Rocky Clark, Paralyzed High School Football Player, Dies | Jan 5, 2012
Long-Term Patients Must Leave Hospitals That Don't Join
{Aug 31 2011} From the time he was paralyzed in a high school football game in 2000, Rasul "Rocky" Clark has received his medical care at Ingalls Health System in Harvey.
In fact, Clark credits the physicians, nurses and aides there for keeping him healthy for the past 11 years, longer than quadriplegics in his condition are predicted to live.
But now, Clark will have to leave the hospital he has depended on since he was hurt, he said.
Clark, 27, is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of chronically ill individuals forced to find new doctors because of changes in the state Medicaid program.
"Basically I don't have a choice if I'll live or die," he said from his hospital bed at Ingalls on Tuesday. "It's wrong for the state to do anyone like this, especially a disabled person. It's very insulting to my condition."
Illinois is rolling out a new program of HMO-style care for people with serious disabilities. Because many doctors and hospitals are refusing to join the new Medicaid program, some patients with cerebral palsy, autism, schizophrenia and other conditions will be forced to find new doctors.
Ingalls has not enrolled in the new program, but the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services is working to get the hospital to participate, a spokeswoman for the agency said.
"Uninterrupted health care is crucial in cases like this, and we are doing everything possible to ensure Rocky's continued well-being," said Brie Callahan, press secretary for Gov. Pat Quinn.
Officials with the state would not discuss Clark's case because his medical history is private, the spokeswoman said.
The new Integrated Care Program will affect about 40,000 Medicaid recipients and is expected to save the state an estimated $200 million over the next five years, a news release said. The program will enroll adults with disabilities into two private, HMO-style plans that have promised to better coordinate medical care for them.
For Clark, the changes mean he will have to leave the doctors who have treated his condition for more than a decade. He said he will have to turn to John H. Stroger Hospital, which is about 22 miles away from his Robbins home.
"My condition could get worse," he said. "It will be rough on me."
Clark held a news conference with his mother and the pastor of his church Tuesday afternoon to discuss his latest health obstacle. He said he is being forced to make the changes by Thursday. This year, the $5 million insurance policy that once covered Clark's medical care reached the lifetime maximum and came to an end.
Since then, the community rallied and volunteers stepped up to help meet some of his needs. The staff at Ingalls adjusted their billing so that Clark could still get treated there, the Rev. Anthony W. Williams said.
Clark was 16 and a backup running back for Eisenhower High School on Sept. 15, 2000, when he was tackled and suffered two broken vertebrae in his neck and a spinal injury.
Clark's right lung is severely damaged and he regularly battles pneumonia. Typically he is hospitalized three to four times a year, said his mother, Annette Clark.
### Source for article
Chicago Tribune By Lolly Bowean, TRIBUNE REPORTER Aug 31 2011
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-rocky-clark-insurance-0831-20110831,0,2218954.story
For more of the journey of Rocky Clark, and the Illinois Law for Student athlete's insurance protection:
http://abilitychicagoinfo.blogspot.com/search?q=Rocky+Clark&max-results=20&by-date=true
####In Memoriam of Rasul "Rocky" Clark
1984 -2012
Long-Term Patients Must Leave Hospitals That Don't Join
{Aug 31 2011} From the time he was paralyzed in a high school football game in 2000, Rasul "Rocky" Clark has received his medical care at Ingalls Health System in Harvey.
But now, Clark will have to leave the hospital he has depended on since he was hurt, he said.
Clark, 27, is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of chronically ill individuals forced to find new doctors because of changes in the state Medicaid program.
"Basically I don't have a choice if I'll live or die," he said from his hospital bed at Ingalls on Tuesday. "It's wrong for the state to do anyone like this, especially a disabled person. It's very insulting to my condition."
Illinois is rolling out a new program of HMO-style care for people with serious disabilities. Because many doctors and hospitals are refusing to join the new Medicaid program, some patients with cerebral palsy, autism, schizophrenia and other conditions will be forced to find new doctors.
Ingalls has not enrolled in the new program, but the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services is working to get the hospital to participate, a spokeswoman for the agency said.
"Uninterrupted health care is crucial in cases like this, and we are doing everything possible to ensure Rocky's continued well-being," said Brie Callahan, press secretary for Gov. Pat Quinn.
Officials with the state would not discuss Clark's case because his medical history is private, the spokeswoman said.
The new Integrated Care Program will affect about 40,000 Medicaid recipients and is expected to save the state an estimated $200 million over the next five years, a news release said. The program will enroll adults with disabilities into two private, HMO-style plans that have promised to better coordinate medical care for them.
For Clark, the changes mean he will have to leave the doctors who have treated his condition for more than a decade. He said he will have to turn to John H. Stroger Hospital, which is about 22 miles away from his Robbins home.
"My condition could get worse," he said. "It will be rough on me."
Clark held a news conference with his mother and the pastor of his church Tuesday afternoon to discuss his latest health obstacle. He said he is being forced to make the changes by Thursday. This year, the $5 million insurance policy that once covered Clark's medical care reached the lifetime maximum and came to an end.
Since then, the community rallied and volunteers stepped up to help meet some of his needs. The staff at Ingalls adjusted their billing so that Clark could still get treated there, the Rev. Anthony W. Williams said.
Clark was 16 and a backup running back for Eisenhower High School on Sept. 15, 2000, when he was tackled and suffered two broken vertebrae in his neck and a spinal injury.
Clark's right lung is severely damaged and he regularly battles pneumonia. Typically he is hospitalized three to four times a year, said his mother, Annette Clark.
### Source for article
Chicago Tribune By Lolly Bowean, TRIBUNE REPORTER Aug 31 2011
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-rocky-clark-insurance-0831-20110831,0,2218954.story
For more of the journey of Rocky Clark, and the Illinois Law for Student athlete's insurance protection:
http://abilitychicagoinfo.blogspot.com/search?q=Rocky+Clark&max-results=20&by-date=true
Heavens, sometimes life is cruel. My deepest sympathies for his family and friends. The last 12 years of his life must have been truly difficult. His spirit is free now, free from any corporeal restraints.
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