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C A L I F O R N I A N U R S E W W W . C A L N U R S E S . O R G M A R C H 2 0 0 6 19 onto trays, and Mary Price tends to details of feeding homeless men, women and children. After the meal, Price sits down to talk about her history with the Mobile Medical Office. She has used MMO as her primary health care provider for more than 10 years. "I used to know Dr. Wendy Ring when she had that first old fifth wheel she started out with," says Price. Back then, Ring drove from town to town toting a trailer and a small healing arsenal. These days, Price helps manage the dining hall that hosts the Mobile Medical Of- fice two days a week. But once upon a time, Price, her husband, and her three boys were homeless. They worked, but didn't make enough money to get by. "All it takes is one bad thing to happen. Our landlord died, that's what happened to us, and we had to leave." Later, Price says, she worked her way up from homelessness. "People don't realize how many people who work at JC Pen- ney or Sears are homeless." Around Eureka, Price says, the homeless live, "anywhere and everywhere, out in the redwoods or in the bushes." The benefit of MMO, says Price, is that the Mobile Medical staff see people who would otherwise never go to the doctor be- cause it's "too far and too much money…. People just wait too long when they're poor and isolated." Price is just one of many who hold the Mobile Medical staff in high esteem. But the staff of Mobile Medical would be the first to say that what makes them so effective is that they're just like every- one else. They see themselves and their clients as a part of a team, working together to better understand one another, intent on im- proving life for those most underserved in the rural landscape. ■ Erin FitzGerald is a freelance writer based in the San Francisco Bay area. This article was reprinted from Revolution magazine. Mary Price, who serves the St. Vincent de Paul noonday meal. She, her husband and three boys were once homeless, even though they worked. "All it takes is one bad thing to happen."