Page 36 - Catholic Extension Magazine Spring 2020

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36
Donor Q&A

Dr. Ramon Tallaj,
chairman of the board

of SOMOS Community
Care in New York
City and a Catholic
Extension donor,

recently received our
Spirit of Francis Award

ell us about your
childhood.
I had a happy,
humble child- Providing healthcare in
hood. My family is
Tof Lebanese origin. vulnerable populations
My paternal grandparents immi-
grated to the Dominican Repub-
lic and worked hard for their chil-
dren to get ahead. My father was ing them. I became a doctor in patients. As a doctor, I was a liv-
a pharmacist and my Uncle José the Dominican Republic. Medi- ing witness to the importance of
was a doctor. My parents instilled cine is my passion. In time, I was humanistic medical attention,
in us Catholic and civic values like appointed Deputy Minister of Pub- which focuses on the patient, on
responsibility, work, compassion lic Health in the government of Dr. their social environment, on their
and solidarity. I received a Cath- Joaquín Balaguer. socioeconomic conditions and on
olic education through the De La Why did you move to New York their language and culture.
Salle Brothers. City? Tell us about SOMOS, the organi-
Why did you become a doctor? I came to the United States in zation you founded.
As a child, I loved what my 1991 with my wife, Ines, and two SOMOS was created in 2014 to
Uncle José did. He was the town young children, Paul and Kather- provide better healthcare to bene-
pediatrician. Every day, parents ine, after receiving an invitation ficiaries of the state government’s
came to him very concerned about from Cardinal John O’Connor of Medicaid program—who are
the health of their children and New York. He asked me to join the mainly low-income people, immi-
most without any money to pay work of the Catholic Church with grants and the elderly. It has 3,500
for the consultation. He never the Latino community at St. Clare healthcare providers and more
turned anyone away, even those Hospital. than 650,000 patients. It is run
who came from far away, who he Tell us about this work. by doctors who are immigrants or
put up in his house while treat- At St. Clare Hospital, many peo- descendants of immigrants. These
ple were dying from AIDS. At doctors speak the language of their
that time, it was the only hospi- patients and share their culture.
tal in New York that served HIV Our doctors are leaders who reside
in the neighborhoods of their