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The Volunteer Voice
E-Newsletter
May 10th, 2019
It's National Nurses Week!
May 6th - 10th is National Nurses Week ! VIM is grateful for the volunteer nurses that dedicate their time and expertise to care for our patients. Their compassion and dedication to assisting with the day-to-day clinical operations is truly commendable. We thank them for all they do this week and every week at VIM!

Pictured below are many of the nurses that currently volunteer at the clinic.
Nursing Director Recognized in
Happenings Magazine
Chris Gaughan , VIM's Nursing Director, is recognized in the May issue of Happenings Magazine as part of National Nurses Week . Chris has been a true asset to VIM since she started working at the clinic in June of 2008. Her kind and caring spirit provides comfort to patients and shows her appreciation for the clinic's volunteers.

Click the link below to read the article in Happenings Magazine.
You are invited to relax and stay at home!
2019 Annual Gala

The event is imaginary; but the need is real.
Please consider donating to VIM's "Stay at Home" Gala. All proceeds will go to direct patient care. The free services offered at the clinic, help keep our community healthy, well and working. VIM is not federally funded and operates solely on donations, grants and special events.

Sponsorship opportunities are now available! Please contact Amanda Ankner at amanda-vimwb@hotmail.com or 570-970-2864 to become a sponsor or for additional information.
Welcome Back Dr. Martin Freifeld
After a winter island vacation, the clinic is happy to welcome back
Dr. Martin Freifeld , volunteer gynecologist.
His time and services have been greatly missed .
Staff Attends Meeting with
Geisinger Health System Social Workers
On Wednesday, April 24th, Kelly Ranieli , Executive Director, Dr. Frances Feudale , Medical Director, and Amanda Ankner , Development Manager, met with social workers at Geisinger Health System. The clinic's staff was able to discuss the services available at VIM for low-income, uninsured individuals during a staff development day. Having VIM as a resource gives Geisinger's social workers a place to refer patients in hopes of alleviating unnecessary visits to the Emergency Department.
Free Clinic Association of Pennsylvania's Annual Meeting
On Friday, April 26th, the clinic's staff attended the Free Clinic of Pennsylvania's (FCAP) Annual Meeting at the Holiday Inn in Grantville. The day was filled with informative presentations and camaraderie with other staff from clinic's around Pennsylvania. On April 25th, Mark Cruise with Governance4Good provided an educational program to the board members of FCAP on Board Governance.
Wilkes University Pharmacy Students
Reflect on Clinical Rotations at VIM
Michael DiMaggio, PharmD Candidate 2019
Reflecting on my time at VIM has made me realize how fortunate I am to be entering a profession that is able to offer so many services that help patients live happier and healthier lives. One of the services is offering to assist patients with filling out paperwork to send to drug manufacturers in hopes of getting medication that is crucia l for their health who could not afford it on their own for no fee. By doing this, patients have one less worry when it comes to bettering their health . Another great service provided by the pharmacy team is medication and disease state management . The pharmacist spends a lot of time educating patients on the importance of medication adherence and works with patients to resolve any side effects they may be experiencing. Along with working along side the patient to create the most effective and personalized medication regimen, we educate them on how to properly use devices such as their glucose meters, injectable medications, and inhalers. We also provide educational material detailing proper diet and other lifestyle modifications, like exercise and smoking cessation, to assist patient’s overall health.
Jessica Huck, PharmD Candidate 2019
During my time at VIM, I conducted a chart review from the electronic medical record of 170 patients with diabetes to investigate those that currently were not at the A1C goal of less than 7%. While I was looking through the patient charts, I took note of the most recent A1Cs that were recorded for all of the patients. The objective of the information from the chart review, was used to increase patients on the schedule of the clinical pharmacist, Dr. Kimmy Ngyuen. She is key in working with patients to educate and adjust their medications with the goal of getting their A1C's at a normal level between.

I made an excel sheet of my findings that includes patients that are currently not at goal or need updated lab work and not managed through pharmacy (30 patients), those currently followed by Dr. Ngyuen that are still working toward their goal A1C (24 patients), those that have not had follow-up for over a year (41 patients), and patients that may have been eligible to receive insurance (6 patients). With this information, the clinic will be able to effectively improve the health of VIM patients with diabetes.
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. All in-services are from 9:00 am to 10:00 am and are held at the clinic. If you would like to join us for the next presentation, please RSVP to Amanda at  amanda-vimwb@hotmail.com  or 570-970-2864.
 Tuesday, May 28th
Victims Resource Center
Patient Centered Medical Home Update
The staff has been busy updating policies and procedures to meet NCQA standards. Bi-weekly conference calls with the Americares team provides the necessary feedback for documentation and evidence to be submitted towards the certification.
Let's Get Social!
@VolunteersInMedicineWB
Volunteers  in  Medicine 
 190 North Pennsylvania Avenue
Wilkes-Barre PA 18702
Phone: 570-970-2864 | email: vimwb@hotmail.com
website www.vimwb.org