Dr. George Mulder
Dec. 24—By Alex Simone
News-Press NOW
Dr. George Mulder practiced nearly 30 years of general surgery in St. Joseph before retiring in 2016, but it's the work he's done since then that convinced him to return to the medical field.
Mulder has volunteered with the Buchanan County Social Welfare Board, providing internal medicine care since 2017, and has been providing physicals for immigrants seeking citizenship since 2018.
It's become a calling for Mulder and he hopes to continue as long as possible.
"At some point, I'll probably have to stop, just because I'm getting older," he said. "I'm 74 now, so I don't know how many more years I'll be able to keep doing (this work)."
Mulder has now worked with about 160 patients from 50 countries, most of whom came from Cuba. It's rewarding work but not without challenges. There often is a language barrier, so patients are asked to come with a translator, especially the first time they visit, Mulder said.
"Everybody deserves medical care and not everyone can afford it," he said. "So I think that a thing like the SWB, every town should have one."
One fun part of the job is seeing where people come from, especially since Mulder keeps a map on the wall where patients can mark their native country, he said.
"They kind of get a kick out of that, to see a pin of their country," he said.
— ALEX SIMONE — News-Press NOW
Alex Simone can be reached at alex.simone@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter at @NPNOWSimone.
