Good Samaritan Free Health Center

Viona Zhang, Summer 2013

A phone rang in my office. Not mine. I thought it belonged to the patient sitting in front of me, but she asked, "Is it yours?" I realized she wasn't asking me; the phone belonged to the little boy she was babysitting. Here I was wishing for a smartphone, when this patient didn't even have a phone of her own.

The Good Samaritan Free Health Center (GSFHC) serves as a medical home that provides free health services to low-income adults who have no private health insurance, Medicare, nor Medicaid. Patients come to the clinic to be seen by volunteer doctors and nurses, an inspiring group of people that donate their time and knowledge to helping those in need. I was lucky to work with them in the Community Health Worker office at GSFHC this summer, handling the referral process when patients came through the office for diagnostic tests and referrals to specialists. Not only did I help point out where and how to get financial assistance for the medical care they needed, but I also had the opportunity to give diabetic lifestyle counseling for patients to help them make thoughtful changes to their diets.

Teaching has been a learning experience. While some information I was already familiar with, I learned about a few vegetables that I had never bought before, such as rainbow chard, and now I noticed how the freshest foods are kept in the perimeter of the grocery store, something I started to share with my patients. Hearing the apprehension in one woman's voice about trying unfamiliar vegetables, I realized how intimidating it can be to pick out a food at Kroger that one had never eaten before, and didn't know how to prepare. "How do you cook zucchini?" I explained that a simple way to cook squash just takes a few minutes on the stove with a bit of oil and pepper. Just sharing this bit of information can be just as powerful as the indications for their Metformin. "How do you cook kale?" She went on, asking about different vegetables, to which I suggested that she could apply one simple cooking method using oil and pepper to many vegetables, while adding variety to her diet. I realized that a certain generation of people may be completely unfamiliar with cooking fresh vegetables, and I hoped to reach out to as many as I could.

I have also helped with some social work cases, which have been the most fulfilling and astounding part of my experience. Tearful, the woman without a phone had come into the clinic because her ex-boyfriend had stolen her keys and had been throwing her belongings off the balcony of her apartment. Not only have I scheduled appointments for x-rays and cardiology referrals, but I also called for an appointment with a locksmith so a woman could come home to a safer apartment that night. Grateful, she surprised me with a big hug. I've found that a clinic's social worker is indispensable when it comes to addressing all aspects affecting patient health. A certain level of care can be achieved with the help of those with little medical background, by someone who is willing to sit with a box of tissues and listen to a patient's worries—medical, financial, and emotional—and come up with the first steps to solving them. And I hope to provide that level of care always.