Health Hazard

By Stephanie Sanchez

Standing by my window in my 5th floor apartment on Pelham Parkway in the Bronx, on the night of July 25, 2005, I watch as a man lay stranded in the middle of the street with his motorcycle crushing his legs. The car that has hit him stops to call 9-1-1 and help the man release himself from the deadly crush of the motorcycle. In no less than 5 minutes, an ambulance is there to pick the man up and take him to the hospital.

The next morning, as I stand waiting for the bus, I watch as an elderly woman is helped into a special van sent to pick her up every morning by a hospital to take her to her destination for the day. The chauffeur is very nice with the woman and even buckles her seat belt for her. So how can it be that that same morning I read an article in The New York Times about lacking health care in the Bronx? The answer is simple: money and location.

David Gonzalez’s article “In Bronx, a fight for health and dignity” describes the experiences of people seeking help and health care in the South Bronx. Gonzalez describes how a Ms. Yvonne Pagan was shot in the head and when sent to the hospital her injury was simply treated as a splinter in the finger might be treated. Gonzalez then goes on to describe Ms. Pagan’s co-worker, Gloria Altieri, as Ms. Pagan’s hero. Ms. Altieri even goes on to describe herself as a kind of savior to the rest of the Bronx. However throughout the entire article, nothing mentions how Altieri actually did anything or made any actions to allow the South Bronx to have better health care. The article describes Altieri’s failed attempts to find decent health care for Ms. Pagan, and then she just gives up and then seeks health care for Pagan in Manhattan instead.

Is this what a real Bronx hero would do? Instead of just trying to help just one person and giving up on health care in the Bronx, wouldn’t a real hero try to find a way to fix the situation?
The South Bronx is hardly known for its “superior” health care, and I am sure that Ms. Altieri is well aware of that since she has lived there almost all her life. However instead of trying to change the poor health situation her neighborhood is in, all she does is simply complain about it in Gonzalez article. Gonzalez refers to Ms. Altieri as one who “got ahead” in life, meaning that she was a very successful woman, but not once did Altieri donate, or fundraise, or fight for better health care for the South Bronx. Gonzalez’ article clearly states that it frustrates Altieri to see the deficient services provided to people in the South Bronx, and goes on to complain about the lacking health care. It seems as if Altieri wants to stay in the South Bronx to watch the people suffer and do nothing about it. Altieri could easily move to another part of the Bronx, or even another county, but for some odd reason she chooses to stay in the Bronx. Why?
Gonzalez’ article simply points out the obvious: that various parts of the Bronx are not as on task with their health care as other parts may be. I myself know that particular parts of the Bronx are weatlhier than others, giving the people of those areas faster, more reliable health care. However in areas such as the South Bronx, where shoot-outs are an everyday norm, many of the people can’t even afford to pay their own rent, let alone give money for decent health care. However Ms. Altieri makes it sound as if this is some new trend going on, and worse yet, it seems like she is just standing there watching it happen. If Ms. Altieri knows and has known for a long time now that health care is lacking in the South Bronx, why does she complain about it instead of doing something to help?