An MDVIP Patient Turns His Gratitude Into Art

When you enter the waiting room of MDVIP affiliate Dr. Greg in Baton Rouge, you might think you actually walked into an art gallery. The warm and welcoming waiting room boasts a one-of-a-kind, original artwork made by a local artist. Created by a longtime MDVIP patient and titled “Doc’s Curbside Service,” the drawing features Dr. Ferrara caring for a patient in the tumultuous early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

An architect and artist, the talented patient who created this artwork has worked with Dr. Ferrara for 40 years. Over the past four decades, he’s presented Dr. Ferrara with drawings of the doctor’s grandchildren and dog. “Doc’s Curbside Service” was inspired by the kindness, efficiency and care with which Dr. Ferrara administered an outdoor Covid test on the patient’s wife.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, everyone was quarantined, and we had to keep Covid-positive patients out of the office to avoid spreading the disease,” Dr. Ferrara says. “So I would go outside to test patients with suspected Covid. I would administer the test through the patient’s car window, then I'd wear a mask and do an exam.”

The unprecedented virus upended healthcare, turning routine tests and doctor visits into ordeals often fraught with anxiety and fear. But Dr. Ferrara managed to continue treating his patients, soothing their fears and keeping them calm with his familiar warmth and patience. The longtime patient of Dr. Ferrara’s brought his wife in when she developed Covid symptoms, and snapped a photo of the doctor patiently treating his wife.

Just a few weeks later, he commemorated Dr. Ferrara’s ingenuity and commitment to patient care with this heartwarming piece of art.  

The drawing represents the deep bond and trust that many of our patients develop over the years with their MDVIP-affiliated physicians. “Getting this drawing reminds me of old-time medicine, like when your patient would bring you eggs or chickens.” Dr. Ferrara says.

The drawing has become the centerpiece of Dr. Ferrara’s waiting room; patients frequently ask about it. The charming artwork has been especially meaningful for the office staff, all of whom have worked with Dr. Ferrara for over 25 years.  “It was a very nice gesture that our patient thought well enough of us to draw that. It makes us feel good. It reinforces us.” Dr. Ferrara says.