Tuesday, November 20, 2012 10:15 AM
Velma Teague Branch Library

Dr. Randy Christensen, author of Ask Me Why I Hurt:  The Kids Nobody Wants and The Doctor Who Heals Them, will be appearing at the November 20, 2012 meeting of the 58th Avenue Book Group.  Dr. Christensen is the founder and director of the Crews’n Healthmobile, a 38-foot van that provides medical and dental care to homeless youth in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Inspired by a similar service encountered during his medical school days in Boston, Dr. Christensen and Nurse Jan Putnam were instrumental in getting a used Winnebago converted into a first-rate medical facility for youth who find it safer to be on the streets than in their own homes.

Confessing to be rather naïve in the beginning days of the service, there were many times when the old van would break down and need its own medical care. Today the medical service has a new vehicle, and more regular funding thanks to private donations and local agencies like the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, UMOM New Day Center, and the Children's Health Fund.  Last year, it served over 5,000 youth in the county. 

The program, at the Velma Teague Library in downtown Glendale, begins at 10:15 a.m. Free to the public, you need not be a member of the book group to attend.  A limited number of books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information, or to make arrangements for large groups, please call Stephanie Rumsey at 623-930-3440.