SAN ANTONIO – The artwork covering the walls of Dr. Ray Altamirano’s practice is vibrant, but the picture he paints for the state of healthcare in the South San neighborhood is dark.
“The issues in this neighborhood go deeper,” he said.
“Why do you think that is?” asked reporter Daniela Ibarra.
“It’s the need,” Altamirano responded.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows people in the South San neighborhood historically have high rates of different illnesses and diseases.
Altamirano said patients are treated for a variety of issues, including metabolic disease, blood pressure and cholesterol.
He has treated some patients for lung diseases that could be attributed to their jobs at Kelly Air Force Base.
Kelly Air Force Base is a central line in South San’s story. While it’s helped give the neighborhood an economic boost, it’s also cost them.
“A lot of people got cancer,” Patricia Limon Medina said.
Medina is one of several people who filed suit against the U.S. government.
The group claimed they were affected by chemical contamination from the base.
“For me, it wasn’t about the money,” Medina said.
A major health concern in the neighborhood is diabetes, which patient John Carver has lived with for more than 15 years.
“I take insulin two times a day,” he explained. “I check my blood, check my sugars. Trying to check what I eat.”
He relies on his wife or public transportation to get him to his appointments.
“At the beginning, it was very hard for me to get health care,” Carver said. “I fell between the cracks.”
Twice a week, Carver goes to Dr. Anna Sanchez’s wound clinic. He’s one of many patients she treats.
“On average in the United States, I would say one out of three people, so like 33% here is probably more like 45, maybe 50%” have diabetes, she explained. “So it’s more prevalent here in the South Side.”
While diabetes is prevalent, Sanchez said so is the lack of insured patients.
“They have to pay their bills and their car and their mortgage, but they don’t have enough for health insurance,” she said.
That’s why she offers patients the option to participate in research.
“They can get the health care, and get it at no cost, and they actually get compensated,” Sanchez said.
While it’s a temporary fix, Altamirano said he’s frustrated at the lack of solutions for South San patients.
“What’s our plan for this area, right?” he asked. “Where’s the growth going to happen within these lines of our streets that are going to give and promote health care to patients?”
