I was just grateful that someone thought enough of me to refer me to Good Sam. -Venessa

It’s early Tuesday morning and several patients begin to gather outside the doors of Good Sam as the staff finishes their morning devotion and gathers in prayer. While the work to be done and tasks to be accomplished today are extensive, the first thought on everyone’s mind this morning, and every morning, is not their schedule; the reason they are all here is first and foremost a genuine love for the patients they will be serving.

Countless individuals and families from all walks of life will walk through the doors today. The vast majority of those who will enter the lobby and eventually be welcomed by a physician are good, hard-working people who simply don’t make enough income to afford healthcare for themselves or their families. They are maids in hotels, cooks in fast food restaurants, men who are blowing leaves off your yard and putting a roof on your house. They are women who are providing for their family while raising their children. They are our neighbors.

This Tuesday morning a joyful lady named Venessa enters the doors for her regular check-up. After being diagnosed with pneumonia in 2007 she was referred to Good Sam for care and to begin the process of healing. “I was just grateful that someone thought enough of me to refer me to Good Sam,” she says as she reflects on her experience with the team. Eight years later she continues to be actively involved with Good Sam by participating in Nutritional Classes, regular clinical visits and going through Health Education. Venessa is just one of thousands who had nowhere else to turn and were welcomed with open arms at Good Sam.

Soon after lunch Jean enters the lobby with a beautiful smile on her face, “It’s like coming back to family,” she says as she signs in for her appointment. “I know a lot of the people here, and they’ve always looked out not just for me but also for my son,”Jean says as she walks down the hall greeting doctors and nurses by name.

“When you see the patients, and how happy they are when they leave, it’s unbelievable”, says Nick Holl, a medical assistant at Good Sam, as he finishes his work for the day. At Good Sam the culture of the organization is tangible from the moment you enter the lobby untill you are checking out at the front desk. Everyone from administrative staff to doctors and nurses operate out of the love they have for those they serve, welcoming them as their neighbors and friends, not simply as patients who visit.

This place needs to be here” says Venessa, echoing a common phrase of those that Good Sam serves. It’s only because of your partnership and investment that Good Sam can be a place where people like Venessa and Jean turn for all of their health needs.