Mrs. L., a resident of East Harlem, has difficulty leaving her apartment because of her obesity and severe asthma. Before her Meals-on-Wheels caseworker referred her to the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program, she had no insurance coverage and had not seen a medical doctor for many years. Through the program, Mrs. L. is now receiving treatment for her diabetes, which had previously gone undiagnosed, and is receiving regular health checkups. She has received assistance in getting Medicaid and in hiring a home attendant to help care for her.

Mr. M., an 80-year-old long-term resident of the Upper West Side, lives on the top floor of a five-story walk-up building. Because he has congestive heart failure and arthritis, he has been unable to leave his apartment to go to the doctor. Since being referred to the Visiting Doctors program, he has received regularly scheduled medical care in his home - including urgent visits to treat his worsening congestive heart failure. These visits have helped him to stay out of the hospital. Additionally, our social workers have helped him to secure a home attendant to assist him with cooking, shopping and cleaning.

Mrs. P., who suffered from Alzheimer's Dementia, lived with her daughter and son-in-law in lower Manhattan. The patient's family wanted to care for her at home. The team met regularly with Mrs. P. and her family members to make sure that Mrs. P. was comfortable and that her children were coping with their caregiving responsibilities. As Mrs. P.'s illness progressed, her family expressed a desire to have her die at home. Mrs. P. and her family received the care and support they needed, in collaboration with home hospice staff. After Mrs. P.'s death, her family members continued receiving calls from the program's social workers, who provide bereavement counseling.

Such stories are not the exceptions. They are what the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program is all about.