| I passed the Catholic Charities soup kitchen before I saw it. Picture a very, very small scale elementary school tucked into the lee of a hospital. There's a little playground in between two pavillions and a sign that says "homework program". Eight kids were in the playground, average age about ten, running after each other and laughing.
I followed the smell of sloppy joes to the kitchen in the back, which had just finished serving. There were two long tables all set up with Halloween decorations. The soup kitchen coordinator was on the phone, stirring a pot when I got there. Although I'd called ahead, they seemed a little surprised to see me actually there and asked about what street medicine was all about. So I told them I was a doctor who would see patients for free and, while I didn't have any medicines, I could call in prescriptions to Target or Wallmart or wherever.
They looked at each other, gathered the sickest people, and found a room for me in the back. I saw seven patients including two teenagers, a kid, and a pregnant woman: most of the patients had really badly out of control asthma (severe, persistent) were out of their medications, and had been to the ER very recently. Two of my patients had been intubated for asthma. They were all stretching their meds, spacing out the doses, trying to make it last while their breathing got worse and worse and worse. Guys, we need inhalers: albuterol, advair, QVAR...
Most of my patients had more than one condition. The biggest comorbidities were allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis, with one atopic dermatitis. Other conditions were hypertension, ob/gyn, tinea, and aches and pains.
They will be ready for us when we return next month, with flyers and a sign in sheet. Brace yourselves, this is going to get big.
After the soup kitchen wound down, I went out under the bridges to the first site I could remember off the top of my head: waterman street bridge. Nobody there tonight, but there are so many other places to go.
Again, still no malpractice coverage from Loma Linda, but will let you know the moment it goes through... |
