Bernadette Wolfe

Healthy Questions

Promoting health awareness by advising people to talk with their doctor. Many people are embarrassed to ask their doctor about health issues. Patients worry about the cost of medical tests, hospitalization, and prescriptions when they are diagnosed with a serious illness. Patients are often ashamed to admit they are not in a financial situation to afford long term care. Women in low income households do not ask for pregnancy tests because they fear they will lose their insurance benefits or employment if a pregnancy is reported. People avoid requesting sexual disease tests because they fear social stigma from their longtime family physician. Health care stigma needs to be addressed and the public should not fear asking for life saving health care.