In 2013, while working as an intern at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, Dr. Armen Henderson observed something unusual when George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the death of Trayvon Martin. The verdict and protests made him rethink his career path.

“There was no one in the hospital talking about it,” said Henderson, president and founding director of Dade County Street Response.

The lack of care shocked him. He wondered if he wanted to be a doctor who stayed in the hospital, ignoring the outside world, or actively working on solutions for underserved communities on the streets.

Today, Henderson is not just a physician, but someone committed to addressing the systemic inequalities that impact Miami’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. But his journey to this role was not easy.

Before moving to Nashville, Tenn., Henderson dreamed of a basketball career. Born into a working-class family in Philadelphia, he saw the sport as his ticket to college. However, an injury ended his recruitment chances, pushing him to find a new purpose in life. Shifting his focus to academics, he discovered a passion for science, which led him to pursue medicine.

He joined a research program at the University of Pennsylvania and expressed interest in their MD-PhD program. Despite his qualifications, the program head dismissed him as unsuitable. Remaining composed, he thanked him for his time, collected his resumé, and walked out. That moment became a turning point to prove the head program wrong and chase his dream of becoming a doctor.

He attended Meharry Medical College, an HBCU. He was attracted to its community, where he felt represented by like-minded individuals who shared his background and belief that Black people deserve fair treatment. It was a decision he never regretted.

After graduating from medical school in 2014, he started his internal medicine residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Three years later, he became an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director of Community Engagement at the University of Miami.

In 2019, Henderson founded Dade County Street Response, a nonprofit dedicated to serving Miami-Dade’s unsheltered populations. The organization offers street medicine, a mobile crisis team, disaster relief team, and an injectable clinic, as well as medications for diabetes, hypertension, and mental illnesses — no insurance required. In addition, it provides resources such as case management, bus passes, glasses, and IDs to support those in need. Since its founding, the clinic has served more than 1,700 patients, prioritizing access to healthcare over economic profit.

The idea for a clinic emerged from a partnership with a local food pantry called The Village (Free)dge. While helping unsheltered seeking food assistance, Henderson noticed many of them had untreated wounds, medical conditions, or mental health crises — but no access to healthcare.

“There was no one around to actually do something about it,” Henderson said.

His desire to connect with the community pushed him to look beyond the traditional medical establishment. He joined forces with the Dream Defenders, an organization that has the same frustrations he had back in Tennessee, aiming to work on the social determinants of health — like housing, safety, and education — that affect a person’s well-being.

“There are people that only just want to be here. We do serve as their primary care home,” he said.

The organization’s biggest challenge is offering free healthcare in a system built to generate revenue. The nonprofit depends on grants and foundation support to operate, driven by the belief that healthcare is a human right — not a privilege tied to income or employment.

“Every year, we’re always scrounging for pennies, and we make it work the way that we can,” Henderson said. “Our programs are programs that people literally depend on.”

Henderson noticed that many poor and working-class people struggled to access basic healthcare due to systemic inequities; the United States fails to deliver high quality care despite spending more on healthcare than any other country.

“Imagine having the doctors, the medication, the technology, and the money, and people are still dying 15 years earlier than their life expectancy,” he said.

High healthcare costs worsen the struggles of those already facing poverty, food insecurity, and mental health challenges. Over 100 million Americans struggle with medical debt, while 72 million skip necessary care because they can’t afford it.

“If poor and working class people can’t afford [healthcare], then [it] is not something that I traditionally wanted to offer and have people pay for,” he said.

Over the years, the goal has remained the same: to empower people to save lives without needing to be doctors. Change in society begins with a passion, evolves into an idea, and ultimately becomes a purpose.

“You don’t need an organization or a hundred people around you to make a difference,” he said.

By Rosaura Mendoza and Luis Pascal, Miami Times Contributors