Caring for Medical Needs with Watered Gardens Minsitries

Those staying and receiving services and care at Watered Gardens Ministries shelter in Joplin can struggle to afford much-needed medical attention.

As the team at Watered Gardens saw more and more of a demand arising for their clients’ medical care, they reached out to Mercy Joplin. “They approached us about doing some medical exams, and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to create a clinic that was staffed and run by the medical students to give them some ownership and autonomy in seeing patients and doing exams while directing care to Watered Gardens,” says Dr. Russell L. Kennedy, Medical Director of Sports Medicine for Mercy Joplin (Joplin Family Medicine Runner-Up).

The clinic serves patients every Friday, and each month it gets a new rotation of students. Kennedy says that he and the other supervising physicians try to stay in the background to allow the students to take charge and grow their hearts for giving back to those in need. “The first Friday they’re apprehensive, but by the fourth Friday they’re like, ‘Sit down and let us manage this,’ which is the goal,” he says.

Some of the students have become so passionate about Watered Gardens’ mission they’ve volunteered to help staff the facility overnight outside of their set working hours. “I’m always proud of those students when they take it on to that degree,” he says.

Overall, Kennedy hopes to see the program support those in need at Watered Gardens and grow not only the students’ medical skills but hearts for providing care to those in need in all situations. “I think most of us have this innate sense of trying to give back and help the neediest of the needy,” Kennedy says. “At Mercy our mission is to provide care to the poor so when this opportunity presented itself, how could you not take it? Outside of that there are infinite opportunities to help out in the community to help provide medical services, or even if you just want to work in a food kitchen. So whenever opportunities like that present themselves, hopefully in most instances it’s going to be a yes.”

To support Watered Gardens’ mission, visit the website for more information on how to help.