Even a wealthy country like the United States, with one of the largest economies in the world, has its share of the downtrodden. These unfortunate people, many with families, have found themselves without a home due to economic, physical or mental hardship. After a hard day's work, most of us can at least look forward to coming home for recuperation, relaxation and reflection. A home is not only a place of mere shelter where we have the ability to rest, have meals, and feel safe, but is also intimately associated with our sense of dignity. Adding to the burden, the homeless are also often without health insurance and thus without access to adequate healthcare.

In efforts to place into practice Sathya Sai Baba's teachings of providing service to those who are most in need in our communities, the Southeast Region of the Sathya Sai Baba Organization of the United States came together to provide a medical camp for the homeless on Saturday, September 27, 2008 at the Harborview Center in Clearwater, Florida.

In keeping with the principle of Unity, the Sai organization joined with a collaborative model, called Project Homeless Connect, which has been implemented in over 100 cities around the country to conduct a one day, one stop event to help support the homeless. This event brings together government, private and non-profit charitable agencies to provide much needed services designed to help these homeless individuals and families get back on their feet to transition from the street into their own housing and a life of self-sustenance. Various public, private and charitable agencies provide many services including social services, job placement, haircuts, food, clothing, bus passes, housing information, and legal services. The Sai organization's role as a part of Project Homeless Connect, was to take sole responsibility for the medical component (medical camp) of this one day event.

Health Care is a serious problem in this great country, the USA, where one sees extremes of the best technology and medical facilities in the world alongside those who have no access or very limited access to that healthcare system. Many people, particularly the downtrodden such as the homeless, feel anxious and unsure in the medical environment. They are often given the "run around" and are directed from one area to the other without proper explanation, guidance or concern.

The model for this free Sathya Sai Medical Camp for the homeless was to put into practice Swami's directive to give the best of the best to the poorest of the poor. Our goal was to give personal, special care above and beyond what is given in the best hospitals in the country. Each visitor was assigned their own personal attendant to cater to their needs and personally guide them through the various stations in the camp. These Sai Guides were viewing and treating their visitor not merely as a VIP, but as God Himself in human form. Their goal was to shower love and positive healing energy and vibrations. The assignment of a personal guide was mutually beneficial to both volunteer and visitor. Both sides experienced an intimacy of personal interaction. The guides showered love and that love in turn opened the hearts of the visitor who then returned love back to the volunteer in the form of gratitude. The chemistry and vibrations were simply divine. The primary material or worldly purpose of the medical camp is to educate, screen, and facilitate the entry of these homeless individuals and families into needed medical care. More importantly, the primary purpose of the medical camp is to show and share love, a process which spiritually elevates both the volunteer and visitor.

For this Sathya Sai Medical Camp, over 180 non-medical volunteers journeyed from 11 centers and 5 different states, many traveling over 400 miles, for the singular purpose of putting into practice the message of our beloved Swami (See Table A for volunteer distribution). In addition, 43 physicians and 17 healthcare professionals were present to provide medical care and counseling. An additional 385 volunteers were present for the rest of the Project Homeless Connect event.

A total of 881 homeless men, women and children visited the medical camp. The visitor to the medical camp was greeted, registered and initially assessed for height, weight, BMI (Body Mass Index), and blood pressure. Next, blood was drawn for glucose and cholesterol evaluation. They were then given their breakfast while waiting for the lab results. After their breakfast, they were greeted by their personal guide to escort them, VIP style, to their initial primary care physician, where they were interviewed, educated and counseled as to which specialty and educational portions of the camp would be beneficial for them . A customized plan was then created, based upon their particular needs. Each visitor was then escorted by their personal guide to the various specialist and educational booths recommended for them. The following specialists were available for personal consultation: Cardiology, Dental, ENT, Gastroenterology, Gynecology, Hematology/Oncology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Pulmonary, and Podiatry. The following specialty tests and services were also available: PFT (Pulmonary Function Testing), Hearing screen, Vision test, Glaucoma test, Breast Cancer screen, HIV test, Syphilis test, Hepatitis C test, Flu vaccination, Nutrition counseling, Diabetes counseling and Smoking cessation counseling. A critical part of the camp was the social services booth, where the visitors were given instruction and placement into various government-run, private or charitable programs available in the community for follow-up, depending upon their needs. All documents were copied and data tabulated (See Table B for summary of results).

Emphasis was placed on Swami's directive to strictly follow both the letter and intent of the law, and therefore detailed attention was made to be both HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act) and OSHA (Occupational and Safety Health Administration) compliant as well as maintain patient records’ privacy.

An opportunity to find out about Swami and his teachings was made available at a booth for those who were curious to see who was responsible for this program and for the motivation and ultimate loving behavior of the volunteers. A parting gift was given as they left, consisting of a backpack containing a blanket, a towel, a toiletry set, several bottles of sunscreen lotion, and socks, all of which would be helpful for their day to day existence.

At the conclusion of their medical camp journey, visitors were given an opportunity to provide feedback on their experience at the medical camp via an exit interview. The responses were overwhelmingly positive. Two quotes were particularly revealing regarding the selfless, loving service performed by the Sathya Sai Organization. “I’ve never seen so many happy and loving people before” and “These people (volunteers) are so different than any other group that offers help. Let me know the next time they come so I can make sure to be there.”