The 37-year-old works three days a week at the O'Connor Hospital family medicine residency program treating patients and teaching residents. He spends two days a week running his Internet business, MeisterMed and working on a book about his experiences in Liberia. Once every two weeks, he also donates time at the RotaCare Free Clinic, located on the Washington School campus.

The patients who frequent the RotaCare Free Clinic on Wednesday evenings are those who fall through the cracks. They lack medical insurance yet cannot qualify for government-sponsored health care. The patients, he says, are grateful for all what he does.

"It's a really special experience," he says. "It's very different than private practice."

Schechtman came to RotaCare two years ago, after returning from a year with nonprofit Doctors Without Borders, in war-torn Liberia. Volunteering with RotaCare was a good way to transition from practicing in Africa back to Western medicine, he says. RotaCare also allowed him to use the skills he acquired in Africa, such as treating patients with few clinical resources, Schechtman says.

At RotaCare, the volunteer staff is expertly trained, but only carry core prescription drugs that are free for patients who have limited access to specialists.

When a patient came to see Schechtman several weeks ago with an ovarian cyst that ballooned to the size of a basketball, Schechtman says he had no choice but to send her to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. The women would probably be billed for medical services she couldn't pay for, he added.

"It's not as bad as Africa, but they have a lot of needs that are not being met by the current system," Schechtman says.

Yet, Schechtman can serve the vast majority of patients who come to RotaCare for chronic problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

"It's really rewarding to see people with chronic medical problems and help them," he says. "It's a very refreshing way to practice medicine."

How it works

Schechtman is one of eight doctors who make up the 65-person volunteer roster at RotaCare. Other volunteers include nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, interpreters and administrative staff who come from San Jose neighborhoods such as Willow Glen and Almaden, and other cities in the South Bay.

On an average Wednesday, the clinic is run by administrator Tammy Janosik and nearly 20 volunteers, at least three of whom are doctors and nurse practitioners. The clinic can offer free services through funding from the Rotary Club of San Jose, grants and private donations.

Because of the shortage of doctors, Schechtman and his colleagues are in constant demand. The physicians are called on to volunteer at least four hours every two weeks, often after their long workdays.

The number of people who need medical care exceeds the 40 patients RotaCare can treat each Wednesday, Janosik says.

The people who come to the clinic are desperate for free health care and begin lining up outside of the clinic at noon to secure a space when the clinic opens at 5:30 p.m.

"It's either paying the rent or going to the doctor or putting food on the table," Janosik says. "They run out of money before they can get medicine."

While Janosik tries to make sure each patient who has signed up for medical help by 4 p.m. gets treated and that all prescription refills are granted, the clinic still must turn people away each week.

The key to meeting the need would be to recruit additional volunteers so the clinic could open an extra night each week, Janosik says. Janosik is the clinic's only paid employee and she works part time.

"The clinic is ready to open two nights a week, but we need to have the doctors first," Janosik said.

Janosik believes if she could recruit 10 doctors who were willing to work one night shift every four to six weeks, the clinic could serve twice as many people in need.

"It is heartbreaking when you have to turn people away because we know this is it, this is their only option," Willow Glen resident and volunteer interpreter Corinne Arraez says.

Helping many families

On Wednesday nights, families gather in the clinic's waiting room, quietly waiting their turn. Juan Ahumada, a 30-year-old truck driver from Madera, is leaning against the clinic door. It is 6:30 p.m., and Ahumada is prepared to wait three hours.

Ahumada says his work is unstable and getting health insurance through his employers is difficult. He first came to RotaCare when he was living in San Jose in 1999 and has returned once or twice a month for hypertension and high cholesterol problems.

Since he moved to Madera, receiving health care has become a day's event. His commute to the clinic is 2 ¹/2 hours. After he leaves the clinic, Ahumada says he stays overnight with family before returning to Madera in the morning.

Although he has been searching for a clinic such as RotaCare in the Central Valley, Ahumada says he returns to San Jose because of RotaCare's helpful staff and free service. Ahumada says he donates a "little bit" of money to the clinic when he can spare it.

"It's really comforting to know someone's here every week to help during difficult times," he says.

Another patient, Antonio Zarogoza, has been waiting for 2 ¹/2 hours. Zaragoza lives in Sunnyvale and works for a gardening service. He, his wife and two of his children visit the clinic for all their medical needs. His third child, who is epileptic, qualifies for the Healthy Kids insurance program that is provided through Santa Clara County.

Zaragoza says he does not mind the wait and pitches in to translate for Spanish-speaking patients with the English-speaking staff. Many of the patients only speak Spanish.

For doctors and nurses who do not speak Spanish, volunteer interpreters such as Arraez are there to help. Arraez, a native of Venezuela, began working at RotaCare a year ago.

The 37-year-old, who moved to the United States when she was 18, says the opportunities she found in America have made her want to give back to the community through volunteer work. Professionally, she is an academic technology specialist at Stanford University.

Twice a month, Arraez interprets for patients with a variety of medical problems. Many of the patients she sees are the elderly parents of children who have moved from another country to the United States. While the patient's children have health insurance through work, their parents remain uninsured.

"You feel very good at the end of the evening," Arraez says.

But mostly, Arraez says she feels a special bond with the team of volunteers at RotaCare. Friendships have formed and some volunteers have even started a hiking group.

"When you join a volunteer organization, you join a group of people who share the same values you do," Arraez says.

Arraez points to Janosik for keeping the volunteers happy and the clinic running smoothly. Janosik, however, worries about volunteer burnout, fearing she asks too much from those whose lives are already busy.

Recently, Janosik mounted a sign in the clinic that reads, "Thank you for your patience. We're here to serve you. We're all volunteers."

Each Wednesday she passes around a can, requesting a $10 donation from those who can pay. The clinic averages $2 per patient, but at the end of the year, Janosik says every bit counts.

For more information on volunteering at RotaCare Free Clinic, call 408.715.3088.

Willing to Listen: Andrew Schechtman, a Willow Glen resident and volunteer physician at the RotaCare Clinic discusses Aelvia Martinez's medical history with her before the examination. The clinic, which opens at 5:30 p.m., has patients often lining up at noon to secure a place in line.