“One experience I had that epitomizes the teamwork and patient-centered care at DFM was with an ob patient who decided to establish care with us at 38 weeks. She had multiple barriers to care, including being unhoused and ongoing substance use, and everyone at our clinic treated her with the utmost compassion—from the front desk staff who gave her snacks and a reminder card on when her appointment was, to the medical assistants who stayed late to help her get labs and roomed, to the nurses who advocated for her to get weekly appointments, we all worked together to support someone in a time of great need. This snapshot of one Friday afternoon encapsulates so much of the care we provide patients at DFM and why I love working there as much as I do.”

“I love DFM! It is a privilege to care for recently arrived immigrant and refugee families from all over the world and be a safety net clinic for people with Medicaid, Medicare and no insurance. Specifically, it has been a joy to accompany people through their pregnancies, watch children grow up who you delivered in the hospital, and get to know entire families (parents, siblings, infants, etc!) and help them navigate their health and wellness as they adjust to life in the U.S. During a busy afternoon, I saw patients for the following: miscarriage follow-up, gender care, pap smear and birth control counseling, 18 month well child check, second trimester pregnancy visit, and a phone visit for follow-up on colposcopy results.”

“On a recent afternoon at DFM, I had two translated visits and one walk in visit. The first patient was an East African woman who was tearful about living with her young son in a homeless shelter, and she needed recommendations for eye care related to exposures in a refugee camp. The second patient was an East Asian man who had acute mental health concerns, a stigmatizing skin condition threatening his employment, and a poorly managed endocrine disorder. The third patient was brought up from the innovative buprenorphine clinic downstairs due to concern for complications from IVDU. What we prepared for is not what the patients brought us, and I love that I was in a clinic that helped me meet them where they were.”

“Last Friday I started my clinic day while enroute to work on bike. I passed by the street corner where one of my long-time patients spends her time every Friday. I stopped to say hello and reminded her to come by clinic when she could take a break. She, in turn, reminded me, ‘Doc Hutchinson, be careful around these wild drivers!’ This routine has become one of my favorite moments of the week, as it symbolizes the extension of our work into the community. When I arrived at work, I was greeted by one of our wonderful MAs who was ready to talk through our morning plan for patients. Before I got started seeing patients, our behavioral health specialist walked to my desk to give me an in-person update about the status of one of my morning patient’s depression. The morning then consisted of two appointments for suboxone (some of my favorite visits), a prenatal visit for my continuity OB patient, a newborn visit with a baby I had delivered two weeks earlier, two visits with long-time patients one regarding diabetes and the other depression, and finally an appointment to discuss starting testosterone for a patient pursuing gender transition. Two of these visits I conducted in Spanish, and two were interpreted by phone. Throughout the course of the morning, I heard our patient and dedicated nurses making calls to patients, commending them for their attempts to live healthier lives and show up to appointments despite lack of transportation, the chaotic world of homeless shelters, and poor access to healthy food. This morning was a fairly typical one, representing the wonderful variety of lives that intersect in the safe and welcoming space that is DFM.”