By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
In a world full of strife and unmet needs, it’s hard to visualize how one person can change the status quo. Yet many individuals stand out, including Cindy Underwood, RN, who every month proves that one nurse can make a difference.
Underwood, along with a few colleagues she recruited, tends to the health needs of the homeless in Birmingham, Alabama, at a monthly outdoor clinic.
“It’s been a blessing to see God work through the little thought he put in my head,” Underwood said. “It has grown to a real clinic, outside, under the interstate.”
Underwood had volunteered feeding the homeless for about seven years with a group from her church, when it occurred to her that she could do more to help people living on the streets. Three years ago, she began bringing toothbrushes and toothpaste, topical antibiotic ointment, bandages, vitamins, and over-the-counter medications to the homeless.
“The first time we went, we saw 15 or 18 people, and the next month was 30,” Underwood said. Soon demand exceeded the ability to see everyone, and she set a limit of 50 per night.
Physician and nurse colleagues at St. Vincent’s East, where Underwood works as an operating room nurse on the heart team, soon began joining her. Now, the team treats about 85 people per clinic. Four nurses, an anesthesiologist and a cardiovascular surgeon, typically, help her. The physicians can prescribe antibiotics, antihypertensives and other drugs.
Underwood collects donations to purchase for the homeless medications to treat hypertension and other chronic conditions and distributes a 30-day supply. People return each month for a recheck and more of their medication. She spends about $500 each month buying reduced-cost pharmaceuticals from a company that sells drugs to organizations taking them on overseas mission trips.
“It’s a battle monthly to come up with enough money to purchase the medicine,” Underwood said. “That’s the hardest part.”
Some nights, the team will call an ambulance for a person with a blood pressure at stroke level, a high fever or a serious diabetic ulcer.
“We have some who we think are too sick to be on the street,” Underwood said. “You cannot just leave them.”
The team carries no narcotics or other drugs of interest to substance abusers. Underwood said she doesn’t feel frightened working under the interstate. Most of the regulars know Underwood by name and will give her a hug.
“It’s a very rewarding couple of hours,” said Underwood, who never skips her Tuesday night commitment. Ultimately, she hopes the people will find jobs and homes and will no longer need her services, but until they do, she will be there for them.
In fact, Underwood has noted a growing need for her care as the economy worsened and more people became homeless. She reported that Birmingham now has approximately 3,000 people living on the streets, many of them families with financial problems.
“The homeless numbers are rising, and I would challenge nurses to be aware of their communities,” Underwood said. “There are families, just like yours and mine, who may need this kind of help.”
© 2009. AMN Healthcare, Inc. All Rights Reserved.