Plymouth Magazine-Spring24-FINAL - Flipbook - Page 16
Practicing Radical Love in our
Community: Why I serve at the Julius
Connor Corinthian Baptist Free Clinic
By Erin Netteland-Sandvig, DO (she/her)
Imagine it. Your sixteen-year-old self.
Staring at a dilapidated, freshly painted
home in the Appalachian Mountains.
Outside stands its sole resident, grinning
from ear to ear. The proudest resident
on the block. For this man knew, he was
seen and heard and cared about. This was
my first experience with social justice.
I was one of a handful of high school teens
who traveled by train from Plymouth
Church to do a mission trip in Appalachia.
We painted, did yard work, and met
residents. I remember asking one of my
adult chaperones why we were painting a
house that was barely inhabitable. What
was the point? He reminded me that
this man was one of God’s creations. He
deserved to feel pride even if what he had
was small. He deserved to be heard and
seen. At 16, I thought giving someone
a job would cure poverty. I did not
understand that the root of poverty is deep
and layered. In my mind, I can still see that
man, the proudest on the street, with a
smile I helped create.
It was my launching point. I spent the
next 13 years working toward my goals. I
wanted to be a physician and was blessed
16
to have the opportunity to be one. I have
done a lot of volunteering throughout
my life, but one of my greatest joys has
been working in underserved clinics.
I believe those who have should give.
Sometimes it’s your time, sometimes
your talent, and sometimes it’s your
treasure. Often, it’s all three.
I started by working in a free clinic in
Chicago where I trained. I often referred
to it as the United Nations. Many
different languages and cultures. Worried
patients there to ease their concerns. It
was eye opening to see the lack of access
to care that we have in this country.
Many times, just making sure the patient
was seen and heard was the treatment.
After moving back to Des Moines in
2009, I sought out another free clinic
to dedicate my time. This is where my
relationship with Corinthian Baptist
Church began. Although I was not the
first volunteer physician to work there, I
feel like one of the luckiest.
The history of the Corinthian Baptist
Free Clinic started in 1993. Two
recently retired pediatricians, Dr. Robert
Anderson and Dr. George Caudill, were
looking for something to do in their
retirement. They were bothered that
Polk County had such low pediatric
vaccination rates. Through a series of
connections, they partnered with Dr.
Julius Connor, a Corinthian Baptist
church member. The three physicians
