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As a new doctor at Grady Health System, Dr. Charles Moore, an ear, nose and throat specialist, began seeing an inordinate number of uninsured patients with advanced head and throat cancers, cancers that could have been treated easily if diagnosed early. Somebody needs to do something about this, he thought. “One day, I realized that maybe it should be me,” Moore said. Almost a decade later, Moore, who practices and teaches medicine at Grady and Emory Healthcare, is founder and CEO of the HEALing Community Center in southwest Atlanta. The center, which draws on doctors and students from across Atlanta, offers some 5,000 patients a year a comprehensive menu of services, from general medical care to mental health, cardiology to pulmonology, OBGYN to pediatrics. Its community outreach focuses on nutrition and healthy living and a dental program is in the works. The HEALing Community Center was recognized recently by the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Partner Up! for Public Health Campaign.
Q: Is it true that you started the center out of the back of your green Subaru?
A: It is true. I bought $100 in supplies and hit the road. Unfortunately, I don’t have that Subaru anymore. After 268,000 miles, I got a truck.
Q: How did you know where to set up shop?
A: When I was working at Grady, I looked up the ZIP codes where the patients were coming from and got in my car to see what the issues were.
Q: What were the issues?
A: All of the patients were from severely underserved communities — no access to healthy food options, minimal-to-no transportation, some of the highest rates of HIV and infant mortality. Alcohol and tobacco usage was very prominent.
Q: Did you go into medicine wanting to serve this population?
A: No. I went to medical school at Harvard and did my residency at the University of Michigan and had never worked at a place like Grady. I wanted to.
Q: How did you gain trust?
A: It took a while for people to realize I wasn’t going anywhere. I did whatever I said I would do and then went over and above that.
Q: Are you more discouraged or less so than when you first started on this journey?
A: People are really hungry for information. If we give them some options and provide the appropriate education, they will try to live a healthier life.
Q: Most of your patients are uninsured. How do you fund the center?
A: Ninety percent of our money comes from philanthropy, primarily private foundations that have been extremely supportive.
Q: Do you feel like you are making a dent?
A: I absolutely do. Everything we do really focuses on prevention. Also, we are training students to effectively provide health care in a culturally relevant way. They hopefully will use that information in their practices. Some of them will stay in communities like the one we serve.
Q: How has the center changed your life?
A: Most people who go to medical school really just want to help folks. Sometimes that initial desire can get muddied and lost in the whole health care training process. The clinic has allowed me to reconnect and stay connected.
Q: Has this experience made you a better doctor?
A: I hope so. I try to do the right thing. To me, the clinic represents doing the right thing with the skills and talents I have. Hopefully, this will continue to open my eyes to what people deal with on a daily basis. People are so grateful for the most miniscule things.
The Sunday Conversation is edited for length and clarity. Writer Ann Hardie can be reached by email at ann.hardie@ymail.com.
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