Sam Donaldson's cancer survival tips - National Library of Medicine ...

eyond words. It is a privilege to be
with the community and with the
people,” she says.
A familiar, trusted figure along
Nicola Richards, long lost to drugs, homelessness, and
despair for most of his adult life, is checked by Dr. Janelle
Goetcheus as part of his continuing treatment for crippling
rheumatoid arthritis through Unity Health Care, a
citywide, federally qualified health care organization.
Columbia Road and in neighborhoods across the city, Goetcheus is now but one of a
host of medical professionals, community workers, selfless volunteers, and many others
from all backgrounds who contribute countless hours to serving those less fortunate
through the innovative medical outreach system she started.
Says Dr. Stuart F. Seides, chairman of the District of Columbia Medical Society,
who bestowed the 2002 American Medical Association “Pride in Profession” award on
Goetcheus, “She is an inner-city missionary, utterly selfless. She has a vision in looking
after the homeless and the dispossessed in the city.”
One of these people is Nicola Richards, 37, homeless for most of his adult life and
now undergoing treatment at Christ House for the rheumatoid arthritis which cripples
him. “From the beginning, I didn’t know what would happen,” he says. “But when I
learned to start trusting people, I started getting better.
“It’s been a blessing. Physically, my legs have progressed. Mentally, I’ve been restored
to make better choices. Spiritually, my foundation is set.” n
is her waiting room...”
Dr. Janelle Goetcheus on the street in front of
Christ House, with, from left, Gregory Sims,
James Selke and James Ross. Says Sims, “I don’t
know what would have happened to me if I
hadn’t come here. The people here really care!”
Meet Your Local Legend!
Local Legends of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/locallegends/ is an
online Web exhibit highlighting the contributions of
outstanding women physicians in rural and urban
communities across the country. Nominated by a congressional
representative, each extraordinary physician
has made a positive, enduring contribution to the
health care of her community and to the country.
Local Legends is a companion to “Changing the Face of
Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians,”
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/
changingthefaceofmedicine/ an exhibition
organized by the National Library of Medicine (NLM),
Bethesda, MD, and the American Library Association,
Chicago, IL, with support from the National Library
of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health Office
of Research on Women’s Health, and the American
Medical Women’s Association that was displayed at the
NLM from 2003 – 2005. A smaller version of Changing
the Face of Medicine is now on travel across the
country. For a schedule of this traveling exhibit, go to:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/
changingthefaceofmedicine/visit/
www.medlineplus.gov Spring 2007 19