People Helping People seeks to serve those in the community that have either no or only limited access to quality health care, said Mary Thomas, founder and executive director of the clinic. The mission of the Heartbeat Ministries Community Center as a whole is to get people from the street and to provide them with new hope and dignity to re-enter society, said Faye Howard, program coordinator for People Helping People. People can come to the clinic for a medical check-up and get free food, clothing and spiritual counseling through the church, she said. Carlos Herrera, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine, is a frequent volunteer at People Helping People. I like the combination of medical treatment and church, he said.
People have more confidence in the doctor if the service is provided through the church.
Doctors need to provide medical advances to the whole community, Herrera said. But in order to make people use the medical system, we first have to give them a job, food and freedom from violence. Then, people will be more open for our health care system. We have to create an interest in people for what is available to them in the medical system and through research and to encourage them to participate in clinical research studies so that data regarding their medical needs are available, said Howard, former program coordinator for ethnic diversity in research at UT-Houston, now chair of the African American Health Coalition Houston. It is basically about helping and giving back to the community, said S. Noor Rahman, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine, who also volunteers at the clinic.