An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

This year, I am promoting my platform: Living in Luxury: Providing the Luxury of Preventative Medicine. Preventative medicine, like regular vaccinations, exercising daily, and eating healthy, is the best way to not only lower the nation's health care costs, but also to get the most out of your medical care (and to live longer and healthier lives!). I firmly believe in Ben Franklin's statement, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."  

The Sojourner Health Clinic is a free clinic developed and managed by UMKC Medical Students to provide outpatient care to the homeless and underprivileged population served by Grand Avenue United Methodist Temple. On Sunday afternoons, the students, with faculty supervision, provide acute and chronic medical care to the Sojourners of downtown Kansas City, many of whom also are served a free hot lunch at Grand Avenue Temple.  Our many services include (but are not limited to) blood pressure monitoring, blood sugar testing, a dispensary for medications, and an on-site physician to see patients. As a UMKC-medical student, I am privileged to be promoting my platform as a volunteer for the Sojourner Health Clinic. I say "privileged" because serving at the Free Clinic is truly a blessing and has taught me life-lessons that extend beyond the medicine.

The most invaluable lesson my patients have taught me is compassion.  Despite whatever their limitation, each patient supports the other, making sure every person is encouraged to get the care that they need, and the care that everyone deserves.  They take care of each other. It is awe-inspiring to see that tenderness and compassion. After my first day working at the clinic, I knew I had to help in any way I could.

So for the past couple of months, I have been fundraising for Sojourner. When talking with the advising physician, he stressed the need for toiletries as well as financial support.  This week, after obtaining substantial donations from supporting philanthropic groups, I was able to present a gift of every-day toiletries to the clinic.  Included in this donation were 90 bars of soap, 54 bottles of shampoo, 40 tubes of toothpaste, 35 toothbrushes, and 20 deodorant sticks, not counting the collection of hotel bottles or sample/travel size donations that were also donated.

The second most invaluable lesson my patients have taught me is thankfulness. It is remarkable seeing how people react to some toiletries that I had always taken for granted.  One patient even told me he had never dreamed of holding a tube of Crest toothpaste, let alone having the privilege of using it. I wish that I could share the pictures of the donations presentation to the patients, but according to the HIPPA laws, I can't. :-( However, I can share my pictures of some of the donations.  Here I am with Charlie Spencer, the president of Sojourner Medical Care.

 

Coming up: Paul Mitchell Children's Miracle Network 5K on Oct 31!!