©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Wyndmoor volunteer duo ‘no better, just luckier’
by PAULA M. RILEY

This is Marc McKenna(left) and Dr. Michael Keegan, his friend from Washington DC, Georgetown Prep High School, who got him involved initially.

This is the 11th in an ongoing series of articles by Paula M. Riley on Chestnut Hill volunteers.

“It’s no fun being poor,” says Laura McKenna of Wyndmoor. She and her husband Marc come face-to-face with poverty through their extensive volunteer work both near and far.

Whether in the alleys of Kensington or the rural mountains of the Dominican Republic, the McKennas witness firsthand the medical problems and personal struggles experienced by the poor. Here in Philadelphia, they contribute medical expertise as a nurse practitioner (Laura) and physician (Marc) at the Catholic Worker Free Medical Clinic, one of many missions of the House of Grace Catholic Worker Community. This free clinic serves the poor living in and around Kensington.

The clinic provides a welcome haven for the homeless where the first 10 people in line get a hot shower, and the first six people receive a pair of clean socks and new tee shirt. They get a warm welcome with shampoo, a razor and towel. “Coordinating the showers is one of my favorite things to do,” says Laura. “Unlike when I function as their nurse, I know they will feel 100 percent better when they leave here.”

Laura and Stephan (a regular patient at the Kensington clinic), at a House of Grace Christmas party.

A majority of the clients come to the clinic seeking treatment but holding no health insurance. They may be homeless, suffering from mental illness, addicted to drugs or experiencing all three. These patients have both minor and major health problems. Others need help completing government forms for food stamps or a medical card.

More than anything else, the clients need an advocate. The McKennas help the clients with potentially intimidating experiences. Whether it’s writing a note they can show an Emergency Room Doctor, getting an admissions referral to a detox program or driving them to an appointment, volunteers are there to help clients to the next step. Marc, a medical doctor, spends much of his time helping clients complete forms necessary for medical assistance.

When asked about the primary diagnosis Dr. McKenna most often makes at the clinic, Laura answers, “The underlying diagnosis is poverty.” Marc describes the many illnesses the clients experience due to such poverty. He speaks of clients with various mental illnesses who use drugs as a means of lessening their anguish. From his perspective, understanding their illnesses requires an appreciation of life on the street.

“Imagine the condition of your feet if you never took your shoes off for fear of them being stolen,” he says. “Imagine the difficulty of doing your own wound care when you are homeless, or the difficulty of following through with immunizations when you are mentally ill,” Laura adds.

Painting a picture of the daily lives of her clients, Laura explains that theirs is a life of chaos. Many have nowhere to eat and nowhere to sleep. Some visitors to the clinic have been displaced from jobs, homes or communities due their mental illness or drug addiction.

Laura continues, “The clinic offers them a sense of calm amidst this chaos. Here’s a place they can get non-judgmental medical treatment. It is where someone will be nice to them. Here they will be treated with respect.”

When the McKennas speak of their service to the poor, they constantly use the word respect. “It doesn’t take much to treat people with respect,” Laura says. In their describing the wonderful people this work has brought into their lives, the same refrain rings out: every individual deserves respect, regardless of his/her wealth or wellness.

This commitment to respect others has had a direct impact on Marc’s full-time job as the Director of Family Practice Residency at Chestnut Hill Hospital. When reflecting on his volunteer experience, he believes he has learned invaluable lessons that he applies daily as a doctor. “I have learned just how important every patient interaction is. I am reminded that everyone deserves the same level of care and attention,” he says.

The week that Marc spends each year working in a remote area of the Dominican Republic has cemented these beliefs for him. Working with the Somas Amigo program, he joins a delegation of volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses, interpreters and support personnel who spend one week, twice a year, at a health clinic. Bringing donated medical supplies and medicines, they work long hours at the clinic and spend their evenings with a local ‘sponsor,’ family often with no plumbing or other conveniences.

Seeing over 700 patients during the week, Marc treats all types of illnesses including wounds, diabetes and high blood pressure. Patients arrive from surrounding villages, some walking many miles and waiting all day to be seen by Dr. McKenna and his colleagues. The experience for Marc is profound, and he explains his feelings best when he quotes the inscription that hangs on the entranceway of the cinder block clinic: “If you come expecting to cure the sick, you’ll be surprised as the sick will help cure you.” This sums up exactly how Marc and his wife feel. Marc is especially excited to be sharing his Somos Amigos experience this year with his daughter, Annie.

The youngest of the McKennas’ four children, Annie will be joining her father for his next visit to the clinic. Her parents beam with pride as they talk of the charitable hearts she and her other siblings Daniel, Michael and Marie have. “They have developed a real sense for those less fortunate,” Laura says. Each child shows his/her concern for the poor in their own unique way.

Marc explains how his wife and he have regularly included their four children in their volunteer work. “They were involved at an early age because we wanted them to get used to seeing the poor. We believe experiencing the poor early on demystified it and helped our children become more understanding and sympathetic.”

Laura continues, “Our family is incredibly blessed. It is so important to give. This is a value we have tried to express to our kids every single day.” It’s one she learned early and continues to experience with her siblings. She speaks reverently of the lessons her mother and late father taught her and the sense of service they instilled in her.

They continue to work together and serve as board members of The Patricia Kind Family Foundation. This private not-for-profit philanthropic organization financially supports organizations that help needy children, adults and seniors obtain physical and mental health care services in the Philadelphia area.

Their grant distribution in 2005 exceeded $2 million and supported over 132 organizations, including Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network and North Hills Health Center.

The McKennas are very appreciative of the opportunities they have had to serve others. Laura explains, “We are incredibly lucky to have both the time and resources to do this. Yes, we do write checks to these organizations, but for us we experience so many more rewards when we give of ourselves.”

In a few short years all four McKenna children will be finished college and will serve others in their own way. Laura and Marc are confident the kids have learned from their volunteer experiences. “We teach our kids that they are so blessed in so many ways. We teach them they are no better than the poor we serve. They know we are no better, just luckier.”

To volunteer, donate or learn more about the Catholic Worker Free Medical Clinic, Somos Amigos or the Patricia Kind Family Foundation, contact the McKennas at lmckenna@comcast.net.