A History of Healthcare - An HSNT Patient Story
&srotate=0)
Five years ago, in 2015, Jennifer Carlile and her daughter, Lily, were seeing a past provider at Health Services of North Texas for a recurring ear infection. The infection had been lasting nine months on and off, and Jennifer’s provider had a strange feeling about it, so she referred them to Cook Children’s Hospital – where they found a tumor in Lily’s brain.
“I had been having trouble with my daughter – her father had passed – and within a year of that she became disabled,” Jennifer says. “The brain tumor was found in blood work. No doctor had ever found it, and Lily apparently had it [for nine years]. If [the HSNT provider] hadn’t done that, my daughter’s brain tumor would’ve never been found.”
It was that level of commitment, compassion, and trust that Jennifer has continued to see in the years since then, even as her providers and health centers changed. No matter who she’s seen, she knows she’s received quality care.
“Once my previous provider left and Kerry Gamble started our care…I have not had any problem getting an appointment. She follows up, and she put me on that Healow app , so if I have questions, instead of calling the office I can shoot her a message and she responds usually within a couple hours…. I just sent her a message yesterday and asked if she could look at my hand at my appointment, too, and within 20 minutes she responded saying she’d be happy to. That’s such a great tool.”
Lily also likes Kerry’s care and bedside manner, which has been an especially important thing for Jennifer as she takes care of her daughter.
“My daughter doesn’t like strangers…but Lily genuinely really likes [Kerry]. Her A1C dropped from 8.6 to 7.2, and that was all because Kerry spoke and took the time to get to know her.”
Their experience at HSNT’s health center at the Serve Denton Center has been excellent, as well.
“I’m happy that y’all are so clean at the health centers,” Jennifer says. “My daughter’s literally only been out of the house a handful of times, just to see y’all and Cook Children’s, and Kerry said that we had nothing to worry about. She was right. You’re all following those COVID-19 guidelines very, very well.”
Jennifer knows that people sometimes assume things about community health centers and the quality of care available from them, but she wants to set the record straight.
“People think just because the service we have is on a sliding-scale fee, that means it the service is not as good as other places. But I have found that, as far as patient care, those doctors and nurses care more. I’m 51 years old, and I never used any type of sliding-scale until we started seeing HSNT…I’ve even referred some of my friends who have insurance to you. I want people to understand that just because HSNT is a clinic and you help the less fortunate, it doesn’t mean your care is any lesser. For my daughter, it was more than we had ever gotten."
Want to Help Make a Difference?
The care that HSNT provides to families and individuals like enables them to live with peace of mind, knowing that their health is in good hands. Give your neighbors a hand up with their healthcare.