The healing heartbeat of ECM
As the resident doctor at Emmanuel City Mission, Dr. Juergen is a pivotal figure in the holistic care provided to our visitors. His commitment to well-being goes beyond the physical, embodying the spirit of compassion that resonates within the walls of ECM.
We recently sat down with Dr Juergen to explore his experiences, delving into the impact of his medical expertise and the integral role ECM plays in fostering well-being of all our visitors. This is what he had to say.
Can you share a bit about your background in medicine and what motivated you to work as the resident doctor at Emmanuel City Mission?
Dr Juergen: I have always wanted to be a general practitioner. I started my career in Inala servicing a very disadvantaged patient group, but I also had amazing mentorship that focussed my skills not just technically, but also to consider the whole person in front of me. As a GP it is a great privilege that people allow you into their lives and often tell you things that they haven’t told another soul. You are able to support them though their lowest points and challenges, but also celebrate their successes.
How did you become involved in working at ECM, and what inspired you to contribute your medical expertise to this community-focused setting?
Dr Juergen: I became involved at ECM by a string of serendipitous events. After working long days during COVID in private general practice I was burned out, having done 15,000 covid vaccines on top of regular consulting. Perhaps a smattering of mid-life crisis in there as well. I had decided to scale back my hours in private consulting for a few months and just do weekends.
I had heard about this place called ECM which my son’s school was involved in and so thought I would pop in. What I saw there inspired me so I asked Roby if I could trial a clinic there. He agreed to a trial of 2 months with review – a review I still haven’t had after close to 2 years.
Could you walk us through what a typical day looks like for you as a doctor at ECM?
Dr Juergen: The only thing predictable about being a GP at ECM is that it is unpredictable. The bread and butter is treating infections and directing people to other services such as housing or dental. However, it is these interaction that lead patients to open up and reveal the reasons behind their homelessness, their addictions and their mental health struggles. This is the aspect which keeps me coming back to ECM because I as an individual can now help direct another person, often in their darkest point, towards a better way. The caring and safe environment that the ECM team have worked hard to create means that the patients come to me with many of their defences already lowered as they are in a safe place. They trust ECM and so they are more likely to trust me.
What are some of the unique challenges you face in providing medical care, and what are the most rewarding aspects of your work at ECM?
Dr Juergen: The greatest challenge I have initially with patients is winning trust. Reassuring people that I will not judge them and that I will listen. Our visitors, often heavily tattooed, get turned away from regular medical centres or are judged and dismissed when they do present for medical care. The other challenge of being at ECM is the lack of resources for their healthcare. I would love to be able to follow up my patients more closely, but from a healthcare perspective I am an army of one.
I would love a team of trauma counsellors as ultimately, trauma is where the issues for our visitors inevitably stem from – whether that be abuse as a child, an abusive partner or a life event that led them down the wrong track. The most rewarding part for me is being able to provide a bit of mentorship and have people step up out of homelessness. Having someone who was sleeping rough come back to visit me, dressed in high vis, and tell me they have kicked their addiction, and that they are working now – that gives me a buzz.
How do you collaborate with other services at ECM to provide holistic care to the community?
Dr Juergen: Linking in with other community groups is one of the most satisfying parts of my community GP work. When I started this work it became apparent to me that there are many small groups, excellent at what they do, all working for essentially the same goal, but there was limited discussion between each other.
By meeting with the volunteer charities that patrol under the bridges and in the parks of the area I am able to share information about people I am concerned about so they can watch out for them as well. Similarly, if they come across someone in urgent need then they can easily contact me. Each charity out there has a different approach and I love us learning from each other (and I really enjoy a chat).
Can you share a particularly memorable or impactful patient story that highlights the positive impact of medical care at ECM?
Dr Juergen: There are so many success stories that I see through the healing that ECM provides, it is hard to narrow one down. I do reflect though on one individual who when I first met him he had poorly controlled diabetes, was drinking litres of wine a day, injecting drugs, had hepatitis C, numerous previous suicide attempts, but none of that he was concerned about as he was under the impression that his death warrant had already been signed and time was the only variable.
The health system had essentially given up on him as he doesn’t respond to offers of appointments (that he doesn’t receive as he has no phone nor address) and they state that he doesn’t want to engage. By being able to connect with him in a place where he feels comfortable, in conjunction with all the others who supported him at ECM, he is now clean from drugs, only has the occasional beer on a weekend, has been successfully treated for hepatitis C and his diabetes is almost perfectly controlled so that he can start back at work again (which he is super keen to do).
He is also reconnecting with his daughter who he hasn’t seen for years. The medical improvements I was able to help him with was only possible through the hope he received from others at ECM and the morale boost of not just being treated as ‘just another addict on the streets’.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for medical services at ECM, and how do you envision the role of healthcare evolving in this community setting?
Dr Juergen: Going forward, I am really keen to further help those recently released from prison and help them avoid going back to old ways. Unfortunately I believe that we as a state are failing those who often don’t want to reoffend by offering them little guidance upon release. An ounce of prevention really is better then a pound of cure!
ECM is a community, not a service provision centre. I think I get more out of ECM personally then what I give. As mentioned previously, medically it is much easier to engage with the visitors at ECM as they already feel safe and valued there. There is always laughter around the room, which has people coming to me in a better mood. That energy also transfers to me personally and I always leave a day of consulting at ECM on a high, even through I have often been dealing with some of the most complex and traumatic cases I have ever faced as a GP.
Dr Juergen is at ECM all day every Friday for consultations.