Our pediatrics team members usually don’t sit still. Sitting still means they’re not out meeting people—and meeting people is key. So they get out in the community a few days a week and visit shelters across the city. Nurse Practitioner Judy Kandel and Social Worker Debbie Wilcox visit Booth House on Wednesday mornings. Here, they share an office and together, helping connect families who are staying in the shelter to care.
Recent Profiles
To know the people we care for and the people who make that care happen is to know Health Care for the Homeless. Our promise to you: Getting to know them will make your life just a little bit richer.
Jimmy's new home at Sojourner Place is the "launch pad" for his future. Next up: putting his old plumbing tools back to work.
Being Dad
For Jeff Garrett, life was all about being a dad. Each morning, he woke his two children up with breakfast, got them ready and dropped them off at school with a big kiss and a hug. And when the bell rang at the end of the school day, he was there to bring them home and help with homework or get dinner prepared.
Nevaeh lived with her parents in an abandoned building until she was one. Lead poisoning, severe speech delays and foster care followed. But now, Nevaeh is thriving thanks to the excellent care she's been receiving at Health Care for the Homeless.
Melvin is a people person. He likes talking, and after sitting with him for a few minutes, you feel like you’ve known him for years. So when he came into Health Care for the Homeless a few months ago for a check-up with his medical provider, it wasn’t too surprising that he told us he was loving his new found career in sales.
Throughout his life, Thomas Riddle was passionate about music and cars. These things brought him happiness. But from the time he was a child, something was missing. It took a heroin habit and homelessness at the age of 50 for him to identify what that was. In his own words, Thomas talks about the importance of love.
“I got a late Christmas gift this year.” That’s how Mary Beth describes the moment her therapist, Jill, told her she had secured a dental appointment for her at our downtown clinic.
“What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear!” Expect a big smile and a joke like this one whenever you see Stephen Davidson. “I’ve got to learn a new way of living. A new way of dealing with things. It’s the first time I’ve experienced medical difficulties. First time I’ve been in a wheelchair. First time I can’t work. But I might as well have a good attitude about it.”
Walt Mell’s blue eyes droop just a little but they have a twinkle to them. His whole face smiles when he talks. The last 20 or so of his 53 years have been hard. But what you notice right away about Walt is his levity. He goes to the ER for his regular nosebleeds, he says, and he comes to the Health Care for the Homeless clinic in Baltimore County to bring cookies to the staff and "fatten them up."
Donnell Gamble never knew his birth parents, but for most of his young years he knew stability. Then one day it was gone. Donnell grew up in the foster system until he was 8, when he was adopted. For the next decade, he lived in West Baltimore with his adoptive mother. He graduated on time from a small public high school that emphasized college prep. But the importance his school placed on college did not translate into a plan for Donnell for life after school.