Good Samaritan Free Health Center

Adam Darwiche, Summer 2018

The Good Samaritan Free Health Center is a comprehensive primary care center for low income patients with no private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. The variety and availability of services at the clinic is astounding: primary care, medical specialties, physical therapy, mental health counseling, dental care, nutritional education, social work, and others. My summer was spent helping to run the clinic with a wide range of administrative and clinical work.

The GSFHC serves a population that's split in half between English and Spanish speakers, and my days were spent similarly with language use. From making phone calls, writing letters, working with patients, and doing medical interpreting, I was able to use a fantastic amount of Spanish this summer and make some real improvements in my confidence and fluency in the language! Patient interaction was core to all of my duties at the clinic, and was the best part of my time spent there. It was humbling and deeply fulfilling to be a small piece of the clinic's mission, helping patients in need when they have nowhere else to turn for care.

Scheduling appointments, making reminder calls, sending letters, and helping to arrange for referrals may seem small tasks on their own, but all together add up to connecting patients with the care that they need. I enjoyed being a part of the behind the scenes work of getting patients into the clinic. As a physician, I will only ever really see patients in the office or hospital room, and only have time to wonder about the ones who don't make it in for a moment before moving on to the next appointment. My work this summer exposed me to the trial and tribulations of patient compliance, an especially difficult task with such a vulnerable patient population. Many patients at other clinics have reliable transportation, more flexible work schedules, and the knowledge to better navigate our complicated health system. The patients at the GSFHC often don't have the same luxuries.

While I was able to help out at the clinic, I ultimately feel like I was the one who gained the most. I learned so much from my time at the GSFHC, from colleagues to volunteers to patients alike. My time was short, and the summer passed before I knew it. But I know that the people I've met, the stories I've heard, and things I've seen will stay with me for the rest of my career, and the rest of my life.