Dr. Steven Ackerman describes to patient, David Diaz how to improve his foot’s condition and how to treat it from fungus.
Bill Davis had never washed someone else’s feet before.
Davis slowly lifted the man’s feet up from the warm soapy water and began to scrub while chatting with the man.
The man’s feet were worn down from constantly wearing his shoes and heavy walking ““ a common complication for the homeless, said Anmy Vu, third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student and co-president of Happy Feet.
Before beginning the wash, Davis said he felt a bit nervous.
“I’ve never worked with people in this kind of setting before,” the third-year neuroscience student said.
Near Davis, six other undergraduate students were also at work. Each was paired with a homeless person whose feet they were cleaning as part of their work with the Happy Feet Clinic.
Happy Feet, an undergraduate student organization, works to serve the podiatry needs of the homeless in Los Angeles.
The organization formed two years ago as an offshoot of a graduate student organization. The group holds foot clinics twice a quarter at various locations in Los Angeles.
On average, the group serves about 80-100 homeless people at each event, but served 60 on Sunday, Vu said,
“This is a way to prevent minor problems … that could lead to foot amputations,” Vu said.
About 20 undergraduates volunteered at the Ocean Park Community Center in Santa Monica. Next quarter, the group plans to offer three clinics, Vu said.
After Davis finished, a medical student came to examine the man’s feet.
Davis, who learned about the clinic from his roommate, stood by the man during the examination, listening to him joke and observing the examination.
“I’ve never seen podiatry in action before,” Davis said.
The examinations are general feet assessments, which test for diabetic neuropathy and fungus while treating ingrown toe nails and callouses, Vu said.
Amarachi Okaro, a graduate student in the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, was one of five medical students who came to volunteer to give these examinations at the clinic.
“You find time for things that are important,” Okaro said. “Things like this remind me why I’m putting so much time into class.”
After examination, the patient walks to another booth where they learn how to take care of their feet and receive socks, insoles and shoes.
Doug Corgatelli said he came to the clinic because he heard they were giving out free shoes. His shoes had been stolen recently and he was borrowing a pair from a friend that was a size too small.
At the clinic, Corgatelli said he had a good conversation and learned how to treat his feet.
“I’ve never had a pedicure before,” Corgatelli said.
David Diaz, 57, had seen Happy Feet at the Ocean Park Community Center before. He said he came for the free shoes ““ his worn sports shoes were no longer in good shape.
“I can feel the difference in my feet,” Diaz said at the end of his examination.
The founders of the organization have spent the past two years watching it grow. While undergraduates helped treat patients, UCLA alumnus Jonathan Ditty stood by the foot-washers, filling buckets with warm, soapy water.
Ditty helped found the group two years ago. He said he was not washing feet to let other students have that chance.
“(What we do) makes sense,” Ditty said. “It’s small, but it’s something. It means a lot to me, (and) it’s cool to watch it grow and see people who have done (the clinic) for years. At this point, I do whatever is needed.”