“We live in a beautiful community, and we need to leave it better than we found it,” he said.
Dsouza, 48, is a nurse practitioner at Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton, a nonprofit organization that helps those who need health care services, regardless of their ability to pay.
But his nursing journey began in his home country, where he earned a three-year nursing diploma before a shortage of nurses in the U.S. resulted in a move to the Miami Valley in 2004. He then earned a bachelor’s degree from Wright State and a master’s degree from Xavier University.
“This country gives a lot to people who come here, and I think it’s important to give back,” said Dsouza, who works primarily at the center’s Miamisburg location.
The federally qualified health center offers medical services, as well as dental and mental health services. The centers also help patients with other solutions to their challenges, such as food assistance, diapers and baby formula.
In addition, the center helps patients sign up for Medicaid if they qualify, as well as assists in providing them with prescription drugs at cheaper-than-normal costs.
Dsouza of Centerville called the center’s locations “safety net clinics.”
“A lot of people we get say they haven’t seen a doctor in 20, 30 years,” he said.
In addition to treating patients, Dsouza also trains aspiring nurse practitioners and physician assistants. He has trained a dozen or so from multiple universities since he began working at Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton about three years ago.
“If you want quality health care, you need to pay it forward, so if you are a health care provider, please take the chance to train future generations,” he said.
Dsouza is passionate about his patients, and people like him make the world a better place, said his wife, Diana Dsouza. She and her mother, Susan Reeder, both nominated Dsouza as a Dayton Daily News Community Gem.
“He looks forward to his job every day,” his wife said.
She can see the satisfaction he feels when, for example, sick patients feel better or their diabetes improves. He is both funny and smart, she said, and he gives the students he trains a new view of health care. What’s more, he is a role model for their two kids, ages 12 and 20.
“Our kids are our legacy, so we try to instill in them the importance of community work,” said Diana Dsouza, who also is in the health care field as a diabetes educator at Kettering Health.
Reeder, in her nomination form, added that her son-in-law serves as a role model to future physician assistants. He offers “compassionate care” to each of his patients and cares for the underserved.
Dsouza said he has lived the American dream: He met his wife here, and his kids, too, were born here. What’s more, his career helps to improve his community.
“Everybody deserves good quality health care,” he said.
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