Oasis clinic: pandemic could have disproportionate impact on those who can least afford it

BRUNSWICK — As cases of coronavirus in Maine started picking up steam, so did Blake Cromwell’s anxiety, and with that came near-daily panic attacks. 

The 27-year-old Dunkin’ Donuts employee has asthma and is considered at high-risk, but as an essential employee who depends on every paycheck, taking an indefinite period of time off to quarantine is not an option. 

“I feel lucky that I still have a job to go to, but at the same time it’s scary,” Cromwell said. “I don’t know who has been exposed and I’m working with customers.” 

Cromwell is one of over 100,000 Mainers working without insurance, according to the Maine Center for Economic Policy,  and one of even more with worries about the potential cost of getting sick. 

Click here to read the full story, published April 7, 2020, in the Times Record.