No money, no problem: Miami doctor who treats poor, uninsured wins recognition

MIAMI - Dr. Pedro Jose Greer stands in a cool, dim operating room at Miami's Mercy Hospital, looking at a glowing image of a patient's digestive system on a flat-screen TV.

Greer is a gastroenterologist, and the patient lying on the treatment table has a potentially dangerous cauliflower-like growth on the lining of her colon. The patient's name is Nora Turcios, a 45-year-old woman with a family history of cancer.

"That's a polyp right there," Greer says, more to himself than any of the three nurses in the room. During the 15-minute-long colonoscopy, he snips off part of the mass for a cancer biopsy and then reviews Turcios' paperwork.

Turcios, a housekeeper, doesn't have health insurance. Not important, shrugs Greer.

Greer, known to his patients as "Doctor Joe," tells them all: If they lose their insurance while under his care, that's OK - he'll continue to treat them, regardless of how much, or little, they can pay.

"When did it become acceptable in my profession," says the 53-year-old physician, "to say 'No' to somebody because they have no money?"

It's that attitude that led to Greer's recent honour: the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was given the award in August because he cares for the poor with dignity.

In 1984, Greer founded the Camillus Health Concern, a Miami clinic providing medical care to more than 10,000 homeless and low-income patients annually. He also founded the St. John Bosco clinic, which treats low-income and immigrant patients in Miami's Little Havana neighbourhood.

His latest effort is academic: Greer is now the assistant dean of academic affairs at Florida International University's new medical school, where he stresses the need for ethics in medicine.

As one would expect, Greer has strong thoughts on revamping the nation's health-care system.

"Maybe," he says, "if we took care of everybody we wouldn't need reform."

For decades, the Miami physician has treated the neediest people even though it would have been easier to earn big money as a top specialist.

"You fight for what you need to do," he says. "The poor happen to be our sickest. They deserve our undivided attention."

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Greer was born in Miami by accident.

In 1956, his mother came to Miami to visit relatives. She was 6 1/2 months pregnant. She had what she thought were contractions and went to Jackson Memorial, the city's biggest hospital. The emergency room doctor didn't believe that the young Cuban woman was about to give birth.

"HLF," the doctor said, according to Greer family lore. "Hysterical Latin female."

Greer was born three hours later on a gurney in the emergency room. A few weeks later, when he was strong enough, he and his mother returned to Cuba. But not for long: When Fidel Castro took over the country in 1959, the Greer family fled, eventually settling in Florida.

Greer was raised in upper-middle class Cuban Miami: private Roman Catholic school student, varsity football player, weekends spent boating in the blue South Florida waters.

He attended the University of Florida and was intent on being a lawyer. Maybe a politician. He didn't want to be a doctor, like his father.

"I was going to change the world," he said.

When, after graduating in 1978, changing course and announcing he'd pursue medicine after all, his father was proud and as surprised as anyone. "This had not even been a dream of mine," he said.