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Walgreens Brought Me Closer To G-d: Healthcare Reform and Jewish Innovation

October 27, 2015 by Patrick Beaulier

PT-Nurse Walgreens blog

For almost three months, I have had a sinus infection. Finally I went to my doctor, a nice older guy that my family has seen for years, to see if he could help. I had just changed insurance companies, and did not have my insurance card yet. The doctor’s staff said, “don’t worry, we’ll take you now and deal with the insurance paperwork later.”

I was so happy: a doctor who cares about his patients and doesn’t worry about seeing proof of insurance first.

Unfortunately, the medicine did not work, and I had to go back to the doctor. And this time, things were different. Really different.

The insurance company never sent my paperwork to the doctor, or so my paper file said. The receptionist at the doctor’s office said that they would not treat me if I did not show my insurance card or was willing to pay out of pocket. I refused and asked them to get the insurance company on the phone and sort it out while I wait. They wouldn’t. It was on me to solve this problem, even though I felt like I was going to die.

So I left. Not knowing what to do, I went to the Walgreens down the street and hoped into the Take Care Clinic, a sort of “nurse in a box” operation that does minor medical treatment.

This experience was amazing. Instead of dealing with a receptionist, I simply input my info on a touch screen. After five minutes of waiting, a nurse came out, greeted me by name, and brought me into the room. She asked what my insurance situation was, and I told her the story about my screwball doctor.

She replied, “Oh, this is no problem. I have my computer here. Let’s go on the insurance company website and get all your info.”

Within minutes, she was on the company’s website, printing my card! No haggling, no nagging. After the exam, she put in all my info into her computer, printed my prescription, and  said, “OK, your prescription will be filled in about ten minutes.”

This was the best health care I had ever gotten. And the best part: it was so cheap that my insurance company paid for the entire visit. No co-pay.

A few nights later, I got a phone call from a random number. To my surprise, it was the nurse from Walgreens. “Hey Patrick, just wanted to call and see how you are feeling.” In the twenty years my family has been with my old doctor, I never once got a phone call follow up. I was impressed.

I began to think about this in a Jewish context. In a lot of ways, negative experiences with Judaism are like negative experience with doctors. Doctors, like rabbis, are perceived to have the easy life. Nice car, nice house, and a lot of authority to back it all up. Doctors and rabbis have support staff that seem to make everything possible. And if you have a bad experience with a doctor or rabbi, it’s probably your fault in some way, since we assume that either of these professions can do no harm.

And both Judaism and medical care cost a lot. While there’s no such thing as “Jewish insurance”, there is certainly a price to pay for all the kosher food, challah, Jewish daycare, tzedakah, synagogue membership, adult education classes, and other events. And just like the insurance companies and doctor’s staff, there is a bureaucracy in Judaism that keeps some people out, whether it’s the convert getting turned away, the LGBT couple who feels unwelcome, or the Jew of color who doesn’t care about labels like Ashkenazic/Sephardic.

A lot of people want a “top down” solution to the health care dilemma. So is the same with Judaism: looking for a “movement” to unite us all.

Perhaps the solution is neither of these. Perhaps it’s simply a change of mindset. And I can think of a few possible ways.

Less Emphasis on Rabbis. My “doctor” at the clinic was not a doctor at all. But I didn’t care. I needed someone who could tend to my immediate needs, not someone who knew brain surgery. It takes just as long to become a rabbi as a medical doctor. I don’t know about you, but when I need a shoulder to cry on during a funeral or someone to celebrate Shabbat with, I really don’t care what my rabbi thinks about European Jewish Settlements From 1910-1925 or Modern Hebrew Grammer.

Think of the Obvious. A clinic in a pharmacy is a no-brainer. There’s medicine, there’s sick people, get a doctor in there and you’re all set! Sometimes, the most obvious answers are the ones that don’t completely reinvent the wheel: they just put two-and-two together. The best I have seen of this, Jewishly, was an independent minyan that had a lay leader, who happened to live in a local retirement community. Every Shabbat, he picked up other Jewish folks from his community and drove them to “shul”. The retirement home had a great lobby, and he would use it to tutor B’nai Mitzvah kids.

Think Like A Business. I’m the CEO of PunkTorah, so I’m a non-profit guy. But I can see where the profit motive could do great things for the Jewish tradition. Example: Sarah’s Matzah. This Matzah company modeled themselves after Tom’s Shoes, selling “designer” matzah. For every box they sell, they give a box away to a community food bank. It’s capitalism, it’s socialism, it’s Judaism. And it works.

A Little Less Talk, A Little More Action. The talking heads online, on TV and in places of power love to wax poetic about how to “fix” healthcare in this country. And all streams of Judaism are neurotically obsessed with making Judaism relevant for the “new” generation. Perhaps this is a good bottom line: a little less talk, a little more action. PunkTorah started with a YouTube page and is now a non-profit organization with two full time staff members.

What can you start?

Filed Under: Community Member Blogs, Rants Tagged With: Counterculture, darshan yeshiva, doctors, health, healthcare, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, Punk, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, rebel, Religion, Torah, walgreens

Why Keep Kosher?

October 31, 2010 by Patrick Beaulier

There are lots of great reasons to choose a kosher lifestyle!

Health

Kashrut is a really healthy approach to eating for several reasons:

Kashrut prevents us from eating too many animal products at once

By not mixing meat and milk at the same time, we are indirectly able to lower our intake of animal products and thus lower our cholesterol, which only comes from eating foods containing animal products.

It encourages eating more fruits, vegetables and grains

Because of the limitations on meat and dairy eating, the easiest way to keep kosher is to eat a lot of vegetarian, dairy-vegetarian and pescatarian (vegetarian with fish) meals, which includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Eliminating “fast food” from your diet

Since major fast food chains are not kosher, you are taking yourself out of the cycle of pain caused by eating unhealthy convenience food.

Other fringe benefits to our health from kosher eating

Although it’s “healthier” to eat one slice of pork than a handful of kosher certified candy, many un-kosher animals have high levels of cholesterol (such as shellfish) and un-kosher eating practices like eating blood can carry diseases.

Ethical & Environmental Eating

Kosher laws come from the ancient wisdom of the Jewish people called the Torah. The Torah prohibits many things that, in turn, make purchasing kosher foods more ethical including:

Making sure that workers are treated fairly (Leviticus 19:13, Deuteronomy 24:14)

Treating animals with respect (Exodus 23:12)

In addition, the Torah has environmental values such as being “stewards of the Earth” (Genesis 2:15). By purchasing sustainable kosher food, you are helping the world and feeding your stomach.

Creating Community

By living a kosher life, you are joining a community. Keeping kosher will move you to seek out kosher restaurants, hotels and grocery stores where you will meet people who share in your lifestyle.

It’s also fun to introduce people to the kosher life! Consider having a kosher dinner party or taking a group of friends/family member to a kosher establishment.

Mystical

Kashrut is the food science of the soul. With thoughtfulness, limitation and community as central tenants of the kosher life, you may find yourself become more aware of  yourself and your connection to the God, the Universe, or whatever you would like to call the central life force.

Start your kosher life today with our Free Kosher Starter Kit!

Filed Under: Random (Feelin' Lucky?) Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, health, kashrut and health, online conversion, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier

An Opportunity for Tikkun Olam

June 28, 2010 by Patrick Beaulier

(This is a post by Rebecca Froman, Elissa’s sister. We met them at the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival a few weeks ago. Helping out is so simple there really is no reason not to. Medical advances mean having an easier time donating if you are a match, and seriously, if you could save someone’s life, why wouldn’t you?

Please help, in any way you can.

-Michael and Patrick)

Elissa, age 26, grew up in suburban Chicago and lives in Washington, DC.  Soon after graduating from college about 3½ years ago, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma.  Her battle with cancer has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, marked by frustratingly short periods of remission.
Recently, Elissa fulfilled a life-long dream when she learned of her acceptance to graduate school to further her Judaic studies.  Just two days later, her dreams were shattered by the news that her cancer had returned yet again.
Elissa works as an advocate for the human and civil rights of others.  She is now faced with a challenge of a lifetime and is in need of help from another—as a stem cell transplant is her only hope for a cure.
As the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors, Elissa has little family to test for a match and needs a genetically-matched donor to receive her life-saving transplant.  Elissa and her family are asking you to join the National Bone Marrow/Blood Stem Cell Registry through organizations such as Be The Match, Gift of Life, or Ezer Mitizion.  By joining, you fulfill tikkun olam by being a  potential donor standing ready to give patients like Elissa a second chance at life.  And her hope is that even if you can’t help her, you may be able to help another patient and their family.
Registration is easy!  A consent form is filled out and a swab of the cheeks is taken.  Your tissue type is added to the Registry until your 61st birthday.  You must be between the ages of 18-60 and in good health to join.  If you are interested in either joining or helping to organize a registration drive, please contact Elissa’s sister Becky at rebeccafroman@comcast.net or at 847-924-9185.
“If you save one life, it is as if you have saved the entire world.”

Filed Under: Judaism & Belief, Random (Feelin' Lucky?) Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, Counterculture, darshan yeshiva, health, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, life, online conversion, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, tikkun olam

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