June 2009 patient Caleb Staley
Caleb Staley has been slowly losing his hearing since he was 6. Every time he has an ear infection, he loses a little bit more of his hearing. The last three years have been the worst.
For a month and a half this winter, he was deaf because he couldn’t afford to go to the doctor.
“I didn’t know how I was going to pay him,” Staley said. “It seems as soon as I get one bill paid I get another one and start all over again. I end up with two bills at the same time.”
Paychecks go to pay off medical bills that pile up because he doesn’t have insurance. But he can’t find a good job because of his hearing loss. The jobs he can get don’t offer health insurance. And without insurance, he can’t afford hearing aids that will allow him to get a better job.
The situation seemed hopeless until Linn County Project Access connected Staley with the health care and hearing aids that he needs.
“The whole experience with the doctors providing their services and everything really opened, for me, a lot of doors,” Staley said.
March 2009 patient Stacia Boots
Stacia, Boots, 59, of Cedar Rapids, was one of the first people to enroll as a Linn County Project Access after she lost her job and could no longer afford health insurance.
