A MESSAGE FROM DR. SUSAN NELSON
Volunteering at RITI is a joy every week. Monday afternoons I spend 2-3 hours visiting with the residents at the Recuperative Care Center, a place for people recently discharged from the hospital who need a safe and secure place to stay while they recover from their surgery or injuries or major illness.
Our healthcare system is good at diagnosing and treating these conditions, but does not have the capacity to make sure patients have a safe place to go once they leave the hospital. If you were formerly living on the street, or in your car, what happens if you are in a major accident with multiple bones broken? Or you are shot in the back and can’t walk? Or you are diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and need ongoing cancer treatment?
These are just a few examples of people who have come to RITI to recuperate.
As a family doctor, I listen to the residents, offer guidance on their medical questions, and help the staff navigate the complex medical follow-up appointments for doctors and physical therapists and pharmacy refills; the list is long.
How do you get to a doctor’s appointment when you have no car?
RITI pays for Uber rides.
How do you get your prescriptions refilled or make doctor’s appointments
in the first place?
RITI staff helps residents break through these many barriers to getting well.
Every day that I spend at RCC reminds me of 2 things:
1) Our health care system is complex and difficult to navigate
2) The joy and pride of the human spirit persists despite terrible circumstances.
There are so many small things that make a big difference.
Volunteers bring meals or craft activities or plant flowers or many other things that brighten the day of the residents and make them feel they are valued and not forgotten.
So easy to share in the joy, which is why I go every week.
Come share in the work that brings joy to your life. Be a part of the solution.
Susan Nelson