Nursing students donate time, expertise to Philadelphia Race Track

By Jennifer Vallerand
Collegian Reporter
January 24, 2007

In a small room, tucked in the corner of the backstretch of the Philadelphia Race Track, the La Salle Neighborhood Nursing Center saves lives every week.

Every Tuesday, between 9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m., La Salle’s Vanessa Smith-Doughty, RN, BSN, goes out to the race track with graduate assistant Ann Marie Storbrauck, RN, BSN, and three La Salle nursing students: Cynthia Corisdeo, Mini Thottakara and Samantha Valotta.

The room they work out of is filled with brochures, in English and Spanish, informing the race track workers of where they can get medical help if they need it and informs them on how to stay healthy.

It is there that the five of them provide preventative care for the race track workers. They screen for blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension and other cardiac issues. Also, they give them advice and information on everything from medication to how to maintain a healthy diet.

More than 1,000 people work at the Philadelphia Race Track year round. About 200 men and women live in the backstretch, many of them permanently. The conditions they live in are horrendous.

“It is pretty much like a third world country,” Storbrauck said. “Stray cats roam around, dozens of birds fly around on the stables and their housing is just a few feet away from the horse stables. Their rooms are small and often cannot fit more than a bed.”

“Their bathrooms make the La Salle dormitory bathrooms look like the Ritz-Carlton,” she said. “Many of these workers cannot afford health insurance, and the only care they receive is from the La Salle Neighborhood Nursing Center.”

Approximately 25-30 people visit the clinic each week. A week ago the clinic gave out flu shots for the workers where over 150 people showed up.

The clinic is very important to the race track workers. Joe Brauckmann, a racing official since 1985, has health insurance but still stops in every few weeks to have his blood pressure checked. It is very convenient for him and means fewer trips to the doctor. He appreciates what La Salle has been doing for the race track and said they have “been great.”

However, the majority of the race track workers do not have health insurance. Jack Decker, a trainer since 1982, is one of those workers. Once he got stents put in, his insurance would no longer cover him.

If a serious health issue is discovered at the clinic, the issue is referred to Dr. Rizen. Rizen has worked at the race track for 15 years. Since 2000, he has been working on the backstretch. In the beginning, Rizen worked in the frontstretch of the race track. One day he decided to see what the backstretch conditions were. When he went back, he realized that these people needed help. Now, he goes to the clinic every few weeks to have his blood pressure checked and to receive advice on medication that he is taking. Decker said the clinic has been, “real helpful” and plans on returning to receive his flu shot.

Since then, every Tuesday he works in the backstretch checking out the workers who do not have health insurance. However, he says that he is on call 24/7. Since he has moved to the backstretch, he has “adopted everyone here.”

La Salle has been attending the Philadelphia Race Track weekly since the early 1990s. The nursing students were invited to help by the former race track chaplain. In the beginning, the service was funded by a grant from the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration. Today, these services are funded by the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horseman’s Association.

Recently, Storbrauck had a chance to spend a day with state Senator Joe Conti (R) to discuss the living conditions for the workers in the backstretch.

Part of the bill that was passed with the new gambling provisions acknowledges these poor living conditions the backstretch workers are living in.

Conti told her the legislature is well aware of these living conditions and plans on improving them. However, this is going to take at least another three years, he indicated.

Until then, all these workers have is the La Salle Neighborhood Nursing Center.

vallerandj1@lasalle.edu