there's more to a patient than meets the eye...

Prior to my time at the Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center, when I thought of a free health care clinic, the patient population that came to mind did not include college educated engineers, lawyers, businessmen or medical professionals. In fact, I envisioned quite the opposite… homeless men and women, people who are either unemployed or working at minimum wage, or who are disabled. However, that assumption has been completely dissolved. The Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center of Pittsburgh is a unique organization. It is the only Catholic Charities in the nation that has a healthcare clinic. The religious focus and mission of the clinic also provides a distinctive focus to the care of patients.

One of my favorite aspects of working at this clinic as opposed to a “typical” healthcare facility is that no one is in a big hurry… neither the providers nor the patients. I hate having to rush a patient through assessment just because medications are due for another patient or a call light is going off. Also, if we are running a bit behind in bringing patients back to be examined, they don’t get offended or upset! They truly appreciate the service that the clinic is providing and are as patient as can be J This is great because our physicians are between 70-90 years old and definitely work at their own pace!

As the nurse, or in our case, nursing student, we are the first ones to see the patient when they arrive. There are four exam rooms at the clinic and so we lead the patient back to one of the rooms, take their vital signs, and ask for a description of why they are here for an appointment. It is wonderful to be able to take as much time as necessary for the patient. The nurse then documents the findings in a nursing note and communicates the information to the physician and pharmacy students. There are three 6^th year pharmacy students from Duquesne University who are doing a clinical at CCFHC. They are great resources for finding out which medications are on the $4/$10 plans at Giant Eagle!

I had a particularly touching patient encounter last week and I’d like to share it J. This gentleman was in his late forties and was a new patient to the clinic. I greeted him in the waiting room and invited him to come back to an exam room. He and I sat down and I asked him to tell me why he was seeing a physician today. Being an astute nursing student, I was surprised to notice he was very well-dressed with a Chaps polo shirt, crisply ironed Dockers slacks, and a large expensive-looking wrist watch. However, his explanation was more than enough to justify his appearance. Openly, he told me his story: he had been a successful lawyer who had worked his way up the ranks and finally lead his own firm, catering to national clientele. After ten wonderful years, he was indicted by one of the companies his firm was representing. He was sentenced and served seven and a half long years in the state prison. After many attempts to repeal the conviction, the senator of the state of Pennsylvania finally got involved and it was determined that it had been a wrongful accusation. This man had missed out on almost a decade of watching his children grow up due to a simple misunderstanding. He was no longer outwardly angry about the ordeal and expressed his anxiousness to get back on his feet and rebuild his company. I was very impressed by his composure and humble outlook on his situation. He had gone from making a six-figure salary to being without insurance and needing to strictly budget his finances. The case was in the process of finishing the paperwork to clear him of all charges and once that is over, he will get monetary compensation. However, until then, the CCFHC is a resource that he will use to get his life and his health back together after not seeing a physician for the past eight years. Fortunately, after our comprehensive assessment, the patient had no immediate health concerns. This story just goes to show that assumptions are no substitute for real people, real lives, and real experiences!

I feel blessed to be able to have this opportunity at the clinic and I look forward to sharing more stories!