Amoskeag Health helps a family navigate insurance and adaptive care in a new country.
On a French country road, a three-year-old boy named Devonte rides along with his life stretched out ahead of him. In the blink of an eye, he’s struck by a vehicle and everything changes. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and underwent an emergency hip reconstruction surgery.
Devonte’s mother spent 10 years trying to navigate all of the health challenges post-accident. But she lacked support. So, she decided to slowly immigrate her family of six to America to live with family friends in New Hampshire. They wanted a better life.
Today, eighteen-year-old Devonte has spastic quadriplegia, an intellectual disability related to his traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. These physical challenges cause frequent aspiration pneumonia and made him G-tube and wheelchair dependent. Devonte requires a strict regimen of three different antiepileptic drugs; two nebulizer medications; G-tube formula and supplies; diapers; and consistent doctor’s visits to four different pediatric specialists. Affordable insurance coverage was essential for their family.
Thankfully, Devonte became a patient of Dr. DiBrigida’s here at Amoskeag Health back in 2016. His family discovered that we’re so much more than a primary care office. Dr. DiBrigida recognized their challenges and connected the family with a nurse care coordinator named Anne. For the last five years, Anne worked with the family to navigate affordable insurance and overcome the challenge of Devonte’s looming 18th birthday; their immigration statuses made securing Legal Guardianship and Children’s Medicaid tricky.
Once NH Guardianship and NH Children’s Medicaid was in place for Devonte, Anne helped the family navigate follow-up appointments and transportation. Although the family speaks English, a French interpreter was often necessary to help explain some of the more complex insurance issues. Anne helped coordinate interpretation services without incurring too many added expenses. Not to mention, now that Devonte is getting heavier, it’s much more difficult to transport him; his father fell recently carrying him down the stairs. Anne helped the family navigate a home modification evaluation, secure a new wheelchair, and secure approval for a ramp in their home.
Devonte’s mom said, “we are so thankful for all the services Amoskeag Health helped us with. We really appreciate all the help we received. Thanks to them, Devonte will have a much happier and healthier life. We’re so glad we came here.”