The Volunteer Voice
E-Newsletter
May 25th, 2018
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The staff at VIM would like to wish you a safe and
happy Memorial Day weekend!
Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the
U.S. military
. Memorial Day 2018 occurs on Monday, May 28. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.
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Hurry...make your reservations today!
Join the Fun on June 15th!
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Join us on
June 15th
at the Woodlands Inn & Resort to celebrate our
Ten Year Anniversary
! Reservations can be made at www.vimwb.org or drop your rsvp card in the mail. The event promises to be
out of this world!
VIM
operates solely
on donations, grants and proceeds from special events. and the Gala is our
biggest fundraiser
of the year.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available!
Click the
links below
for the sponsorship levels and sponsorship form.
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The United Way's Day of Caring
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On Thursday, May 17th, volunteers from
TMG Health
, participated in the
United Way's Day of Caring
, by spending time cleaning up the clinic's exterior. We appreciate all of the hard work
Justin, Robyn and Kelli
put into the clinic's landscaping.
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VIM's Board of Directors
Holds Quarterly Meeting
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The
Board of Volunteers in Medicine
had its quarterly meeting on May 17, 2018. Besides all that were in attendance, the meeting also was accessible through the
“Zoom”
conference call app. The financials, meeting minutes and the Executive Directors report was approved during the meeting. The Physical Plant Committee made plans to meet the following week to discuss the future improvements of the building. Kelly Ranieli shared some
national statistics
on free clinics and the
increase in uninsured patients
that is happening nationally and the importance of continuing to be the
safety-net provider
for those that still have no affordable access to insurance or medical care.
In attendance were
Lynn McCarthy
,
Kathleen Hirthler
,
Ken Lee
,
Susan Sordoni
,
Mike Fort
,
Doug Coslett
,
Tom Kosmala
,
Susan Prusack, Dan Scott, and Kelly Ranieli
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Best of Luck Dr. Michael Stas
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Volunteers in Medicine is sad to announce that
Dr. Michael Stas
, volunteer podiatrist, will be taking a permanent job position in the state of Ohio beginning in July, 2018. Dr. Stas has been a very
dedicated and loyal provider
to the clinic, and it is with a heavy heart that we bid him farewell. Over the past several months we have come to know Dr. Stas as a
very kind and caring individual
with a great sense of humor.
If anyone knows of a
Podiatrist
that may want to volunteer one or two 1/2 days a week, please call Kelly at 570-970-2864.
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Healthy Smiles Program
Visits Local Schools
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On Tuesday, May 8th,
Darcie Schaffer
, Manager of the Dental Clinic and
Amanda Goy
, VIM's dental hygienist, brought the Healthy Smiles Program to the
Building Blocks Learning Center
in Plains. Later that afternoon,
Lidy Roldan
, a student from McCann School of Business, joined Darcie at the
Nesbitt Day Care Center
in Kingston. The children at both centers enjoyed practicing proper brushing techniques on
Katie the Kangaroo.
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On Saturday, May 19th,
Darcie Schaffer and Dr. Rich Grossman
, a volunteer dentist at VIM, participated in the sixth annual
Missions of Mercy
event at the Santander Arena in Reading. They were among 497 dental, medical and pharmacy professionals, 190 students and 240 other ancillary volunteers. Thanks to their efforts,
1874 dental visits
were provided, totaling nearly
one million dollars
worth of dental services!
Next year's event will be held right in our own backyard! The
7th annual
Missions of Mercy event will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on
Friday, June 7th and Saturday, June 8th
. Save the date as numerous dental volunteers will be needed.
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Welcome to our New Students,
Residents and Volunteers
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VIM welcomes
Carmeltia Chey
, a medical assistating extern from the
Fortis Institute
. She was assigned to VIM in order to gain experience working in a
nonprofit clinic
. She is excited to complete her schooling and enter the
workforce
.
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Joelle Zakrzewski
is also a medical assistant student from the
Fortis Institute
. She is interested in learning about the
variety of services
that the clinic offers. She is also a proud mother of two and an avid
Pittsburgh
Steelers
fan.
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Kristen Hudak
, a Physician Assistant student from
Kings's College
, spent time shadowing
Dr. Durelle Scott and Dr. Susan Sordoni
at the clinic this week. She is interested in practicing medicine at
St. Luke's Hospital
in Bethlehem. She choose to shadow at
VIM
to gain hands-on experience before beginning her
clinical rotations
in July.
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Development Manager Attends
Fundraising Webinar
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On Wednesday, May 16th,
Amanda Ankner
, attended a fundraising webinar hosted by the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics titled
"Free Clinic 911 – First Steps to Closing Your Fundraising Gap"
. During the webinar, she learned new ways to build VIM's fundraising capacity, conduct in-depth
donor stewardship
and tips on successful patient storytelling.
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Executive Director & Development Manager Attend "Meet the Funders"
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On Thursday, May 24th,
Kelly Ranieli
, VIM's Executive Director, and
Amanda Ankner
, VIM's Development Manager attended the
"Meet the Funders"
conference hosted by the
NEPA Alliance
at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Scranton. Kelly and Amanda had the opportunity to hear from philanthropic community leaders from the
Scranton Area Foundation
,
Moses Taylor Foundation
,
Wells Fargo
and the
Margaret Briggs Foundation
.
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month
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Since 2008,
The National Association of Mental Health (NAMI)
has promoted Mental Health Awareness Month each May. The purpose of Mental Health Awareness Month is to help
break the stigma of mental illness
, provide support for those afflicted, educate the public, and advocate for policies that
support those with mental illness
and their families.
VIM believes supports the idea that
mental health and physical health
often reflect each other. When people take care of themselves physically through nutrition, exercise, and a
healthy lifestyle
, they often achieve both greater physical and mental health. The inverse is also true- when people have stronger mental health, or are making changes to increase their mental health, their
ability to live a healthy lifestyle
increases. By offering comprehensive counseling services, psychiatric evaluations, and psychiatric medicine management, VIM supports the balance between the physical and mental health domains in our patients.
VIM is grateful to have
Dr. Gene Lucas
, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, as a committed volunteer. Dr. Lucas is responsible for providing
psychiatric evaluations
, medicine management, and patient counseling.
Chelsea Collins, MSW is VIM's full time
Social Care Coordinator
. In addition to helping patients fulfill needs such as securing medical assistance, emergency medical assistance, housing, and other benefits, Chelsea also provides individual
counseling
for VIM patients struggling with mental illness. Chelsea utilizes a mindfulness based CBT approach to working VIM clients to help them actualize their greatest self. Chelsea is also focusing on a Health Equity program to assist patients overcome any issues with
food, housing, employment, and transportation.
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Save the Date
Upcoming Educational Community In-Services
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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.
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May 29th: Area on Aging
June 19th: Health Choices
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Volunteers
in
Medicine
190 North Pennsylvania Avenue
Wilkes-Barre PA 18702
Phone: 570-970-2864 | email: vimwb@hotmail.com
website www.vimwb.org
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