Tender Mercies, Inc.

Christina Mackell, Summer 2010

I suppose it would be cliché to say that my summer at Tender Mercies was enlightening, that it opened my eyes, or that I've grown as a person as a result of my time there. But although I have been thinking about it for days, there is simply no other way to describe my time there. And as a result, I feel as though my perspective has been changed and my knowledge increased concerning those who struggle with homelessness, drug addiction, and psychiatric conditions.

In the last year, one of the biggest things lawmakers have worked on is reducing healthcare cost. The most common item of focus was how to bring primary care to those who didn't have a regular doctor. I think the most interesting part of my summer was seeing what healthcare was like for those people-the people on the other side who I will someday be serving.

I was fortunate enough to go to several hospital and physician appointments with my residents. I think the most interesting however was on my third day of work. One resident, a chronic alcoholic and a man diagnosed with severe depression, was going into severe alcohol withdrawl. He had experienced this before, and has previosly gone into cardiac arrest and severe delusions as a result of his withdrawl. He called the paramedics to give him a ride to the ER and I was asked if I wanted to ride along-and of course I said yes. The attitude we encounted, however, was fascinating.

When I become a physician, I will hold it of upmost importance to remember that all my patients are people-some of whom have been through things in their lives I will never be able to imagine. Many of the residents would tell me their stories-filled with childhood abuse, neglect, untimely deaths, violence and family betrayals. Often times it is not a coincidence that people who lived these stories wind up on the streets, or that they need the help of others to get back on their feet. And regardless of the circumstances, the financial strain, or the demands on my time as a doctor, I will always remember that my job is to help the people that walk through my door, and that I must see every patient for the person that they are. UHP has shown my first hand what I have always known to be important, because now that I've seen the kind of struggles the people in this population face, I'll never be able to look at them the same way again.