Issue 32 web-2.pdf

Dr. Dave OresTHE DOCTOR BEHIND THE TATTOOSWords: Siara GrayPhotography: Louis DuitIn the last few years, there’s been a movementto socially de-stigmatize tattooed professionals.Particularly, in the alternative community,social media has been a huge catalyst in tattooacceptance, spreading consciousness throughthought-provoking image juxtaposition in memeforms and memorable slogans. Part of this waveof highlighting that it’s not a negative for skilled,intelligent, and productive professionals to alsobe tattooed, is the popular image of Dr. Ores,also known as, Dr. Dave, it shows a photo of thedoctor in casual clothing, jeans and a sleevelessshirt, revealing two full sleeves of tattoos, nextto a photo of him in his white coat concealingthe tattoos. The image was originally part of the2007 photojournalistic book, Inked Inc. by DaveKimelberg, a photographic look at the intersectionof body art and professional culture.The now viral image shows two seamless facetsthat are true to who Dr. Ores actually is in hisreal life - a tattooed, Harley riding M.D., with abalanced approach to life and a totally uniqueapproach in providing accessible and affordablemedical care in his community in the lower eastside of Manhattan.His enthusiasm for tattoos began from his love ofmotorcycles. The enthusiast owns several Harleysand has been riding since his mid-twenties.When starting his practice in the nineties, a lotof his clientele were tattooed and tattoo artists,whom started offering to tattoo him.“I first got some medical tattoos, like thecaduceus on my arm, then I got other ones.Then I got three, then I got four, then I got five.Then I decided to have sleeves. My tattoo artistfriends do it for me when I want and they chargeme little or nothing. I like tattoos. Sometimespeople say, “what are you going to do whenyou’re ninety and have tattoos? It’s going to lookhorrible.” My answer is, when I’m ninety, if mybiggest problem is how my tattoos look, I’ll bereally happy that that’s my biggest problem. I liveamong people with body modifications and tattoos;it seems strange not to have any. Also, asyou move through life, you forget you have them.Until someone mentions it or asks about them,I completely forget I have tattoos. It’s like havingears, you don’t think about having ears all day.”Dr. Ores has a unique approach when it comesto healthcare, avoiding taking private healthinsurance since starting his practice in 1993.Regarding payment for patients, his practiceworks with each patient individually to cometo an arrangement for those who can’t pay fullfees, the practice does no processing of healthinsurance claims, saving time and money.“For profit health insurance is a scam beyondimagination. Private, for profit health insurancecorporations just suck all the money out of thesystem and keep it for themselves, and that’sinherently evil. The alternative system is nationalnot-for-profit healthcare, but of course, there’sno money in that. So it depends on your missionstatement. If your mission is to make a few oldwhite men incredibly wealthy, then you mighthave the system that works perfectly. If you wantto provide health for the people that live in thiscountry and vastly improve our economy in adozen different ways, then you’d have national,not-for-profit healthcare.”In 2007, Dr. Ores started the Restaurant WorkerReferral Program (RwRp): a not-for-profit 501(c)3organization that provides uninsured restaurantworkers FREE access to a medical doctor withno shareholders or profits. This successful initiativehas proved to be a working model of hownot-for-profit medical care can viably work andprovide healthcare outside of the financial thumbof corporatized health insurance. How it works isthat restaurants that are a part of this co-op paya monthly fee, and any of their employees cansee Dr. Ores or one of the three other participatingdoctors in the program as needed. Thedoctor only gets paid when seeing a patient. Animportant byproduct of the program is what Dr.Ores calls early intervention - uninsured patientsseek help for problems earlier on, having easieraccess to medical attention, rather than waitinguntil their situation becomes critical. With theproven and continuing success of the RwRpprogram, Dr. Ores hope that doctors in other zipcodes join the project, and in the future be nationallycentralized providing health care withoutbarriers to an even bigger network of employees.FRESH START: A Community Tattoo RemovalProject is another effective program that Dr. Oresis involved in. He, along with Mr. Carlos Lansen,have teamed up to offer laser tattoo removal serviceto qualifying individuals that have a need toremove gang affiliation and incarceration tattooson the hands, neck, and face that may interferewith employment, free of charge. This servicedecreases chances of recidivism and betterschances for employment. “The tattoos of the pastmay send out a message the person no longerwants to send out. What people trying to improvetheir life don’t need is one more obstacle toovercome,” Ores says.This down-to-earth M.D. has a true heart forhis community and facilitating the best possiblehealth for each of his patients. He is initiating anotherproject this year called, “Pay What You CanWednesdays,” calling for doctors of all types tosee one person on Wednesday on a pay-whatyou-canbasis. Dr. Ores will also be presentinga TED Talks this fall, speaking about his ideason healthcare and socioeconomically positivebyproducts of accessible, affordable nationalhealthcare.For more information, visit:www.DavidJOresMD.orgwww.rwrp.infowww.Facebook.com/PWYCW90 InkSpiredMagazine.com