James Bentley never thought he would end up needing Recuperative Care for men at Gateway Center. In the spring 2019, he was engaged to be married, worked at Home Depot, and was able to see his grandkids at least once a week. Then he had a stroke. “When I had my stroke, I was admitted to Grady for weeks. While in the hospital, I lost my job, I lost my home, and I almost lost my life,” Bentley says as tears fill his eyes. “Coming to Mercy Care and the people at Recuperative Care saved me. Ms. D helped me recover, helped me with my therapy exercises, and got me to doctor’s appointments. They took care of me when others couldn’t.”

“I thank God every day for Mercy Care.”

– James Bentley, former Recuperative Care patient

Recuperative Care for men is a 19-bed facility. Discharged hospital patients who typically would be left on the streets come here to heal. Demetria Jones-Edwards, a.k.a. Ms. D., is the Resource Specialist at Recuperative Care for men and wishes all her patients were like Mr. Bentley. “He came to Recuperative Care determined to get well and make the most of his time here, which is how we successfully got him into transitional housing,” she says proudly.

Unfortunately, in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a difficult situation became even worse. “All men who come to Recuperative Care must have a primary major medical issue and show some degree of self sufficiency,” said Jones-Edwards. “One of the services men receive at Recuperative Care is case management, which includes help obtaining ID’s, birth certificates, and food stamps. When the shut-down happened, everything stopped. We couldn’t get housing inspections; we couldn’t get anything.”

Kenya Arnold, Social Services Manager who oversees both Recuperative Care programs at Mercy Care, says obtaining documentation was not the only challenge. “I always tell people the men of Recuperative Care are either ‘broken in, or broken by, life,’” says Arnold. “This work is not for the faint of heart. But it is about planting seeds. You may not see the seed bloom while they are here, but our responsibility is planting the seed in the first place.”

“We are the bridge between the hospital and hope.”

– Kenya Arnold, Mercy Care Social Services Manager

The men who come to Recuperative Care are often so beaten down; it takes everyone’s hard work to pour the message into them they are loved, and that they are worthy. “We are the bridge between the hospital and hope,” says Arnold. “At Recuperative Care, we allow our residents to recover from their physical illnesses and emotionally heal as well.”

Ms. D. is excited to report that Mr. Bentley is now doing well. He has a home again; he has a job; but most importantly, he is spending time with his grandchildren, too. He says, “My grandson Tobias would tell you, ‘Thank you for helping my grandfather.’”

Our programs rely on your generosity. Your donations directly impact the lives of Atlanta’s most in need. As Kenya says, “Thank you for be being the bridge over troubled waters; thank you for being the answer to someone’s prayer; thank you for seeing the value in human life, and thank you for sharing your heart through your giving and believing we can make an impact together.”