Pilot medical clinic numero uno

This afternoon, we hosted our first two-hour clinic at the Nea Zoi offices. Lindsay and I set up one of the rooms with our medical equipment, a rudimentary exam table (picture a desk with a mattress laid over the top and draped with sheets ...) and chairs for the physician and patient. In all of our preparations, we weren't sure what to expect - we might have ten patients, or none at all! Along with a Greek nurse, Lindsay and myself, we were staffed by Dr. Terazakis, an internist, between 2 and 3pm, and our sweet Dr. Lydia Ogur, a general practioner, followed from 3-4pm.

Right at 2pm, we greeted our first patient, a blonde Albanian woman with a face aged well beyond her 31 years. She came with questions about abnormal blood tests she'd received recently - anemia, as it turned out - and the conversation turned almost immediately to her job and unique medical questions concerning prostitution. But as we continued, it became quickly obvious that she is dealing with stresses even beyond prostitution's usual difficulties. Her ex-pimp is currently in prison in Albania, and trying to locate her to "reclaim" her. Despite being behind bars, he has been utilizing the extensive network of the Russian mafia to find her and her 9 year old son here in Athens. Last week, prostitutes in her area reported being asked about her by a man who mentioned being paid 2000 Euros to track her down. The police were called and chased him away, but this woman now lives under the constant threat of kidnapping or even death. She told us about recurring colds and pains, headaches and nausea, that are intesifying as this fearful story continues. Any solutions available for this type of situation will likely not provide much protection for her, including the Albanian witness protection program she enrolled in before the pimp's arrest. The visit felt incredibly frustrating. Even with fairly simple medical solutions - an iron supplement and counseling about anemia - we had no immediate solution for the much larger social issues threatening her life far more than her anemia. We prayed with her and talked through the possibilities of returning to the relative safety of her family in Albania, and she left the office with our phone number knowing the office could be a safe haven if the situation worsens.

One of the other patients was also Albanian, and a smart 23-year-old proficient in Albanian, English and Greek, with some Italian and Spanish to boot. She and I sat talking together for quite a while after she saw Dr. Terazakis, a refreshing change for me to be able to communicate quickly and clearly with one of the women! After she filled out the health survey, she offered some editing tips for the Albanian survey as well, and talked frankly with us about how to make the survey more approachable for the other women. As the afternoon went on, a local psychiatrist showed up and we engaged in an intense discussion of the women's psychiatric needs in broken English. Her input proved invaluable as we checked through surveys from Wednesday, last night and today, and saw the high prevalence of depression. One of the Nigerian women seen on the outreach last night had mentioned feeling suicidal on occasion, and we talked through the options for immediate medical care in similar situations encountered out on the streets. All in all, the clinic saw three patients, and we started planning further steps in our phase plans with the help of this psychiatrist and Dr. Ogur.

Robert and I are going out to dinner in Monistirakis tonight at our favorite restaurant, before meeting a third-year Ob-Gyn resident from the University of Athens. Dr. Koutras, a friend of Dr. Hurd from UTHSCSA's faculty, met with Lindsay and me Tuesday evening and treated us to coffee at a lovely restaurant beneath the Acropolis. He wanted us to see the beauty of Athens, including the warm glow of the Acropolis lit up at night. Our conversations with him - Emma translating and explaining Nea Zoi's purposes - continued our education of the Greek medical system and the possibilities open to the clinic for connections with the local clinics and hospitals. Lindsay and I are pretty sure that Dr. Koutras, who emphasized wanting to be a hospitable host for us, recruited this resident to show us the town ... for now that will just be a coffee date near Monistirakis after our late bedtime last night. We're a bit wiped out, but caffeine is always welcome!