Faces of 340B

Anthony Suarez, Chicago, IL

Anthony was riding a city bus in April 2013 when it collided with a taxi. He was thrown violently backwards, fractured his neck, broke his tailbone, and sustained a serious brain injury. He arrived at the emergency room dazed -- and without health insurance. As fate would have it, Mile Square Health Center became Anthony’s medical home. The center supplied doctors, nurses and social services to treat his complex injuries on a sliding payment scale. Suarez’s rehabilitation was slow and he lost his job and his unemployment ran out. “I was really in a fix, I had no income at all,” he says. The facility is part of the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System. Savings from the 340B program helped fund Anthony’s treatment and subsequent physical therapy focused on helping him improve his balance and coordination. “My long-term goal is to be able to ride my bike again, which I miss immensely, without tail bone pain and with recovered balance,” says Suarez.  He also still gets severe headaches due to post-concussion syndrome. This spring, a Mile Square social worker Cassandra Cauthens helped Anthony sign up for Medicaid and connected him with other social services.  Suarez continues to receive care from the staff there, chiefly Dr. Sashil Kapur. “I feel I’m in good hands,” says Suarez.  “They’ve gone the extra mile to help me. Personally, I believe it was divine providence."