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A victim of spousal abuse, 57-year-old Maria* first came to Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless medical clinic four months ago, injured and homeless. Today, she is returning for follow-up care.

Heidi Rogers, RN, family nurse practitioner and associate medical director, knows Maria from previous visits and speaks to her in Spanish. Rogers and other staff had treated Maria’s shoulder and knee injuries when she first came to the clinic. But that proved to be less serious than her diabetes and kidney disease, which now are stable.

Shadowing the energetic Rogers on one clinic morning provides a window into the flow and concerns of her working day.

According to the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness and Albuquerque officials, the city has an estimated yearly homeless population of 12,000 to 16,000. AHCH provides medical, psychiatric, and dental services as well as three residential substance abuse treatment and transition programs. An outreach program helps connect the homeless with these services.

“We believe that homelessness is not a permanent label — like heart disease — but is a temporary and unacceptable situation,” Rogers says. “While we care for the immediate needs of our clients, our overriding goal is to end their homelessness.”

The AHCH medical clinic, a large pink stucco building, is on a corner in downtown Albuquerque.

By 12:30 p.m., all patients have been seen and Rogers has a moment to relax and reflect before afternoon clinic begins.

“I’ve always worked with underserved populations — my program at Penn [BSN and MSN at University of Pennsylvania] was geared toward this population.

“For me, being a nurse practitioner at AHCH is like being a social worker with a stethoscope. I like working with people in difficult situations and finding creative ways to solve their problems.”

* Name has been changed.

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Lila L. Anastas, RN, MS, is a freelance writer. To comment, e-mail editorMTW@nurseweek.com.