Dr. A. Scott McNeal has trained more than 100 doctors to follow in his footsteps and treat patients in community health centers. Dr. McNeal is proud of these doctors and calls them “my children.” They are dedicated to taking care of people who otherwise might not be able to afford to see a doctor. Dr. McNeal supervises more than 50 doctors, nurses, dentists, and other medical workers at six community health centers in Philadelphia and Norristown. He makes sure that patients receive good care. His health centers treat people of all ages, from babies to the elderly. As in other doctors’ offices, people can get checkups and vaccinations at the health centers. If they are sick, they can be prescribed medicines or other treatments. Dr. A. Scott McNeal Making sure patients can receive good care “What’s important about our centers is that we take care of patients who sometimes can’t be seen in other doctors’ offices,” Dr. McNeal says. They may not have health insurance to cover the costs and they can’t afford to pay the bill. If community health centers were not around, more people would go without medical care and they could get sicker, he says. “It is very important to me to have healthy people in our community,” he says. He believes one of his greatest accomplishments is that he has been able to open four new health centers during his career. Today, Dr. McNeal says, money is one of the greatest challenges the health centers face. The government covers some of the costs, but there’s not as much money as there once was. “We don’t want to turn away anyone,” he says. “Sometimes that means we can’t give as many services as we used to.” Dr. McNeal likes to see people be healthy and happy. He also looks after his own health by jogging, playing basketball, and eating fruits and vegetables. He never smokes. Illustration by Jocelin Lai, Cole Manor Healthy Comet