East Liberty Family Health Care Center

The East Liberty Family Health Care Center honors Peter Murray (Physician Assistant) and Kimberly Gillespie Owens (Medical Assistant), its Homeless Outreach Team, for their unwavering service to our patients and the homeless population. They show Christ's love every week by treating each patient with the dignity s/he deserves as a person created in the very image of God.

Peter, known on the streets as "Doctor Pete," has been a practitioner at the Center for 20 years. He and his wife, Penny (an accountant for Carnegie Museums), have been married for 36 years. Pete was born in Maine, but raised in Erie, Pennsylvania. After being drafted by the U.S. Army, he served as a Medic in Vietnam and later worked as a Paramedic in Altoona, PA. These experiences inspired him to enroll in the Assistant to the Primary Care Physician Program at the Community College of Allegheny County. He subsequently upgraded his degree at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Prior to that, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Penn State.

When Pete began his journey with the Center, it operated from the basement of Eastminster Presbyterian Church. It was noisy and cramped, but the staff were dedicated to God's mission of providing whole-person health care to all. The Center moved into the East Liberty Office one year after Pete's arrival. When asked how he feels about being a part of the Center's growth over the past 20 years, Pete says, "It is remarkable to see the growth of the Center...what God does sometimes in spite of us." And that's just the kind of person Pete is, always emphasizing God's grace in any situation. Pete has stayed with us for so long because he believes that the team has remained true to following Christ.

He has a remarkable ability to listen which, according to him, is an essential part of a Physician Assistant's job. Listening attentively gives him insight into a patient's condition. Intuitiveness is important because people often know things, but do not understand them. He says that his job is to look for meaning to help the sick get well. Pete is dedicated to serving the homeless, in addition to his regular patients, because he believes that intentionally seeking out the least and the lost is necessary to showing Christ's love. Accordingly, Pete has chosen "Love Supreme" by John Coltrane for the Top Ten songs category at Joyful Noise.

Kimberly, affectionately known as Kim, also wears many hats at the Center. As a Certified Medical Assistant and Homeless Outreach Manager, she provides medical care to patients and also resources (alongside Pete) to East Liberty's homeless population. She has been a dedicated staff member for nine years. She is married to Alvin Owens, Jr. and has two children and ten grandchildren. Kim is inspired by her grandchildren, her sister (Bonita), and especially her 85-year-old "healthy" grandmother who can witness her succeed in life. She loves the Lord and His Church.

Kim adds a great deal of value to our mission of integrated care through both real-life and professional experience. Her work is more than a job, it's personal to her. She knows what the homeless and recovering addicts need because she has been there. Kim's story epitomizes God's redemptive power; it is the definition of success from the ground up. Her first knowledge of the Center came through Robert "Bobby" Booker, our Drug and Alcohol Outreach Specialist, who connected her to an outpatient program. Once a recipient of the Center's outreach services, Kim applied for her position years later and began to give back to her community just as Bobby had given to her.

"Working with the homeless population is rewarding...Helping one person makes a difference," says Kim. Homeless Outreach is the part of the job that she loves the most. She believes that God has given her a passion for helping others, and she is there to provide resources however she can. She has formed a bond with several of her patients that extends beyond her workday. She provides care after work hours because the people have needs that may not otherwise be fulfilled. Sometimes it's taking patients to hospitals or helping them to organize prescriptions. Whatever the call, Kim is there! The staff, patients, and friends of the Center honor Kim for her willingness to go the second mile in serving those who struggle just to make it through another day.

After hearing Kim's testimony, it was no surprise that her favorite song is "Worthy is the Lamb" by Agnus Dei, for the reign of our Lord God Almighty shows through the blessings that flow from dedicated servants like our Homeless Outreach Team.

Pete and Kim are a dynamic duo. They enjoy working with one another and work well together. Pete characterizes Kim as dedicated, dependable, honest, and relational. And Kim says (about working with Pete) that she would not have it any other way. This year, Pete and Kim support the Center in raising $2,500 for the Homeless Outreach Program. We honor and extend our gratitude to them for their dedication through the years.