Overview:
- Transportation barriers are a critical issue for patients at JAR Primary Care and Wellness in Detroit, leading to missed or rescheduled appointments and potentially increased hospitalizations.
- John Mailey, who runs the clinic, is dedicated to caring for patients with chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
- The clinic’s staff foster a family-like atmosphere and go above and beyond to assist patients in overcoming these challenges. In the absence of lasting solutions, the staff take it upon themselves to alleviate the burdens faced by their patients.
This story was produced as a project for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s National Fellowship, with support from the National Fellowship Fund and the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism.
John Mailey has seen young men wither away from untreated diabetes.
“Their eyes go bad. Their teeth fall out. They can’t feel their feet,” Mailey recalled, because prolonged, high blood sugar levels caused numbness…