Alright, let’s talk about this Portage, Wisconsin thing. It wasn’t exactly a planned trip, more like I ended up passing through there a while back. My old truck decided to act up right when I was heading north on I-39, imagine that. Had to pull off and find a garage.
So, I’m stuck in Portage for an afternoon, waiting for the mechanic to figure out what’s wrong. Wasn’t much else to do, so I just walked around a bit near the garage. Happened to walk past the Planned Parenthood building there. Didn’t go in, didn’t need anything, just saw the sign.
Seeing that sign, though, it got me thinking. Not even specifically about them, but just about… access. Like, how easy or hard it is for people to get basic stuff sorted, especially health things. It reminded me of this time years ago, totally unrelated, when my kid got this nasty ear infection.
That whole ordeal was something else
We were living in a different town then, smaller place. Our regular doctor was booked solid for days. The urgent care clinic had a ridiculous wait time, like half a day. We were getting frantic because the little guy was really suffering, you know? High fever, crying nonstop. Felt pretty helpless.
- Called around to different clinics.
- Checked emergency room wait times.
- Worried about the cost of it all too, insurance wasn’t the greatest back then.
We eventually found this small community clinic tucked away that could see him quicker. Wasn’t fancy, but the nurse practitioner there was great. Got him checked out, got the antibiotics he needed. It was such a relief just finding somewhere that could help without a huge hassle or cost.
So yeah, walking around Portage, waiting for my truck, seeing that Planned Parenthood sign… it just brought back that feeling. That feeling of needing something basic, something important for your family’s well-being, and the stress of trying to find it. It’s important that places exist where people can get help when they need it, whatever kind of help that is. Made me appreciate that little clinic from years ago all over again. Anyway, the mechanic finally fixed the truck – turned out to be a busted hose, simple fix – and I got back on the road. But that thought stuck with me for a bit.
