“The Power of Giving: Stories of Volunteerism” – Story #3

Dr. Joseph Belsky is a vigorous 82 year-old working endocrinologist, who volunteers once a month at the AmeriCares Clinic in Danbury, seeing patients, who are predominantly low-income immigrants. Dr. Belsky has volunteered his expertise all of his professional life, a practice that was modeled for him by his teachers and mentors when he was a young doctor in training. It is important, he believes, to carry on and model this tradition, which appears to be waning in younger generations of health care professionals. Dr. Belsky demonstrates unusual warmth and caring for his patients, whom he regards as family. He believes that volunteering his services is more than just treating illnesses, “At its heart, healing is about truly listening to what patients have to say.”

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