March 28, 2006  The Johns Hopkins Bayview Community Care-A-Van has been coined "health on wheels." Its success has been largely due to physician assistant Patricia (Pat) Letke-Alexander, a "hell on wheels" advocate for patients. Since the wheels began turning on the Care-A-Van, Pat has brought skill, energy and loads of enthusiasm to her job and to the thousands of patients she has treated.
The Care-A-Van, a 39-foot mobile clinic, made its first rounds on June 19, 1999. Aboard were a driver, medical assistant Angie Holmes and, of course, Pat. Pat was instrumental in putting the program piece in place and saw the Care-A-Van as an ideal way for Hopkins Bayview to reach out to Southeast Baltimoreans who weren't able to access a doctor's office or other medical care. Since that time, Pat has impacted thousands of lives--children, women and men living at the edge of the health care system. With nearly 2,000 visits a year, the Care-A-Van provides treatment, prevention, education and maternal child health to people who have no medical insurance or who are underserved. To many, the Care-A-Van has become a place of comfort, compassion and understanding-thanks to the dedication of Pat and her staff, who see beyond the medical needs and provide care specific to each person. As Pat was quoted saying in an article, "I've learned to hang in there with people. You can't always take care of all the needs and you can't expect fireworks at every visit. Some people say the van's a band-aid, and yes, maybe it is. But band-aids keep wounds from getting infected. I like to think of it as working on a block of marble. You keep chipping away and eventually you have a sculpture." Pat's piece of marble has started to take shape because she cares. She's not afraid to face hard work or danger to improve the world around her. She sees problems and solves them. She sees people in need and helps them. She is passionate about the work she does. But even more important, she is extremely sensitive to the patients she care for. Pat is well-suited for the task. She began her career as a physician assistant 20 years ago at Hopkins Bayview, first in pediatrics, then in the emergency department. Following a stint at a remote hospital in Papua, New Guinea, she spent nine years working with Healthcare for the Homeless in Washington, DC, where she cared for people who lived under bridges and in parks. The experience taught her how to work within reality. Most recently, Pat applied for a grant from the Baltimore City Health Department. Last year, the Care-A-Van received $30,000 from the grant, which they used to hire Yvette Fuentes, a part-time service coordinator. Because they markedly exceeded all the conditions of the 2005 grant, this year, they were awarded $50,000. A testimony to the work that Pat and the Care-A-Van staff do. So money in hand, Pat plans to enhance the Care-A-Van's services. She is committed, "driven," in this case, to continue her role as an advocate for underserved people. Pat's heartfelt words say it all: "When a child smiles at me, when a woman confides in me, when I can help a single father with his daughter's health care needs, how can I not be there for them. In the end, I want to say 'I was there.'"
The William J. McCarthy Distinguished Service Award was established to recognize employees and volunteers who go beyond expected standards of service and exemplify the best traditions of Johns Hopkins Medicine. Each year, the board of trustees chooses one individual who has made a contribution - one that impacts the Medical Center in an extraordinary way. |
