Clinic offers more than medical care to beleaguered D.C. neighborhood

Published: 2006-02-17

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- "The poor live chaotic lives, and you can't force them into an organized system," says Cherie Sammis, clinical administrator and director of the Perry Family Health Center of Providence Hospital in Washington. "So we have to be very flexible," she adds. "I call it organized chaos." The Perry health center, founded in 1998, is much more than a clinic for the thousands of Washington residents who pass through its doors each year. Ranging from newborns to centenarians, they find advice on and help with a variety of life's challenges -- from literacy and language barriers to help with applying for Medicaid or for programs that provide free or low-cost drugs. "They take good care of me and my kids," said Nachele, a mother of two who is expecting her third child and asked that her last name not be used. "I remember coming here for shots as a little kid, and now I bring my own kids."

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .