship with his estranged family.
[For more of this story, written by Leana Wen, go to http://www.npr.org/blogs/healt...y-patient-didn-t-get]
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