They stand on street corners, highway exit ramps and major intersections. They hold handwritten signs saying “Please Help” in bold print with a sincere “God Bless You” at the bottom. With the present state of our economy and unstable job market, homelessness is spreading throughout Indianapolis and merging into some of the more affluent areas, including Geist. While some have lost their jobs, homes, or insurance, other Geist neighbors are reaching out to help those in need.
“All my life I have felt that the meaning of life is to help in some way to make the world a little bit better for other people,” says Dr. Jean Miller, a compassionate Geist resident and retired oncologist. “I want to use my medical skills to assist the less fortunate.” Dr. Miller has volunteered for the last six years at the Gennesaret Free Clinic (GFC) located in downtown Indianapolis. The GFC has been providing health care services to our city’s homeless since 1988. Physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and dentists go to where the homeless are: Parking lots, homeless shelters, and food pantries.
Dr. Miller volunteers at St. Vincent DePaul Client Choice Food Pantry, one of GFC’s six medical clinics, where she witnesses her share of misfortune. “In today’s times, we’re looking at people who lose their jobs, their homes, or consequently, their insurance. The care and medicine that we have at GFC are free. However, if uninsured patients need more involved care, tests, or medicines than what we stock, they are not able to afford it. They may not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid or may not even be able to afford the co-pay.”
Demand for free healthcare services has increased dramatically of late. So far this year, the GFC Wellness Clinics have recorded 1,200 patient visits at both locations. In the same time frame one year ago, they recorded 769 visits.
Dr. Miller worked as a chemist for nine years at Eli Lilly and Company researching cancer drugs before deciding to go back to school to become a doctor. She is now married, has three grown step-sons, and a daughter at North Central High School.
Her growing philanthropy continues to extend beyond the Indianapolis area. Earlier this year, she volunteered her medical skills in Honduras and Ecuador. Next month she will head to Guatemala. Dr. Miller says helping in these third world countries is similar to her experiences at GFC where the medical care is basic, simple, and offered to those who would not otherwise have access to healthcare services.
“You can’t separate the need for what we do from the healthcare crisis in our country. Patients who have no insurance simply do not have the same access to the quality of care that others do.”
A Geist dentist, Dr. Ryan Jay, also volunteers his talents at GFC. For the last six years, Dr. Jay has volunteered at the Blue Triangle Residence Hall Clinic at 725 N. Pennsylvania Street, a far cry from his office in Oaklandon.
“If you work hard and have a talent, a skill or a craft, then you need to share it,” says Dr. Jay.
Dr. Jay has seen many patients from all different backgrounds and social economic statuses. Many share their stories about businesses they once owned, jobs they no longer have, or just flat-out bad luck. Despite their situations, Dr. Jay says the patients are very thankful.
“These patients (at GFC) are the most appreciative people you’ll ever meet. They don’t complain, they’re always on time, and most importantly, they know you are there for them.”
Tina Bauman, a Geist pharmacist, donates her time at the St. Vincent DePaul Client Choice Food Pantry Clinic. “I feel it was God’s calling to me when I made a phone call one day to GFC and learned they could use a pharmacist,” says Bauman who dispenses medicine and medical supplies to patients and consults with them directly, which is what she loves most about her job. She has noticed a change in the type of patients who have visited the clinic within the last year. Whereas she used to see the traditional homeless people when she first began working there, her clientele has since evolved into patrons who have either lost their insurance, their job, or both. Bauman fills free prescriptions for most clinic patients while recommending generic brands for those they do not carry in stock.
“These patients appreciate our clinic,” says Bauman. “There is no doubt that I get way more out of volunteering than what I put into it.”
Our Geist neighbors are not only helping out with medical care, but in other areas as well. Take for example Bob Tollini, an Admirals Bay resident, who provides after school tutoring for children living in homeless shelters.
“I’m lucky helping the unlucky. These kids have no control over the economic health of their parents.”
All around Geist, families have made volunteering for the homeless a family activity, especially during the holidays. Just ask the Postlewaite family from Fishers. Thanksgiving means rolling up their sleeves and preparing the annual Mozel Sander Thanksgiving Charity Dinner hosted by Butler University.
“Our hearts are satisfied just knowing we are able to reach out and help others in some small way,” said Sarah Postlewaite.
As we continue to debate the healthcare problems facing all Americans, please keep the homeless close to home in your prayers and thoughts. Non-profit groups like the GFC always need volunteers, both professional and non-professional. If you would like to lend your talents, time, or treasures to the homeless, please call the Gennesaret Free Clinic at 317-639-5645 or go online to www.Gennesaret.org.
