Housing Authority Makes Changes for 772 pound Woman

Carmen Bowen has complained about the difficulty of moving her 772 pound body around her public housing unit provided by the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). Her recent visit to the dentist illustrates how difficult. Bowen's nurse, Virginia Turner, stated that:

Drooping fatty tissue from her stomach area extends from her body and prevents her from walking, she and Turner say. She cannot move from a medical bed that sits in the middle of what should be her living room. Turner estimates the growth around her stomach weighs as much as 350 pounds.

[ . . . ]

Things reached a crisis level on Aug. 31, when 22 firefighters and emergency medical technicians had to work for 21⁄2 hours to move Bowen from her apartment so she could see doctors at MetroHealth Medical Center for some dental problems. Emergency crews had to help her back in when she returned.

Let me repeat. 22 firefighters and emergency medical technicians! This is not a case of run-of-the-mill love handles.

Consequently, the CMHA is addressing her complaints and is modifying her taxpayer-funded home. In addition to providing access for a front-end loader motorized, oversized wheelchair, the modifications include

. . . taking out doors and walls, installing an automatic door operator and a panic device, demolishing the existing bathroom and installing a special shower, and putting in a sidewalk leading to a front doorway . . .

The controversy regarding Carmen Bowen will continue for a while. Funds for the forklift motorized, oversized wheelchair have not yet been authorized by Medicaid and a fair-housing complaint is still being reviewed by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.

"Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity," [Nurse] Turner said.

Well, everyone except the taxpayer. My only comment is a recommendation that as CMHA is enlarging the door opening to her apartment so that she can pass through, serious consideration should be given to restricting the primary ingress to her alimentary canal.