Clinic is Home Away from Home for Hunts Point Vets

Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Emily Lavin in Uncategorized

By Emily Lavin

Berry Barnes pushes open the door to the Veterans Medical Group in Hunts Point, pokes his head around the corner and smiles.

“Good morning, good morning, good morning,” said Barnes, an 84-year-old World War II veteran, addressing everyone in the waiting room.

Barnes settles down next to another patient. The two men start talking about the weather, their families and the recent Yankees World Series win. To anyone listening in on their conversation, they might sound like old friends—but they’ve never met before.

The clinic opened in Hunts Point three years ago to provide medical services like blood tests and physical examinations for veterans. But with veterans groups scarce in the South Bronx, the clinic has become an informal meeting place for many elderly veterans seeking camaraderie as well.

“They’re not just patients coming in to see the doctor. They come in to see each other and joke around with each other,” said Georgiane Santiago, a medical assistant who has worked at the clinic for more than a year. “A lot of times, they’ll come in just to say hi and check in when they’re not scheduled for any appointments.”

There are nearly 300 veterans living in Hunts Point, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. But a Google Maps search puts the closest veterans social group in Kingsbridge—a 40-minute trip on public transit.

Elbert Williams is one of a number of veterans in the clinic’s waiting room who have had a hard time finding veterans groups in the South Bronx. Williams, 75, said he used to belong to group in Pelham Bay, but he stopped going a few years ago when the travel became too much of a hassle.

At one point, the Vietnam veteran and a few others tried to start a group closer to home, but the project fell apart after they couldn’t find a low-cost place to meet.

“When it came down to it, no one person wanted to step up and be the leader and put the time in,” Williams said. “But it’s really the kind of thing we need, in this neighborhood, someplace to socialize.”

Santiago said many of the patients who come to the clinic tell her how much they appreciate the relationships it provides.

“It’s just myself and one doctor working here, so we know the patients pretty well, and they know us,” Santiago said. “They just feel a connection here that’s hard for them to find anywhere else.”

Santiago is in the middle of a phone call when Marty Baez, 77, a veteran of the Korean War, walks in the door.

“There’s my friend,” he whispered, smiling and pointing at Santiago before sitting next to Williams.

After Santiago hangs up the phone, she playfully rolls her eyes before asking Baez if he’s back to bother her.

“See, it’s like a school, we’re just like kids in a classroom here,” Williams said from his seat. “Everyone knows everyone. You come in here for medical problems, but sometimes you just need to sit down and see a familiar face.”