Putting on a clinic

As an endocrinologist volunteering at the Glendale Community Free Health Clinic, Dr. Martin Montoro said the most rewarding aspect of working at the clinic has been being able to treat patients with diabetes whose illness had previously prevented them from getting jobs. With Montoro’s care and the aid of the clinic, these patients were able to get jobs and insurance.

Montoro helped form the clinic about five years ago and has been volunteering there ever since, in addition to his job as professor of Clinical Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology at USC’s Keck School of Medicine.

The doctor is also president of the clinic’s board of directors.

The clinic, housed in a room of First United Methodist Church of Glendale, is staffed by volunteers and funded entirely by grants and donations. It treats patients without health insurance and is open every Tuesday evening. The services provided include exams, medications, X-rays and blood tests, which are administered off-site, and are also free.

The clinic was formed through the combined efforts of Montoro; Allan Strout, then-associate pastor of Glendale First United Methodist Church; Arbi Ghazarian, a Glendale family practitioner; and Silvia Lofftus, a retired parish nurse.

Since the beginning, Montoro and Ghazarian have served as the clinic’s primary doctors, while Lofftus is the head nurse.

“Our goal is to fill an ongoing need in the community on a continuing basis,” Montoro said.

“This is something we can do in addition to our regular jobs in the community where we live.”

On Tuesdays, after a full day of work, Montoro usually puts in extra hours at the clinic and is often the last to leave, Lofftus said. The doctor makes sure he gives each patient the time and care they need, she said.

“He’s just an unbelievable man,” Lofftus said. “These patients have no idea what a wonderful doctor they have.”

Montoro’s wife, Cathie Montoro, said her husband has established relationships with some of his regular patients at the clinic.

“He really has been touched by the gratitude of the patients he’s served,” Cathie Montoro said. “He has gotten to know several diabetic patients who he’s seen on a regular basis. He’s always valued that personal contact with patients.”

Both Cathie Montoro and Lofftus said Martin Montoro’s kindness and calm disposition make him well suited for his work at the clinic.

“He’s so calm and steady and even-tempered,” Cathie Montoro said. “He calmly goes about what needs to be done.”

Martin Montoro stressed that the clinic is a collaborative effort and praised the work of his fellow volunteers. He said what drives him and the other volunteers is the desire to help people in need who have fallen on hard times.

“These people have illnesses that have nothing to do with their lifestyles that can be catastrophic,” Martin Montoro said. “No one should be left to his or her own fate.”

Martin Montoro said politics should be set aside in order to ensure people’s health.

“Most of us at the clinic think that having access to health care is almost a human right that our society should be able to provide,” he said.