Last week I saw patients at the Chicago Salvation Army clinic in addition to my regular clinic shift at the NUHS Whole Health Center. In the 10th trimester, ND interns spend two weeks at the Salvation Army clinic helping out the DC interns who do their clinical internships there. It was rewarding to serve an underserved population; men who are overcoming drug addiction and homelessness and getting their lives back on track by living at working at the Chicago Salvation Army.

The patients were so thankful for the chiropractic (and naturopathic) care offered to them. Many of the patients do jobs that require a lot of physical labor which causes them back pain and stiffness. I was able to help do a few orthopedic exams to rule out red flags and do spinal manipulations to loosen up and increase blood flow to the areas.

Other patients needed internal medicine support, such as assistance with managing diabetes, hypertension, and psoriatic arthritis. The dispensary at Salvation Army has many botanical and homeopathic medicines which have all been donated so that the patients are not charged. Patients also receive the office visits free of charge, which allows them to access care as frequently as needed without any financial burden.  

Last week was my first of two weeks at Salvation Army; I will return at the beginning of August for the second week. I look forward to going back, and hopefully caring for some of the same patients again to see their progress!