Tent City 3 — A Lesson in Serving

“I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet. So you also should wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14

Seattle Pacific University hosted Tent City 3 in the heart of the campus from December 13, 2014, to March 7, 2015. It was one of those experiences where those who “hosted” were more blessed than those who received. Hosting TC3 gave students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to care for and learn from our short-term neighbors.

School of Health Sciences students enthusiastically answered the call to serve the residents of TC3 by participating in seven foot clinics and one diabetic blood-sugar screening over the 12-week stay. The foot clinics, run in conjunction with First Free Methodist Church, were primarily staffed by current nursing students under the supervision of SHS faculty and Mary Moses, retired RN, from FFMC.

Second-year student Lindsey Ono coordinated the volunteer schedule of the 25 or so students who participated in the foot clinic, several of whom volunteered on multiple dates. She said that there was some apprehension on the part of the students at first, but relationships with the TC3 residents were quickly built. Lindsey shared that the experience was spiritually humbling as the students offered services in a very personal space. “It is a unique experience that can be embarrassing for clients,” said Lindsey. “When people are homeless, it is a lot easier to avoid treatment.” There was one client who came to the foot clinic with very damaged feet. Under normal circumstances, the client would have been referred to a podiatrist (but follow-through was unlikely due to his homelessness). Over the course of the seven foot clinics, he was able to come each week to get his feet treated and restored to a manageable state, and received education on how to take care of his feet.

Jordan Wagner, a first-year nursing student and strong advocate for diabetic awareness, took the lead in coordinating a diabetic blood-sugar screening clinic. He has been a volunteer at the Neighborcare Health Clinics, and enlisted their help in overseeing the on-campus screening for the TC3 residents. Jordan coordinated the volunteer schedule of 12 students who performed blood-pressure checks and blood-sugar screening. Jordan noted the blood-sugar screening is particularly important to this population, since there is not much of a choice in the diet of the homeless; most often they eat what they are given, which is not always nutritious and thus leads to health problems.

Jordan had one conversation with a diabetic TC3 resident who had money to purchase her medication and test strips, yet had not been monitoring her blood sugar for over three weeks. She told Jordan that her glucometer was not working. After a quick inspection of the unit, he found the battery was dead. Something as simple as a dead battery can be overwhelming to this population. Jordan went to a store and replaced the battery that afternoon.

Lindsey and Jordan agree that the special experience gained in serving in the TC3 clinics could not be found in their clinical rotations. The students gained practical experience, problem-solving skills, and referral experience with clients. Jordan said it was a personal call for him to be a “nurse called to willingly serve.”