Loyola’s motto of “We also treat the human spirit” is more than just a corporate slogan. It is something that is personally important to our employees, who give back to the community in thousands of ways, who try to boost others during their most vulnerable time in life. One example of this is Loyola’s clinic for the homeless in the west suburbs.

For the last eight years Loyola internal medicine residents have staffed a free clinic at an Oak Park, Ill., shelter for West Suburban PADS, or Public Action to Deliver Shelter.

“There is a lot of need right in our own backyard. I have always been a proponent of making sure we have a place in our own community taking care of our neighbors,” said Dr. Paul O’Keefe, vice chair Department of Medicine.

That passion has been passed on to the next generation of physicians. “The No. 1 thing people give up when they don’t have anything is their health,” said Katie Roark, an internal medicine resident. “We don’t have a lot of technical equipment at the shelter, but what we do have is a voice, a touch and a motivation.”

Sometimes the guests at the shelter need a simple blood-pressure check or they may suffer from a more serious or chronic condition that needs to be addressed by a doctor. Often, the most important part of their visit to the clinic is the validation that someone cares.

“To me, the most amazing thing is learning people’s background stories of how they came to be homeless and how their situation arose. Hearing these stories makes me realize how close we all are to being in that situation,” said Melissa Bussey, an internal medicine resident.

“Making a connection with health care is very important. It is hard for our clients to navigate life in general and then to navigate the health system is almost impossible,” said Kathie McCroary, PADS nurse manager.

Integral to the mission of Loyola University Health System is the value of human dignity and respect for people from all walks of life. This is seen in the dedication and compassionate care of Loyola physicians serving in the PADS clinic.

“We are an agency that doesn’t just address one thing. When people come to us, they have lost absolutely everything,” said Lynda Schueler, executive director of West Suburban PADS. “We are so grateful that Loyola continues to support this medical clinic because we wouldn’t have it, we couldn’t afford the program, if we had to pay for these services.”

For more information about West Suburban PADS, call (708) 338-1724.