“I told [my client] you are not cattle — I don’t get paid per head. You’re an individual who deserves respect…And you now have the ability to make decisions about your health care.”

Joe Calderon, Community Health Worker, Transitions Clinic Network

Growing up, Joe Calderon idolized Tony Montana, the gangster from the movie “Scarface.” When people inevitably reminded him how Montana died, his response was always the same: “But did you see how he lived?” Having experienced poverty and homelessness as a child, Montana’s rise to wealth and power represented what many in Calderon’s neighborhood dreamed of: a way out. But instead of escaping, a violent crime he committed in his 20s landed Calderon in prison for more than 17 years.