When people visit Tompkins Square Park, they can take in the fresh air, run their dog around — and sometimes, they can see a doctor.
“I had no plans on seeing a doctor in Tompkins Square, man. That was pretty cool,” said Billy Blanco, who visited the park on a Saturday morning.
“He was right to the point. No waste of time.”
Dr. Dave Ores sets up this booth there every weekend. It’s all rooted in the idea of “zero-barrier care.”
“I like the kind of practice where you walk in or call me or text me, and we, you and I, talk and you tell me what’s going on. And then when I figure it out, it’s just us two,” Ores said.
Ores started this “Ask Dr. Dave” spot seven years ago to offer free medical consultations. He says he was inspired by a certain animated medical provider.
“I have my little booth. The idea is from Charlie Brown,” Ores said. “Peanuts. Lucy had the psychiatry. Five cents. That’s what that is from.”
This is not Dr. Dave’s only contribution to the community — he regularly visits neighborhood restaurants to provide reduced-price care and help people get ahead of medical issues.
“I saw patients for years who came to me quite ill with pneumonia, very infected skin wounds,” Ores said. “And I kept saying to myself ‘I wish this guy came to see me two weeks ago.’”
The Lower East Side physician recently received the David Prize, a $200,000 grant for change makers in New York City. He plans to use that money to provide free tattoo removal service for victims of trafficking, former gang members and more.
“In my head, it was like throwing a life preserver to somebody that you’re holding in your hand,” Ores said. “And they fall in the water right by you.”
It is a simple goal to help people who need a hand.
“Some people, you save a life,” Ores said. “Other times you tell them they have, you know, ringworm. I have all this knowledge and information and it doesn’t cost me anything to to share it with people.”
For helping us to keep a pulse on our health, Dr. Dave Ores is our New Yorker of the Week.