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The Volunteer Voice
E-Newsletter
July 13th, 2018
"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us." - Unknown
Welcome Dr. Henry Bobeck &
Dr. Essam Almeky
VIM welcomes Dr. Henry Bobeck & Dr. Essam Almeky to the clinic! Dr. Bobeck specializes in internal medicine and will be volunteering at the clinic on Thursday mornings .

Dr. Essam Almeky specializes in family medicine . He had previously volunteered at the clinic and our patients will be thrilled he's back! He will be volunteering at the clinic on Tuesday mornings .

We're Hiring
VIM Now Offers a Health Equity Program
Mondays at the Market
VIM will be participating in Mondays at the Market on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre! This project is hosted by the City of Wilkes-Barre's Public Health Department and the Luzerne County Medical Society .

Stop by our table and say hello!

Click the link below for the full schedule that includes each day's theme.
Volunteer Podiatrist Needed
On Friday, June 29th, Dr. Michael Stas , VIM volunteer podiatrist, spent his last day volunteering at the clinic. He will be greatly missed and we wish him the best of luck at his new position in Ohio!

If anyone knows of a Podiatrist that may want to volunteer one or two 1/2 days a month, please call Kelly at 570-970-2864.
Healthy Smiles Program
Visits Local Preschools
Teaching children the proper way to care for their teeth is an important part of the mission of VIM. Darcie Schaffer , Manager of VIM's Dental Clinic, Joelle Zakrzewski and Carmelita Chey , both medical assistant students from Fortis Institute spent time at local preschools recently showing children the correct way to brush.
Little Steps in Mountain Top
YMCA in Wilkes-Barre
Bloom Early Education Center in Swoyersville
VIM's Supply Wish List
VIM is in need of supplies . As a non-profit, funds are limited and we hope some of the items listed below can be donated:

Rubber Gloves
Pens
Pencils
Copy Paper
Binders
Manila Folders
Cleaning Supplies
Paper Towels
Bathroom Tissue
C-Fold Towel

We greatly appreciate all those that donate supplies, funds, time and expertise to the clinic.
Mental Health Crisis in America
According to the CDC, national suicide rates are up 30% since 1999 . Here is a message from Chelsea Collins , VIM's Social Care Coordinator, regarding the work she does to provide VIM's patients behavioral health services:

"One of the main obstacles fueling the mental health crisis in America regards difficulties in accessing care. As the article states, half of the suicides reported did not have a mental health diagnosis , which directly corresponds to not being able to access treatment. VIM is helping combat this by offering behavioral health services at our clinic to patients who wouldn’t be able to receive mental health services if it were not for VIM.

As the Social Care Coordinator and a licensed social worker, it is an honor to help our patients with their mental health struggles by providing individual mental health therapy. On a daily basis I see patients presenting with depressive, anxiety, bipolar, substance use, and trauma disorders and utilize a humanistic approach along with cognitive-behavioral interventions. 

I help clients understand and process their stressors, such as relationship and financial issues, and work with clients to create meaningful change in their lives. Evidence shows that mental health and physical health reflect each other, and believe that when people are taking care of their bodies and minds that they are more likely to live happy and productive lives!"

- Chelsea Collins, VIM's Social Care Coordinator
Welcome to our New Students,
Residents and Volunteers
VIM welcomes Rachel Jankousky , a student in the Physician's Assistant Program at King's College . Rachel spent time at VIM to gain experience working with a low-income population. She hopes to volunteer at the clinic again soon.
Bridget Pepe began her six-week rotation at the clinic this week. She is in her second year of the Physician's Assistant Program at King's College . Bridget hopes to practice in OB/GYN back in her hometown of Edison, New Jersey . She had observed at the clinic in the past and loved the environment, staff, volunteers and patients. A couple fun tidbits about Bridget...she is a leap year baby , born on February 29th and has two toes that are stuck together.
Dr. Alex Gomez is a Geisinger Family Medicine Resident who helped at the clinic this week. He is interested in practicing family medicine upon completion of his residency. Dr. Gomez noted that he was taught medicine by undocumented immigrants and now wants to pay them back.
Dr. Jai Nebhrajani is a resident from The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education . Upon completion of his residency, he hopes to practice in Family Medicine . He enjoys the atmosphere and staff at VIM and is excited for all the learning opportunities at the clinic.
VIM welcomes Melissa Keisling , a Physician's Assistant who recently graduated from Marywood University . Melissa choose to volunteer at the clinic in order to pay it forward in her local community. She hopes to practice in the OB/GYN or Pediatric field. A fun fact about Melissa - she is a triplet !
Kaitlin Yurko , a pharmacy student at Wilkes University , began volunteering at the clinic. She hopes to work in managed care , preferably for Geisinger, upon graduation. She choose to volunteer at VIM because of the mission of the organization and the population the clinic serves.
PA Enrollment Services
Provides Seminar
On Tuesday, June 26th, Melissa Carter & Cinthia Acencio from PA Enrollment Services gave a presentation to clinic staff and volunteers. The information they provided gave VIM additional resources to offer patients in emergency medical situations and for those individuals that may not be eligible for services at the clinic. We appreciate Melissa & Cinth
Save the Date
Upcoming Educational Community In-Services
Learning about other Luzerne County  community agencies in order to refer patients  is one of the many ways that VIM provides case management services. If you would like to join us for any of the listed in-services, please RSVP to Chelsea at  chelsea-vimwb@hotmail.com  or 570-970-2864 . All in-services take place on Tuesday mornings from 9:00 am to 10:00 am.

July 24th:
Victims Resource Center


August 21st:
An Introduction to Mindfulness
Amazon's Prime Day is Tuesday, July 17th
Amazon's 4th annual Prime Day is coming up on Tuesday, July 17 . During Prime Day, Amazon offers one-of-a-kind, exclusive deals for shoppers and donates a portion of the sale to local charities and non-profits.

VIM is participating in Prime Day this year! If you plan to shop on July 17th, please use the following link which will connect your purchase to VIM.

Let's Get Social!
Want to keep up with all the latest happenings at VIM? Follow us on Facebook!
@VolunteersInMedicineWB
Volunteers  in  Medicine 
 190 North Pennsylvania Avenue
Wilkes-Barre PA 18702
Phone: 570-970-2864 | email: vimwb@hotmail.com
website www.vimwb.org