About Our Clinic
Provider Stories
- The People's Pediatrician: Dr. Louis Appel
- Maria Abernathy, R.N., F.N.P.: Champion for Teens
- Philosopher Doc: Richard Peavey, M.D., Director of Adult Medicine
- Amanda Johnson, Volunteer Physical Therapist
- Bianca Flores, R.N., M.S.N., Director of Health Promotion
- Witness to Miracles: Robert Sorin, M.D., Director of Reproductive Health
- Biochemist in Disguise: Suzanne Trunick, Nutritionist and Lactation Counselor
- The Professor Midwife: Jane Metzker, C.N.M., N.P., R.N.
- Georgia Armstrong, B.S.N., R.N.: Protector of People
- Hearing the Unsaid: Robin Rosell, L.C.S.W., L.M.F.T.
- Evelyn Burns, R.N.: Chronic Disease Relief
The People's Pediatrician: Dr. Louis Appel
Dr. Louis Appel is the Chief Medical Officer and Director of Pediatrics at People’s Community Clinic. Dr. Appel grew up in Houston but attended medical school on the east coast and did his residency in the northwest. After school, he was ready to return home to Texas. Dr. Appel’s goal was to work in a community health center where he could improve access to care for people in need. He also wanted to be involved in community health and programming.
When he found the Clinic he was very impressed with the way that everyone–from the front desk staff right on up to the CEO–talked about the importance of respect and dignity in healthcare. “In medical school I developed an understanding of the importance of human dignity in the healthcare process, and seeing that concept so naturally embodied at People’s Community Clinic was very attractive.”
The affinity Dr. Appel felt for PCC’s mission-driven culture led him to take a position as a pediatrician here in August of 1999. “I loved the story behind PCC, a small volunteer clinic that grew into an Austin institution that serves thousands of people each year. Seeing the way that PCC’s mission drives its people made working here a compelling opportunity.”
While the duties of a Chief Medical Officer and Director of Pediatrics are many, Dr. Appel says that his favorite part of his job is the contact he has with kids and their parents through direct patient care, and feels his patients truly appreciate the care they receive. He also enjoys the staff and volunteers he is able to work with to provide that care.
Dr. Appel became a pediatrician because he enjoys working with kids, but believes that pediatrics also gives him a chance to contribute to larger policy issues in public health. He has observed that these issues are often more widely acknowledged in the field of pediatrics than in other fields.
“Society is more ready to deal with issues related to children’s health than adults, so it is easier to get people to pay attention. People readily accept that children are not at fault for their health issues because of economic or environmental impact, and are therefore quicker to take action. Promoting public awareness and change surrounding issues that occur in all fields of medicine is easier when children are the topic of discussion.”
After 11 years, Dr. Appel says that he has always considered himself lucky to work at People’s Community Clinic, a place with a rich history where treating patients with respect and dignity is a deeply ingrained practice. “The name ‘People’s Community Clinic’ says it all,” he says, “We are all about people, and we are all about community. It’s all about people joining together to improve the well-being of people.”
Maria Abernathy, RN, FNP: Champion for Teens
Maria Abernathy has spent her entire career working with adolescents. She began her professional life as a high school English teacher in a poor area of Los Angeles. While teaching, one of her students simply stopped attending school. Maria later learned that the girl had become pregnant, never to return. That experience was instrumental in Maria's decision to work with teens in a different capacity--as a medical professional.
After graduating nursing school, Maria served for twenty years as a nurse in the Austin Independent School District, serving middle and high school students at Reagan and Lanier High Schools as well as at Wooten, Pearce, Dobie and Burnet Middle Schools. Many teens would come to her when they feared they might be pregnant and Maria became adept at asking the right questions in a caring way in order to inspire the teen's trust and confidence. When one girl discovered--with Maria's help--that her weight gain and nausea were symptoms of pregnancy and not a lengthy stomach ailment, Maria became knowledgeable about local resources available to pregnant teens.
One such resource was People's Community Clinic. Maria began volunteering at PCC in 1982 during her summers off. When she decided to return to graduate school for nurse practitioner training from 1994 through 1997, she spent many of her clinical practicum hours under the supervision of nurse practitioner Maggie Taylor at PCC.
In 1997 the Clinic began a new teen prenatal program that served the unique needs of pregnant teenagers. Maria was then a nurse practitioner graduate student working at PCC and was asked to become the first program coordinator. She provided direct healthcare and medical case management to the teens.
Soon after the Clinic launched an expansion of the teen prenatal program known as "Tandem." The Tandem Project provides many unique services to teenage mothers in the hopes of preventing subsequent pregnancies. Maria now serves as the primary healthcare provider for Tandem, seeing more than 150 girls each year for the length of their pregnancies and for post-partum care, too. She helps teens understand the stages of pregnancy and the changes they can expect their bodies to make to prepare for birth. She ensures they know the importance of a healthy diet, adequate rest and emotional support.
Maria's practice philosophy with teens definitely emphasizes individual attention and care, and is both high and "low tech." For years she has used a plastic file box filled with alphabetically organized file cards for each patient. She made the move from paper charts to electronic medical records with the rest of the the PCC providers last year but still scribbles notes on the file cards that help her know where she left off in conversation with a girl. Typical comments might include, "Having difficulties with the baby's father," "Mom is very supportive," "Incarcerated 2009 for truancy." Another reason for the portable filing system is that Maria regularly makes follow up calls to patients from home, or in an upstairs office or anywhere she can find a quiet space for follow-up.
Maria describes her hopes for her patients in the short and long term: "I want them to have healthy babies and to be good parents." She sees a connection between the care she provides to teen patients and the prevention of child abuse, something she feels is a source of many social problems. She says, "Many people are surprised that most of the teens wanted to become pregnant and look forward to the births of their babies. Yet, many young parents have histories of abuse and there is risk that they will continue the cycle with their children. Through the Tandem partnership we provide a lot of education and support for them as parents, teaching them how to bond with and enjoy their children, as well as the practical life skills that will hopefully ensure they and their children do not live in poverty."
From caring volunteer to new program champion to beloved nurse practitioner for hundreds of teens each year, Maria Abernathy's twenty-nine year tenure with PCC is but one example of the dedicated staff who make People's Community Clinic an exceptional medical home.
Philosopher Doc: Richard Peavey, M.D., Director of Adult Medicine
If he weren't a doctor, Dr. Richard Peavey says he'd be a teacher, but anyone who's been on the receiving end of his often-wise musings knows he would make a darned good philosopher.
Dr. Peavey has been with the Clinic since 1999 and today is the Clinic's Director of Adult Medicine. After nearly a decade of caring for PCC patients, he's glad to share his observations about what sets People's Community Clinic apart from other health care settings. There's the fact that patients at PCC are uninsured or face other barriers to accessing medical care. But to hear him tell it, the primary difference between People's Community Clinic and other places in which he's practiced medicine is the degree to which PCC providers offer quality health care in a caring environment.
"A feeling of connection is the essence of human experience, so the best provider/patient relationships are mutual. It's often my patient who provides the greatest positive energy, whether it's serving as an example for overcoming adversity, finding resources or how to cope with difficult circumstances," says Dr. Peavey.
Many of Dr. Peavey's patients come to him with multiple chronic illnesses. Some are referred directly from emergency rooms where they've ended up after their health symptoms erupted into a major problem requiring immediate intervention. A typical patient may have high blood pressure and diabetes. Although both of these illnesses can be managed with medication and ongoing medical care, they become debilitating without oversight.
Dr. Peavey appreciates that the clinic gives him the freedom to spend enough time with patients to fully understand their medical needs and to offer careful recommendations for treatment. Taking time to truly listen to patients also means he earns their trust and gains important details about other aspects of their lives-for example, many face financial barriers that limit their ability to take bed rest advice or pursue a referral for specialty care.
According to Dr. Peavey, "Many of our patients are incredibly hard working and will work until they simply can't. If they're lucky, it will be something patchable. If they are not, their illness or injury can be catastrophic."
The financial challenges of many clinic patients led Dr. Peavey and his fellow clinic providers to develop tools and resources for providing medical care in an extremely cost-effective manner. Some of these tools include developing relationships with specialist providers who can provide deeply discounted or pro bono care. Other well-developed skills involve identifying or developing community resources that might help a patient receive an expensive, but life-preserving medication, or receive assistance with rent while recuperating from surgery.
The clinic's Integrated Behavioral Health program, which treats patients with mild mental illness, is an example of a community resource that Clinic providers have tapped into. Dr. Peavey has been the program's biggest champion.
When there are no resources available to mitigate costs, Dr. Peavey has become expert at the very difficult task of explaining to patients the "gold standard" of care, and the lower cost approximations of that care. Knowing that a lack of resources has a huge negative impact on a patient's ability to access the highest standards of care is painful for a man who sees the intrinsic value in all human life, whether that of a taxi driver or CEO.
When he's not working at People's Community Clinic, Dr. Peavey is rekindling an old hobby of wind sailing. This is a man who enjoys all things outdoors, from raising chickens at his home outside the city limits to camping with his wife and children. True to his closet philosopher self, he also enjoys having lunch with friends and swapping reflections on this grand adventure known as life.
When asked what he would recommend to those considering a career in medicine, he offers, "Medicine is a calling and if you feel it calling you, you should go for it with all your heart." It's clear that Dr. Peavey has internalized his own advice and to the benefit of not only his patients, but to all those lucky enough to work with him, he is practicing medicine with all his heart.
Amanda Johnson, Volunteer Physical Therapist
Read about one of Amanda's patients here!
One of the many ways that People's Community Clinic serves its patients is through its volunteer medical specialists. People without health insurance often have trouble finding a specialist. The Clinic solves this problem by connecting our patients with medical professionals willing to give of their time and expertise.
Amanda Johnson is one of those people.
Amanda visits PCC once a week to provide physical therapy to patients in need. When she moved to Austin in 2006, she went looking for a place to volunteer her services. She describes her interest in serving PCC patients as motivated by a desire to practice patient-centered therapy, in a supportive and team-oriented medical setting.
"I wanted to treat my patients in the ways that they needed to return to full duty, to return to work and life without impairment or disability. I enjoy providing physical therapy to people who need it. It's rewarding as a medical professional to practice that way."
Amanda knows that many patients at People's Community Clinic have jobs that require hard physical work. Those jobs take a toll on their bodies. When someone needs care because of that kind of work, People's is pleased to be able to provide the kinds of medical services that allow our patients to return to full health, and to return to work.
Amanda enjoys working at the Clinic because of the environment here - the other staff members she works with make her experience a positive one. Here is Amanda's story in her own words.
"Overall, it is a joy to work at the PCC. It's an encouraging place, and staff work well together. I haven't encountered any staff person who hasn't bent over backward to welcome and accommodate me. It's a great place to work for medical professionals. They've accommodated my schedule and timeframe as a volunteer. It allowed me to give what I could give."
"People that are part of service provision for the uninsured are doing it because they are truly concerned about the patient's wellbeing. [The staff] are all grateful for volunteer providers, approachable, and eager to work as a team. It's fantastic. It's getting back to why I entered the medical field in the first place."
Thank you! We are grateful for Amanda's very valuable contribution of care to PCC patients, and to all our volunteer providers for giving so generously of their time and expertise to our patients.
Bianca Flores, R.N., M.S.N., Director of Health Promotion
Bianca Flores is the Chronic Disease Program Manager at People’s Community Clinic. Originally from San Antonio, Bianca moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas. Bianca first came to PCC through UT’s work-study program in 2001, working in the Health Education department. She later went on to get her masters in Nursing with a focus in Public Health. After graduating, Bianca helped create a program for adolescents at Life Works as a health educator, and she returned to PCC when her current position was offered to her in 2008.
Bianca started off with an interest in health policy, but as she went on in her studies, she started to take interest in organizing and managing. She took the job as Chronic Disease Program Manager because she likes having one-on-one patient contact. Bianca points out, “As far as medical models go, PCC has one of the best. I like that you can reach people and have a say in what programs you want to create. As long as you are willing to put the work in, you are given the freedom to start new initiatives within reasonable limits. There is openness that large bureaucracies lack. You get to see the changes instead of channeling through other mediums.”
She will always advocate for sound health policies, but now she enjoys being able to actively affect change by working directly with people. She likes the opportunity she has at PCC to see people, feel their gratitude, and be there for them when they need her. “It’s nice to see people in the waiting room when I walk in and have them greet me by name. I like that I am able to connect with the patients on a personal level. They know they can call me whenever they need advice. It is also very rewarding when they have that AHA! moment and start making life style changes to help their disease,” she adds.
Bianca says she enjoys working at PCC, and is glad she has this opportunity. Again, having that patient connection, she can be the person who helps program participants manage their chronic disease alongside PCC’s staff dietician and social workers. She likes to see that people are being cared for, “I’m happy and able to use my organizational skills to keep programs going.”
Witness to Miracles: Robert Sorin, M.D., Director of Reproductive Health
Robert Sorin knew he wanted to be a doctor at the tender age of 5. This is easy to believe after you hear him describe the gratifying, miraculous process that he regularly witnesses as Director of Reproductive Health at People’s Community Clinic. “[Birth] is truly a life-cycle event that everyone will list in their top three. Having and raising children, it’s a joy.”
He relishes being able to deliver quality care within a system that often seems to care most for those who can most afford it. His patients demonstrate that investment in prenatal care has a direct effect on birth outcomes. For Dr. Sorin it is a source of personal pride and joy that PCC’s premature birth rate is less than half the 12.8% national rate.
Working at People’s Community Clinic, especially in prenatal medicine, is akin to working at the UN for Dr. Sorin. Meeting new people and learning something about their culture is fulfilling to him. He relishes all of the native languages of patients and takes the time to learn greetings, basic questions and good-byes to warmly address each in their appointments. For him, it is about observing and appreciating the diversity and uncanny similarity that encompasses human nature.
Dr. Sorin is adamant that all patients receive the respect they deserve, no matter their socioeconomic status. He can relate to his patients. Having qualified for indigent care as a child, he understands feeling the lack of respect and dignity and he strives to make the experience different for his patients. Since those early days growing up in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Sorin has lived in Monterrey, Mexico and Austin and is admittedly enamored of our great state. We are lucky that Dr. Sorin has made Austin, and PCC, his corner of the world.
Biochemist in Disguise: Suzanne Trunick, M.A., C.L.C., Nutritionist and Lactation Counselor
When Suzanne Trunick started her undergraduate studies in biochemistry, she was unaware that her interest in chemical reactions would lead her to a career in nutrition. After finding a nutrition class particularly fascinating, Suzanne realized that nutrition intrigued her more than any other application of biochemistry. She found herself compelled to study nutrition in a Master’s program after completing her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. She adds that we often eat without realizing what chemicals we are ingesting or their effects on the body. Suzanne has a cellular and even molecular perspective when it comes to dietary concerns.
She does an amazing job of describing the chemistry of food. Every time food is processed, chemical changes and reactions occur. Even heating certain foods makes a big difference in its nutritive value. Many vitamins are heat sensitive, and processing often involves heat and chemicals that your food would not encounter in nature. Suzanne’s enthusiasm for the subject is contagious. It is no wonder her patients are so motivated to make better choices for their health.
These days there are more ways to find out what is in your food, and as a society we are more conscious of things we put in our mouths. As Suzanne points out, we eat with our eyes and noses too, making connections between different foods or flavors and experiences. This is part of the attraction of entertaining foods, especially for children. These days, added artificial colors and flavor combinations can make certain processed foods very alluring.
Suzanne believes that behavior modification, in respect to one’s diet, can be a positive learning experience. She allows her patients to walk through the decision process and evaluation of certain food items in order to prepare them to make those decisions on their own. She is all too aware that changes must come from within, and she helps patients determine where they can make healthy substitutions in their eating and turn those healthy substitutions into lifelong habits. Her patience and positivity make learning from her easy and relaxed.
Suzanne reminds us of the wealth of information, resources, products and recipes available and knows that there is no time like the present to make a healthy change. PCC is proud to provide the clarity that Suzanne offers to our patients.
The Professor Midwife: Jane Metzker, C.N.M., N.P., R.N.
Jane Metzker started serving PCC patients in 1995, but her passion for public health had started long before then. Her healthcare career kicked off in Michigan, but after studying at the University of Kentucky, Jane moved to the Rio Grande Valley to practice full scope midwifery at a local out of hospital birth center. It was there that she picked up her Spanish.
After her time in the Valley, Jane returned to Michigan to a hospital-based midwifery practice at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit, teaching midwifery to students from Northwestern University, Baylor University and the University of Chicago. Jane loves sharing her knowledge with students, but loves practicing more as she came to find out once she moved back to Texas.
Jane was teaching nursing students in the University of Texas at Austin Nursing program when she met Maggie Taylor, FNP, a long time PCC Nurse Practitioner, at a conference and was introduced to PCC. Not long after that she started working at PCC, splitting her time between teaching and practicing, but eventually found her practice more enticing.
No matter where she practices, Jane finds the same concerns among her community. Access to healthcare is a big problem for the most vulnerable, and she takes special pride in providing essential reproductive healthcare to women who might otherwise go without. Often for women, reproductive healthcare is a starting point for receiving healthcare.
She says that the fun part of Gynecology and Obstetrics is the family participation that occurs. Seeing a woman’s children and partner at appointments demonstrating such care and concern is heartening. It’s a special time in their lives. Jane enjoys the opportunities that arise from pregnancy noting that it is a time when people open up to different teachings, information, and lifestyle changes that they may not have otherwise.
Jane laments the lack of access to care that results in poorer health outcomes for so many women and stresses the importance of regular well woman exams and pap smears, citing that cervical cancer is a very preventable disease. The American Cancer Society reports that with early detection and treatment, cervical cancer has a 5 year 92% survival rate.
Early detection is the key, and PCC is committed to providing this service. That is one of the reasons Jane enjoys her work. Our providers have access to a lot of different experiences, interesting cases, and are able to consult with very good physicians. Jane remarks that her patients are the other reason she is committed to PCC. “The patients are wonderful, appreciative, sweet people.” She is determined to continue to offer her patients this necessary care, and is positive when she says, “We try to give the best care we can and hope we can continue to do that.”
Georgia Armstrong, B.S.N., R.N.: Protector of People
Taking care of people and community is in Georgia Armstrong’s blood. As PCC’s Immunization Supervisor, she gets to safeguard the health of thousands of people every year.
Georgia recalls that her grandfather owned and operated a grocery store in Houston during the depression, and that he felt compelled to feed the hungry in his community, even if it didn’t help his bottom line. Today, Georgia is a passionate advocate for vaccinations citing that “immunization has been one of the greatest medical success stories in history.” In addition to the thousands of PCC patients she protects, Georgia heads our Shots for Tots program which immunizes children under 18 during our shot clinics.
The PCC Immunizations team, which Georgia defines as including every Medical Assistant in the Clinic, meets and exceeds Healthy People 2010 and 2020 immunizations goals. Our 2011 Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department immunization audit demonstrates this success. 98% of our 2 year old patients are up-to-date on their recommended vaccinations. Under Georgia’s guidance PCC's Medical Assistants have stepped up their screenings of patients at each appointment, making sure that they are up-to-date on their vaccines. Georgia knows that when patients trust the Clinic as their medical home, they are more likely to return to get vaccines and boosters on time. “We’re small enough for patients to feel big,” she says, and that improves our adherence rates.
During her tenure in Texas, Georgia has learned what she likes to call “immunization Spanish” and finds it very handy in building relationships with her patients. She relishes fostering the trust that brings a family back in for future vaccinations. Regular medical care, including vaccinations, is one of the best ways to promote health.
Georgia knows that maintaining good health is about more than treating disease; it’s about prevention. She adds that simple actions like staying up-to-date on vaccinations, properly washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes can make a world of difference, not just for us, but for everyone around us, too. Recalling a terrible flu that she contracted from a patient, Georgia stresses the importance of regular vaccinations. Vaccinations benefit everyone around the vaccinated individual, too. Diseases that may not harm a healthy adult may still prove lethal to infants, the elderly or the immunocompromised. Vaccination is a cornerstone of good health, and just one of the ways you can show that you care about your family, patients and community.
Hearing the Unsaid: Robin Rosell, L.C.S.W., L.M.F.T.
Robin Rosell always knew that she wanted to improve the lives of young people. From her early experience as a middle child to the time she spent as the editor of her high school newspaper, this desire to observe and understand people and improve their outcomes only grew.
Initially, she thought that for her, helping young people would consist of teaching special education students, so Robin got her bachelor’s degree in special education teaching. Then during her student teaching, she had a lot of interaction with students and students’ families, witnessing the impact that students’ lives outside of school had on their performance in school and their long term success. She has always been interested in learning motivations for others’ actions, and has sought to understand these motivations.
It was that experience of student teaching and the realizations that Robin had then that led her to pursue social work. Without hesitation, she started graduate studies at the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. After years of serving adolescents at the Austin State School, the Settlement Home and the Houston Child Guidance Center, she found herself at PCC. Here, for the past 15 years, Robin has flourished, and her role has expanded alongside clinic behavioral health services. PCC’s social work team is bridging the gap for so many patients who are finding it harder and harder to access dwindling mental health resources. She observes that many patients who would have been hospitalized in years past are now not even able to access mental health services when in crisis. That’s why she believes in PCC and has been here over 15 years. Robin observes that PCC “always makes an effort to be comprehensive and treat the whole person.”
Robin loves her staff and is proud of the work she and the GOALS team have done to ensure the long-term success of PCC adolescent patients. “Never underestimate the value of human relationships,” she says sincerely, for many kids and teens, "a healthy relationship with a caring adult can go a long way."
Evelyn Burns, R.N.: Chronic Disease Relief
Evelyn has been a nurse for people of every age. From neonatal to nursing home, her wide breadth of experience makes her an asset to PCC's Chronic Disease management team. Each of Evelyn Burns' family members has worked in healthcare, though Evelyn's tenure as a nurse makes her the go to when they want to discuss symptoms. They call her for good reason, Evelyn is a good listener and a good communicator which makes her the ideal Chronic Disease Program Manager. Connecting with patients on a personal level is natural to her.
Growing up in the Dominican Republic Evelyn saw her parents working in healthcare. Many of her family members have diabetes. When they moved to the Bronx, she soon decided that nursing education offered in her vocational high school was the right choice for her. Though after graduating, Evelyn enrolled in college to major in psychology. It was about that time that she began work as a patient service representative in a Bronx community health clinic. Providing patient services came to the forefront for Evelyn and she enrolled in an R.N. program in order to care for the patients directly.
She worked with families in that practice for nine years. Evelyn also worked for years in a nursing home as well as providing home care to other patients in the community. She then worked five years as a neonatal intensive care nurse. After providing patient care to people of all ages, she decided to get back to her roots of community health center family practice. As fate had it, within weeks of coming to this realization, Evelyn learned about PCC, and within months she and her young family moved from the Bronx to Austin. Happily, Evelyn celebrates her third anniversary with us this year, and has served as our Chronic Disease Program Manager for a year this March. She knows that everything fell into place for her to be at PCC with our patients. Chronic disease has been a recurring theme in her life, just as in her patients' lives. Making a difference in their lives is her goal, and all of her experiences, even the negative ones, teach her something that she can then share with her patients.