Here is the story
of all these people and organizations
coming together
to help serve their community.
So we wanted to capture that.
You walk in the door,
you've got an abscess tooth
and you're experiencing
pain and infection
and it's affecting your whole life.
And we can fix that for you today.
That's too good to be true.
To get free
dental, free vision for medical,
there's got to be a catch
and they're skeptical about it.
Anybody is welcome to come in.
You don't need ID.
You don't need documentation of status.
I loved the idea of providing health
care with no barriers.
I loved the idea
that there'd be an army of interpreters.
The title of this documentary
is Stronger
Than Medicine,
reflects a common thread discovered
during its production.
Stronger
than the health care
piece was the fact that the community
was coming together,
that people cared about one another.
And that was a really powerful message
to experience.
And and beyond that,
it was amazing to see, well,
what are we capable of?
Imagine if we applied that energy
to other things.
At the end of the day,
we're all people
and we're all here
just taking care of each other.
People come together with a common theme,
a common desire to help.
All of the people
who are working their are there to serve.
They're there to do some good
in some people's lives.
And that good is intended
to help everyone in need,
including those you might not suspect
Who is in need
and what does indeed look like?
It's not
only people who are out of the job.
It's not only people
who are experiencing homelessness.
The majority of the people come
do have some form of health care,
but they can't afford to use it
because the co-pay is too large.
They out of pocket is unavailable.
Ethnicity, ethnicity and young and old.
it was the same story.
That was eye opening and humbling to me.
One of the things my husband said
when he came to volunteer
was WOW, these people look just like me.
And as hundreds of people arrive
in the middle of the night.
They wait their turn.
The stories
they share revealed
the troubling flaws in the system.
She needs glasses.
Her glasses are broken.
We don't have Medicaid or anything.
So she's getting glasses.
I am self-employed.
I have health insurance.
But it's sort of the minimum
mandated health insurance
and there's no dental on it.
I work for 30 years.
I have Medicare,
but I can't afford glasses.
Or I have to decide,
do I get my medicine
or do I get my teeth fixed?
I'm here today for my vision to also
check it out. You know?
Dental.
I just I just take the service for
for dental.
For documentarian Toni Grobe,
a sense of respect
and kindness prevailed among volunteers.
You're surrounded by people who are
setting a great example of
respect,
treating people with dignity, listening,
giving people
the time that they need
to express themselves.
There might be some problems
with the system,
but at least here
there's not a problem with the people.
The people all want to help.
So I think that says
a lot about our community.
No one exemplifies that compassion
and helpful attitude
more than retiree Frankie Manning.
All of these people
are volunteering their time
to make a difference, and they care.
And so when people think that, you know,
nobody cares. Just look around.
Its here.
I am an old person.
It gets me out of bed in the morning
and I feel so grateful
because I know these
people need this care
and they can't get it no place else.
So I feel like
this is important work.
This documentary proves goodwill combined
with the power of community
can work wonders.
I'm volunteering at the clinic this year.
I'm putting the camera down,
and I'm
just gonna roll up my sleeves and say,
How can I help?
Watch CityStream Tuesday nights
at seven on the Seattle Channel
or find us anytime
online at SeattleChannel.org