The smell of rubbing alcohol stings the noses of clients as they wait in line to be helped. Latex gloves snap against the hands of nurses who then take vital signs of their patients. Clipboards clapping, Velcro ripping and chatter fill the air as volunteers get to know their clients.
Among the noise and rush of people, a volunteer asks the man sitting before her if it hurt when she pricked his finger to draw blood. He shakes his head and says, “Nah.”
Nearby, another nurse volunteer is taping an eye chart to the wall to test the vision of other homeless men and women lined up in a long, snaking line in front of the medical station at PHC Friday.
Many nurses, nursing students and other medical practitioners from Regis University, Porter Hospital and Denver Health were bustling around the medical station. All are wearing purple T-shirts indicate their roles as medical volunteers.
Mary Proksch, BSN, is an associate professor of nursing and teaches online courses for graduate programs at Regis University. “The students are mostly helping the clients, but faculty members are around to direct the students if they need help or if supplies run out,” Proksch said. “So I’m not wearing my nurse’s hat today.”
Patsy Cullen is a pediatric nurse practitioner and assistant professor in nursing at Regis University. She has helped at PHC events five times and believes every year the event gets better. “There are a lot of simple but important services being provided,” Cullen said. “The spring event is a lot different than the winter event. There are not nearly as many respiratory infections in the spring as there are in the winter.”
Nurse Sue Scherer was working on sprains and strains as well as distributing canes and walkers to those with injuries. She shook her head as she explained how she helped one patient whose foot was broken but could not afford crutches so he had been walking on it.
“The whole event makes me think of homelessness in a different way,” Scherer said. “There is just such a variety of people here, young and old.”
Along with many other nursing students from Regis University, first year students Lindsey Thomas and Maura Novak were busy compiling medical histories of those in line. Novak was filling out a form about the medical history of an elderly woman.
Nearby, Thomas was wiping a man’s finger clean with an alcohol pad, before pricking it and drawing blood to test the man’s blood sugar level. Then she bandaged the finger.
“We’ve had a really positive atmosphere here today,” Novak said. “Participants get a really good day out of this.”
Karie Poelman, a registered nurse who helped put this year’s medical services together, said that this is one of the best events that takes place because it brings more partnerships together to help the community.
“This helps teach students about having respect and honor for all of their community members,” she said. “Listening to people’s stories, getting to know others-it’s just a great opportunity.
