Health Module

Unit 1:  Preventive Care

LESSON 1:  Understanding Preventive Care

Materials Needed:          

Notes Teachers are urged to visit the web pages related to the one listed here to review the information on using picture stories, as well as to find picture stories on several other health topics.

Word Bank: (Students will be generating most of the vocabulary themselves in this lesson.)

preventive  
ignore   
symptoms
enclosed
perform surgery
reduce
installments
consider

Notes RESOURCES:  If teachers would like more background information to help with this lesson on access to health care and payment for care of the uninsured, web materials are listed in Appendix C.

Introductory Activity:  Discussion

  • Have any of you had a health emergency in your family while you have lived in the United States? 
  • What happened?  How did you get care for the emergency?

Notes Learners should not feel obligated to share their stories if it is uncomfortable for them, but some may have no difficulty with sharing.  If stories are volunteered, people can talk about ease or difficulty of getting care, cost, what was similar to their culture’s treatment of problem, what was different, etc.

Activity 1: Emergency!

  • Now we’re going to look at a story of a man who experiences a health emergency.  We’re going to work in small groups to discuss what is happening in the story.
  • Look at the pictures in the story “Emergency!”  Decide with your group what is happening in the story.
  • Write the story (one story for your whole group).  Each of you can copy it in your notebook.
  • When you are finished, you will share the stories with the whole class.

Notes The picture story in this activity is usable at other levels of instruction.  The activity here gears its use toward interaction in small groups, generating language and ideas with less instructor guidance, and expressing opinions with more advanced language and structure.  While the story's themes of preventive care and access to care at first may appear more suited to lower level students, it has been used successfully with many students at higher levels who also lack this basic information about US health care culture.

You can fill in any gaps in learner information by asking and answering questions as the groups are working. Often uninsured learners do not have a realistic idea of costs.  For example, check to see if learners know how much the following might cost:

- office visit to a doctor (an example at the time of this writing might be $70 for an office visit with no tests added on)

- a visit to the emergency room (widely variable - from several hundred to thousands of dollars)

- a trip in an ambulance (can be several hundred dollars)

- or surgery (also widely variable, from several hundred to thousands.  Students have mentioned bills for $20,000.)

  • Now that you have finished your stories, let's share them. See what differences and similarities occur between your stories.  (Story sharing and discussion)

Activity 2:  Analyzing the Problems

  • Now in your groups think of all the problems the man in the story has and list them.  Then think of solutions for him and list those also.

Potential problems learners might raise (raised by learners in the past):

  • man is poor
  • man is uninsured
  • man ignores early symptoms
  • man has no job
  • who will take care of man now that he is so sick and still can’t work?

Potential solutions learners might raise

  • man could have spent $50 in June, but now he is spending thousands.

  • man could take better care of self

  • man could go to doctor for check-up early and pay less

  • man could use over-the-counter medicine and treat self

  • man could go to low-cost clinic

  • man should pay attention to first sign of problem

  • man could buy individual insurance policy

  • man could get assistance from social worker for job training, low-cost clinic health care enrollment

Activity 3:  Class Debriefing

  • Now tell me what your groups have come up with, and I'll make one list on the board for all of the man's problems and possible solutions.
  • What is good about this solution?  What might not be good about this solution?
  • Are there any other questions you have about getting or paying for health care? 

NOTE:

In this debriefing, the instructor has an opportunity to clear up common misinformation about the health care system and accessing care.  Often students without insurance do not know of local low cost clinics. People interested in using the clinics need to call first to set up an enrollment appointment.  The clinics are not for emergency care, just preventive.  In Fairfax County, the clinics are:

Bailey's Health Center
6196 Arlington Blvd.
Falls Church, VA 22044
703-237-3446 TTY: 703-237-8702
Hours:
Monday and Tuesday: 11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

South County Health Center
8350 Richmond Highway, Suite 301
Alexandria, VA 22309  (next to Chuck E. Cheese)
703-3704-5333 TTY: 703-704-6680
Hours:
Monday and Tuesday: 11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

North County Health Center
 11484 Washington Plaza West, Suite 300
Reston, VA 20190
703-689-2180 TTY: 703- 689- 3281
Hours
Monday and Tuesday: 11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday,Thursday, Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Activity 4:  Writing Expansion

A model is available on Handout 1.

Notes The name and address used in this model letter are fictitious.

  • You had an emergency surgery, but didn't have health insurance.  The bill for the surgeon is $15,000.  You can't afford to pay the bill off.  Write a letter to the surgeon asking him or her if they could lower the bill for you, and if you can pay in installments.

Notes This writing activity looks at one option when uninsured students can't pay a medical bill in full.  Of course, doctors grant reductions and installment plans at their own discretion.  If a doctor turns down someone's request, the person may qualify for legal assistance from local non-profit organizations such as Northern VA Legal Services.

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