Tender Mercies, Inc.

Melissa Johns, Summer 2018

I am so grateful to have had the chance to work with Tender Mercies this summer through Urban Health Project. I didn't know what to expect when I first arrived at Tender Mercies. All I knew was that they were an organization that provided housing for individuals who were chronically homeless with severe mental illnesses. At the end of this summer though, I'm leaving with a greater understanding and appreciation of the challenges that this population faces and the determination to tackle these issues in my future career as a physician.

One of the projects Diana and I worked on this summer was establishing clinic hours so that the residents at Tender Mercies could check their blood pressure and glucose levels. In speaking with the staff and residents, we learned that hypertension and diabetes were extremely common among the residents. Our goal with the weekly clinic was to encourage residents to consistently take their medications and to make small lifestyle changes in order to get their chronic health issues under control. Additionally, Diana and I were able to cook lunch twice for the residents this summer. During these lunches, we introduced some simple, healthy meal ideas to the residents.

Diana and I also participated in the weekly Women's Group. This is an opportunity for the women at Tender Mercies to vent and express themselves in a safe environment. This was one of the most rewarding experiences as the women shared stories about their personal experiences. Knowing that the women grew to feel safe enough to open up to us about their histories was extremely rewarding. During these sessions, we also introduced some simple stress reduction techniques, such as journaling. Our hope with these journals was that the women could use them to release emotions, even when they are not at Women's Group.

One of my main goals this summer was to improve the sense of community between residents of Tender Mercies. Through my conversations with the residents, I learned that many of them did not have strong support networks which had negative impacts on their mental and physical health. To this end, Diana and I helped host bingo games and movie nights. These events were opportunities for the residents to interact with one another and also helped keep them occupied and out of the streets.

Overall, my experience at Tender Mercies has taught me so much about the kind of physician that I hope to be one day. Speaking with the residents taught me the importance of listening to our patients and making sure that their voices are heard. This summer also reminded me of the importance of treating all of our patients with respect, no matter what walk of life they come from. I will carry all of these lessons with me as I move forward in my career, so that I remember to treat all patients with compassion and respect so that we may build trusting, healing relationships.