Randy Stacey, the program director for the VA hospital's Intensive Psychiatric Community Care program and Cynthia Stacey, a nurse practitioner at the VA, saw a need for indigent care in Gainesville. They would be letting small medical problems go until they ended up in the emergency room. As a result, the two began the Helping Hands Clinic. The program then branched out into giving out sweaters, blankets and work boots. Brendan Shortley said.
Some patients seek medical help, some psychiatric.
Others just want someone to talk to, and clinic volunteers are willing to comply, Randy said. Richard Christensen , a psychiatrist who was on the UF faculty until earlier this year, started volunteering at Helping hands in 1991. He chose to go to medical school after working with the homeless. Randy has another theory about why doctors would donate their time when they could be making money. The medical students feel the same way.