Randy Brown was sitting behind the slatted green table, a stethoscope around his neck and boxes of medical supplies in front of him, when his first patient arrived Sunday afternoon.

It was a baby, swaddled in an over-sized green jacket and tucked tightly in mom's arms, struggling with a winter cold.

The cure might have been as simple as a trip to the store for cold medicine. But solutions aren't so simple when there's scant money to spend and little shelter from winter storms.

"It's one of the common problems we see, colds, coughs, skin rashes, infections," said Brown, a 29-year-old doctor with the Stanislaus County Family Practice Residency Program in Modesto. "One of the things we want to do is head these off before they become big problems."

Which is why Brown and other doctors in the residency program spend the fourth Sunday of each month providing free medical care at Moose Park, a homeless enclave along Dry Creek.

"A lot of the people here aren't in the mainstream, whether it's by their choice or mental illness," explained Brown, a Boise, Idaho, native who earned his medical degree at the University of Washington. "They still need medical care, though, so we try to bring the office to them."

The office is little more than a park table on a slab of concrete. A bright red cross is tacked to the pole behind it, a clear signal that the doctors are on the job.

Brown was joined by Erin Kiesel, a 28-year-old Downey High graduate whose medical degree is from Midwestern University in Chicago, and both were pleased to see the sun was shining.

Even so, there was a frigid breeze rolling through the park.

That didn't keep 75 or so people from gathering around. Some had come for medical attention. Others sought clothing. Some were in search of food.

There was a table for each.

While Brown and Kiesel handled the medical needs, church and youth groups were dispensing clothing and food nearby.

"One reason we chose this spot was because there were already groups here helping the homeless," said Brown, who helped create the outreach program a year ago. "This is convenient for people who need it."

It's also good medicine for Brown, Kiesel and other doctors.

"It's little different working out here with the homeless, rather than in an office," Kiesel said. "You learn to ask questions."

"If you see the same person over and over, you've got to find out why that is. You might have provided the right solution, but maybe they're not taking it. Maybe it's got a bad side effect. Maybe it's too complicated."

The medicines are donated by pharmaceutical companies, which pass along samples for the residents to distribute.

Some solutions are as simple as a handful of pills or an ointment. Others are more complex. A few are downright urgent.

"We've had a few people who didn't realize how sick they were, and we try to get them to go up the hill," said Brown, pointing to the county's urgent care clinic. "Most of what we do, however, is treat problems before they become chronic."

While most people want medical care, some just want to talk.

"Hi, Randy, I got the stitches out of my finger last week," said one woman, who went on to explain how she had cut her hand. "I was taking a swing at my boyfriend, but he ducked and I broke the window behind him."

The Sunday sessions draw 10 to 30 patients, most of whom are homeless and consider Moose Park the closest they'll ever get to having a real residence.

"Educating these people is part of our purpose, too," Kiesel said. "There are resources out there for inexpensive or free care, but they may not know about them."

That's what convinced Brown to tend to Modesto's indigent.

"I spent a year in Central and South America, where I picked up Spanish," he said. "When I came back, I knew I wanted to help people who might have been overlooked. With my Spanish, California seemed logical."

The maladies change with the seasons, with winter colds and spring allergies atop the list.

"If you don't have a home to go into, it's difficult to avoid the pollen," said Brown. "These people spend a lot of time outside. They're susceptible to weather."

Bee staff writer Richard Estrada can be reached at 578-2316.

Reprinted by permission of Modesto Bee