Letters to the Editor | Aug. 1, 2023

The recent op-ed on unrelieved medical debt makes some excellent points. Unlike student loans, medical debt is not taken on voluntarily. It exists because of the deficiencies of our health-care system. I had a spinal cord injury and was unable to work for four years. Although I had what I thought was a good private plan, my insurance company rejected many of my treatment costs as being “experimental” and therefore not worthy of payment. Because of my injury, I could not work. Despite that, I was harassed by doctors’ office managers and bill collectors. At a time when I needed to devote myself to healing, I was under unrelenting financial stress. I exhausted all my savings and survived only with the help of my parents. This kind of crisis is unheard of in Europe. In America, people go bankrupt or die because they can’t pay the deductibles their health care requires. Shameful.

Katrina Giovanni, Philadelphia

I am sure I’m not alone in having mixed emotions about the impending retirement of Sister Mary Scullion, the founder of Project HOME and one of the most respected advocates for the homeless our nation has ever known. On the one hand, she’s 70 years old and will have served 36 years at Project HOME upon her retirement at the end of 2024. On the other hand, the woman is a living saint who will be impossible to replace. Throughout her career, Sister Mary did whatever it took to help the homeless, whether that was hobnobbing with famous folks like Jon Bon Jovi, Michelle Obama, Pope Francis, and Britain’s King Charles III, or leading public protests with the homeless in City Council chambers and other halls of power.

To better understand the suffering the homeless faced, she voluntarily lived on the streets for a week in 1978. The experience deepened her empathy for the challenges too many of our fellow Philadelphians face every day. IBEW Local 98 has proudly supported Project HOME for many years, including financial contributions and in-kind labor for the Hub of Hope, the charity’s amazing installation at SEPTA’s Suburban Station that provides meals, medical care, social services, and amenities such as bathrooms, showers, and laundry machines for the homeless. Thank you, Sister Mary, for leading a life of service that has been inspiring to witness.

Mark Lynch Jr., business manager, IBEW Local 98, Philadelphia

I often take my 3-year-old son for bike rides along the Schuylkill. Recently, he saw the brightly colored rental kayaks and asked if we could ride in one. My response? “Absolutely not. The river is full of poop.” I saw The Inquirer article stating that 15 billion gallons of sewage overflow pollute Philly’s rivers and streams every year. Whenever the sewer system gets overwhelmed (like from extreme rain), actual human excrement flows into the river. That means one out of three days isn’t safe for water activities such as kayaking. Philly needs to invest in green stormwater projects to absorb excess water, and ultimately fix the sewer itself. It’s a big job, but it’s possible. Not long ago, the Jersey Shore was a polluted mess, and we’ve been able to clean it up. Until then, I’ll have to tell my son we can’t have fun because Philly is just too poopy.

Chris Plehal, Philadelphia

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