About Us

Patient Navigator

“Samaritan Health Center offers health, dignity, and flourishing in many ways by meeting patients in their needs and helping bridge gaps to resources and healthcare. For example, I complete a lot of new patient registrations as part of my role at Samaritan. Taking the time to meet patients in their needs and connecting them to care is one of my favorite aspects of my role at Samaritan.”

Executive Director

“My days at Samaritan give me the privilege of seeing so many people collaborating for health, dignity, and flourishing: our patients, our volunteers, our community partners, our financial partners, my staff colleagues, and our Board of Directors. This is special work!”

Staff Nurse

“Communication of health information is part of a nurse's role. Very often this involves communicating in Spanish, or occasionally in another language I speak, or calls for creative measures, such as drawing pictures on pill bottles so patients know what a medicine is for and what time of day to take it. I like getting to know many of our patients who have come here for a while.”

Community Health Director and Staff Physician

“As I think about health, dignity and flourishing through work at Samaritan Health Center I would quote Wendell Berry (agrarian poet and essayist) who writes “health is membership.” Our bodies are involved in the world, and we belong to each other. When we care for a patient during a visit we get just a glimpse of their life, and all that impacts who they are and what they carry in life. Our role is to come alongside, hear their stories, and offer the best medical care we can while attending to the bigger story. The presence of our clinic in Durham and our relationships and interconnectedness with others is a demonstration of our belonging to one another, and a sign of hope for a healthier community.”

Medical Director

“In my role at Samaritan Health Center, I have the privilege of working with patients, staff, community partners, donors, and volunteers in caring for the health of our community. I approach the community as I would want my family members to be approached: with a desire to provide the best medical care I can and help individuals grow towards health. It is a pleasure to walk with Samaritan and the community in the path of health and dignity seeing our community grow and flourish.”

Staff Nurse

“I honor our patients’ dignity through speaking to each person with respect and by offering choices when available: for example, which arm is preferred for a vaccine or lab. I am also learning medical Spanish. When I speak Spanish with our Latino patients, it increases their trust, to relax and share more of their history and how we can serve them.”

Nursing and Special Projects Assistant

“I provide health, dignity, and flourishing to the patients of Samaritan Health Center by working to understand who they are outside the walls of our clinic. Developing friendships with our patients helps them trust the care we provide, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our community in this way.”

Operations Director

“When patients come to Samaritan Health Center, we strive to see the whole person rather than one single part. Whether this looks like a friendly face or joke to brighten their mood, working with one of our partner organizations to provide free produce or medications or discussing an important health concern that has been worrying them — the comprehensive care that Samaritan offers is a true embodiment of Jesus' command to love our neighbors as ourselves.”

Staff Physician

“At Samaritan we see patients from many different backgrounds and cultures. We treat our patients with the same love, respect, and medical care that we desire for ourselves and our families, remembering that each person is created and loved by God. With the help of our team, I am able to meet patients where they need help most by providing treatment, medications, labs, specialty referrals, and offering prayer and encouragement.”

Staff Physician

“At Samaritan Health Center, we get to walk along with people just like us, people suffering from the effects of the fall: sin and disease and death. We practice the best medicine we know how, struggling for easing of the burden, clarity in fear, and right functioning of the body. It is a deep joy to see people growing toward health—be the journey fast and direct or slow and long. I am grateful for the gift of this work.”

Patient Services Coordinator

“Two areas where I contribute to providing health, dignity, and flourishing are in coordinating the vision clinics and helping patients apply for medications. It is a joy to see patients try on a new pair of glasses and watch their faces light up, or hear them say "I can see!" Helping patients apply for medications can also greatly improve health, dignity, and flourishing. I get to see diabetic patients who are able to get their blood sugar under control, those suffering from asthma who can obtain inhalers, and patients with high blood pressure who can get it under control without straining their finances.”