Pedro José Greer Jr., M.D., Caring for the Poor

Two heartbreaking events led Pedro José Greer Jr., M.D., to open the
Camillus Health Concern, a medical clinic for Miami's homeless.

First was the tragic death of his sister in an auto accident, which left Greer feeling he "never wanted to see anyone die or suffer alone." Several years later Greer treated a homeless man dying of tuberculosis. So this son of Cuban immigrants responded by opening Camillus. "There was huge need out there, and the only thing I knew how to do was be a doctor," he says. Today Camillus cares for 10,000 homeless patients annually, and St. John Bosco Clinic, which Greer cofounded in 1991, treats an additional 6,000 poor immigrants. For his good works, the gastroenterologist, 54, received a 1993 MacArthur award, the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, and three papal medals.

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