This past weekend, I participated in Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It was an incredible two day event with the goal of providing free dental care to the Pittsburgh community.
While Mission of Mercy is primarily known for providing free dental care, this year, the UPMC Eye Center was invited as a pilot to provide free eye care. I was fortunate to help lead some of the organization and planning of the eye exam workflow leading up to the event. Our plan was to offer eye exams for anyone interested and provide free glasses if needed OR if there was a more complex concern, to schedule follow up visits at the UPMC Eye Center - also free of charge if the patient/family did not have insurance coverage.
I was not entirely sure what to expect - I knew it was going to be an amazing event - but we had no real idea of how many people we would see. I arrived at the Convention Center in the early morning to a long line of hundreds of people waiting to receive care. There was nothing like walking into the Convention Center and seeing the setup. The dental piece is what Mission of Mercy is known for and they have clearly mastered the operation. The organization of the set up was incredible. Patients could be seen for dental imaging, cleanings, root canals, and extractions. During their registration process they were given a questionnaire asking about their vision and they were made aware they could also receive an eye exam that day if interested.
In total, we prescribed glasses for nearly 300 people, identified untreated eye conditions, and made appointments for dozens of people who, due to access or lack of insurance, may not have otherwise received care. It was an extraordinary day to be a part of and see the volunteers come together to make this day happen. There were a few individual patients who stood out to me: One woman's reaction when she realized not only could she receive an eye exam, but she could pick out a free pair of glasses. Watching people select their frames with the help of the opticians was pretty special. There was also an older gentleman who sat down at our registration table and he had just received his first ever flu shot (Mission of Mercy also offered flu shots and COVID vaccinations). He was asking us if we received the flu shot and if he would be ok. We reassured him that he would be just fine. There was another older gentleman that I escorted back to the waiting area and he had some difficulty walking. He was holding my arm as we walked back and then all of a sudden he said - "I can't see!" - I was so worried and thought something was wrong, until I looked at his face and realized he was laughing and making a joke. He was just genuinely happy to be there that day and make people laugh.
We did this without advertising our presence at the event. Moving forward, there are already discussions to grow the eye services offered at Mission of Mercy and plan for an even bigger event next year. These two days were so rewarding that even though they were early mornings and long, non-stop days, it never felt like work. I felt re-energized and passionate about working in healthcare. Sometimes all it takes is getting out of the day to day routine and getting out in the community and interacting with people, to really feel connected to a bigger purpose and remember why I love this kind of work.
To check out more information on Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh, check out the links below:
While I am by no means an expert on health care screenings, I thought it was important to mention something I've been thinking about a lot recently, especially when it comes to these sorts of events. Health screening events can sometimes lead to more questions or confusion when not thought through or planned out entirely. If we are going to offer screening for example (whether it is for vision, dental, hearing, diabetes, hypertension etc.), we need to expect that we may find disease, and then have an answer for what happens next. It is not enough to screen and identify disease - there needs to be a follow up plan in place with realistic options for the patient. As health care professionals and public health professionals, I do believe we have an obligation for this. Telling someone they have hypertension or vision problems for example with no means to connect this individual to the appropriate resources to actually address the problem perhaps creates additional problems. Some might feel that at least the individual is aware, but this sort of care must go a step further and offer follow up options so that the individual may truly get the care they need. I am proud to say that I feel like this was accomplished at Mission of Mercy.