Social Concerns Notes
Monongalia County Catholic Community
Reflections on Justice, Peace, and Christian Service
Vol. 3, No. 5, April 2006

“Whatsoever You Do…”

by David M. Deci, M.D.
Faculty Advisor to MUSHROOM and the Family Medicine Interest Group
Department of Family Medicine, WVU

Like many of you, I have my favorite list of hymns that echo in my mind long after Mass ends. They range from the haunting Lenten “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” to the uplifting “The King of Glory.” One hymn that always calls me to task as a Christian Catholic, however, is “Whatsoever You Do.” Its verses serve as an uncomfortable reminder of how often I fail to recognize Christ among us in the faces of those trampled down by the complexities of life.

Two things always come to my mind about that hymn. The first is that there is a whole litany of people in need of love and service. “When I was lonely; When I was hungry; When I was naked; When I was imprisoned” all seem to beg for action. The other important message apparent from this hymn is that in serving these people we are really serving Christ. “Whatsoever you do for the least of my people, that you do unto me.” Words that are both clear and challenging!

So, who are these “least of my people” and where do I find them? Images of impoverished children sorting through landfills in Mexico come to mind. The dying AIDS victims in sub-Saharan Africa seem to meet that description. Even the lepers of Calcutta surely make the list of “the least of those people.” Somehow, they seem safely distanced from my everyday world and comfortably removed from my ability to meet them. Shouldn’t a check to Catholic Relief Services take care of them and fulfill that hymn’s exhortation to do something?

Just recently I was thinking about the story of St. Francis of Assisi. As you may recall, he gave up the perks of an upper middle class Middle Ages upbringing to seek Christ through simple living and service to others. But even he had his blind spots! The story goes that his faith was fully tested when he encountered a leper approaching him down a narrow lane. In those days, lepers were the outcasts of society who were shunned as unclean and unworthy of even basic acknowledgement. His first reaction was to walk out of his way to avoid the leper. But St. Francis recognized that he could only fully come to know Christ among us by embracing the leper both physically and emotionally. In one brief act of physical closeness, St. Francis kissed the misshapen hand of the leper and recognized the dignity of that very human being. His life was changed forever after.

So, who are the lepers in our lives? Who are those individuals who we shun and cross the street to avoid? Not surprisingly, they are often the homeless who accost us on the street or who sleep on our park benches. They are the dirty, disheveled and sometimes odorous individuals who stumble out of our alleys. They are the bums of High Street and the “crazies” on the Rails to Trails. They beg for drinking money. They urinate on our lampposts. They sleep under our bridges and they die a forgotten death along our riverbanks. They are the forsaken and sometimes invisible bottom layer of our American dream. They are fathers and brothers, sons and daughters. They are Veterans of Wars and victims of drugs. They are schizophrenics and alcoholics. They are individuals just like me, whose rent or electric bills were more than the minimum wage could support. They are the “lepers” in an affluent and materialistic society. They are the Christ among us!

On any given day, nearly 50 people in Morgantown are technically homeless. Some are fortunate enough to “double up” with family or friends during a time of transition. For others, the Bartlett House offers a warm bed and a helping hand. Yet, for a subset of individuals, the dumpsters, overpasses, storm drains, and alleyways serve as the only home these people know. Termed the “unsheltered homeless” these people are often the most marginalized of those living on the streets. Drug addiction, alcoholism and mental illness often serve as barriers to entering the mainstream of social services. Distrust of a system designed to redirect and guide, coupled with their own fierce independence, prevents these individuals from seeking even basic medical care or social assistance.

Early in the Spring of 2005, a group of medical students at WVU decided to do something to meet the needs of the unsheltered homeless in Morgantown. Modeling their efforts after a successful program sponsored by Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, these students founded the “Multidisciplinary UnSheltered Homeless Relief Outreach of Morgantown.” More affectionately known by the anachronism MUSHROOM, this organization has been providing street based care to the homeless population for more than nine months. An ever-growing pool of volunteer medical students, physicians, and social workers partner with former homeless Coalition members to bring basic care to where the unsheltered homeless stay. In darkness, rain, and snow, these volunteers regularly bring first aid, medical triage, essential clothing items, food, and beverages to the homeless. More importantly, these volunteers bring conversation, caring, and reaffirmation of human dignity to people easily forgotten in the hectic pace of our college town.

MUSHROOM is sponsored by the Department of Family Medicine at the West Virginia School of Medicine. The organization is medical student driven and administered with the help of physician faculty and social workers trained in homeless care. MUSHROOM consistently services an average of 20 clients each time “Street Rounds” are made. Students donate their time, energy, and their own meager resources to assist in meeting the needs of those on the streets.

In return, the student volunteers receive a valuable lesson in human life. As young “doctors in training” they are sensitized to the plight of those with the least access to medical care. In a very unique way, they begin to empathize and develop caring attitudes that could never be taught in a classroom. They actually become better human beings by giving of themselves.

Financial donations are used to provide antibiotics, basic medicines, and bandage supplies for those found ill in the field. In addition, seasonally appropriate clothing, food, socks, and hydration are provided.

MUSHROOM is providing this information in an attempt to increase awareness of homelessness issues in Morgantown. We are also asking for your financial support. Donations of cash/check can be sent directly to “Family Medicine Interest Group-MUSHROOM Fund” at P.O. Box 9152, Morgantown, WV 26505-9152. More information can be obtained by calling 304-598-6900, ext. 5943.

Please remember, “…Whatsoever you do for the least of my brethren, that you do unto me.”