Board of Directors
Patty Lebowitz
President
Frank DeSalvo, PhD
Vice-President
Vivian Brown
Treasurer
Denise Brown
Secretary
John Beitzel
Lilia Dodd, MD
Eric Lewis
Pam Scott
Staff
Carl Weber, MD
Medical Director
Rose Gibbs, RN
MHA/MPA
Clinic Director
Sara Nicholls
Executive Director
Kathi Gunn, ARNP
Chronic Healthcare Clinic
Marian Needham
Administrative Assistant
Pennie Robinson
Wellness Program
Coordinator
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Would You like to Join Us?
Please consider joining our community clinic.
Time demands are small, typically two hours on a Monday or Thursday evening from 5 to 7 PM once a month. Most evenings you would see 4 to 8 clients.
Support staff include reception, assessment and a licensed Registered Nurse. We do have computer access to the internet and all clients are entered into a data system. However, the client record is hand written; no computer entry in the exam room. Documentation is as detailed or brief as deemed necessary. We do no billing but do use ICD 10 coding for lab and radiology requests.
Our basic urgent care evening clinic is a first-come-first-served system. All clients are screened, assessed and triaged for care. Typical clients are here for sore throats, strained joints, rashes, UTI’s, med refills, headaches, ear and sinus infections and so forth. If they present with a chronic condition such as hypertension or diabetes, they can be transitioned to our Chronic Healthcare Clinic for continued management and follow up.
As a volunteer provider, you qualify for a state program which provides for license and liability insurance. To write radiology and laboratory orders you must qualify for privileges at OMC and we will assist with that. Join us in our mission to serve and support a healthier community.
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In 2006, donations were received from the disbanding Evangelical Free Church and Sunrise Rotary Club. The Clinic Walk raised $16,000. Interpreters were found to help with the increasing numbers of Hispanic patients.
The vision of the DVHWC had always included giving patients the tools to take control of their own health.
In 2007 it became clear that an acute walk-in clinic was not adequate to care for a growing group of individuals with chronic illnesses who were poorly managed, often seeking help only when in crisis. With an award of $10,000 from the Benjamin N Phillips Memorial Fund the plans for a Chronic Healthcare Clinic (CHC) were put into motion.
To support the large number of clients in the Chronic Care program, the Prescription Assistance Program (PAP) which obtains expensive medications for no cost directly from participating pharmaceutical companies was put into place. Also, as the founder, Mary Griffith
received the much-deserved accolade: “Clallam County Public Health Hero”.
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It has been through the clinic, sending me to the local hospital for tests, that I found out I had type 2 diabetes. I have also been able to come to the clinic so that I could stay on top of the situation... Regards, D.L. |
A BIG THANK YOU
While we were unable to have our annual Fun Walk and Health Fair in 2020 & 2021, the generosity of this community out did itself. Contributions from individuals, churches, service groups, grants such as the Haller Foundation, United Way, Molina, Norman
Archibald Charitable Foundation, First Federal Community Foundation and the Sequim-Dungeness Hospital Guild as well as federal funding in the form of PPP and EIDL programs and funding from the WA State Health Care Authority have kept us going, proving that we are truly a community supported clinic.
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Health Fair and Fun Walk
through the years...
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Looking Forward:
2021 marks the clinic’s 20th Anniversary. From our humble beginnings at Dungeness Valley
Lutheran Church, as a small, free walk-in clinic, to our move to Sequim Medical Plaza and
expansion of the Chronic Healthcare Clinic, and the development of the Working on Wellness (WOW!) program with its monthly forums, we have continued to be the health safety net for the underserved in our community. A Beacon of Health, A Beacon of Hope.
We have been in our current space for the last 13 years, and we have decided that 2021 is a good year for a face lift. We have painted and put in new flooring in our lobby and intake spaces with the rest of the space to be painted soon. We have added computers to our exam rooms to assist our providers with patient care, and new office chairs for our volunteers. Thanks to Jamestown Family Health, we have received 3 new exam tables. We have completed a much-needed overhaul to our website: www.sequimfreeclinic.org, and lastly, we have a beautiful new outside entrance thanks to Solas McGruther, who used this as his Eagle Scout Service Project. (pictured below)
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Beitzel Award
The Beitzel Award is given to those who have:
- Made a significant impact on the clinic achieving its mission.
- Long term effect on the clinic
- Recognized as a leader and innovator
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Recipients
2012 to John and Amanda Beitzel – This is the first year of this award. It was given to John and Amanda Beitzel for helping to establish accessible health care for the underserved in Sequim. The Beitzels have been dedicated to the success of the Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic since parish nurse Mary Griffith established it 11 years prior. Amanda has served on the Board of Directors and has repeatedly chaired the annual fundraiser, Clinic Fun Walk. John served on the Clinic’s Board, served as President for 6 years, was the volunteer Executive Director for two years, and in 2012 provided leadership as chairman of the highly successful 2012 Clinic Fun Walk. The presentation of this award was made at the DVHWC Eleventh Anniversary event for volunteers and donors last October.
2013 Doctor Kari Olsen was recognized for her twelve years of service in providing high quality medical care in the Basic Urgent Care Clinic. Dr. Kari would work in her own medical practice during the day and at least once a month came to the clinic after hours to see patients. She was a founding member of the clinic and helped write the original policies and procedures for the delivery of care.
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You guys are the best! Thank you for all that you do for the community. Please keep the warm and loving environment. As a non-citizen I do not qualify for health care. |
Anniversary Party to honor donors and volunteers
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Introducing Habitat for
Humanity of Clallam County’s newest repair program:
Aging In Place!
This program is designed
to empower seniors or disabled individuals to live independently in their home through repairs, modifications, and home preservation projects. We aspire to provide them and their loved ones with a peace of mind regarding safety and autonomy.
We will be offering modifications and repairs geared towards independent
living for older adults. Below are specific repairs, modifications, and home preservation projects
we believe reflect that value. The work is not, however, limited to the items listed.
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Since opening its doors in 2001, the Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness Clinic (DVHWC) has provided more than 23,605 patient visits at no charge to the uninsured or underinsured members of our community. This remarkable service has been possible because of the many primary care providers, nurses and ancillary personnel who donate their time and expertise to the clinic. The services of the organization are managed by a hardworking group of part-time, paid staff, a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors and many health care partners in the community. |
One Person and
A Great Idea
The origins of the clinic and its values can be traced back to one individual who saw a need in the community and cared enough to do something about it. In her role as Parish Nurse of the Dungeness Valley Lutheran Church (DVLC), Mary Griffith, RN, had received numerous calls from retired individuals who were too young to qualify for Medicare and could not afford to pay for health coverage. Griffith began researching the feasibility of starting a free clinic in February of 2000 and by June had filed the Articles of Incorporation. By April 2001, a project team from the DVLC had assembled to help. Physicians and nurse practitioners were enlisted and upwards of $3000 in private donations raised. The first of many grant requests was submitted. One of the early team members and the Community Coordinator, John Beitzel, who remains very active in the clinic today, remembers two intense years with lots of paperwork and design efforts before the doors could open. Due to the medical leadership and dedication of Dr. Kari Olsen, (pictured below) an energized team became the founding members of the Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness Clinic.
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The clinic qualified as a 501(c)3 organization and on October 15th. The once weekly clinic opened in the church’s parish house with Griffith as Clinic Director. A supportive community responded by contributing an additional $11,000 during the open house. One month later, the Virginia Mason (VM) Clinic in Sequim stepped up to provide free lab work for patients.
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Each patient is treated with kindness and respect, whether they can contribute a donation or not. . . . God bless these people, and may the medical community, as well as the community at large, continue to support this worthy cause, and recognize the vital role it plays in making Sequim the outstanding place to live that it is. Regards, C.S. |
By the following year, the VM clinic closed. Fortunately, Olympic Medical Center (OMC) filled the need and OMC was and is a tremendous support, annually pledging funds for lab and x-ray. Also, in 2002, a $2,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sequim for much needed pharmaceuticals was received. At the conclusion of the 1st year of service, 373 patient visits had been provided. It became apparent that there was a great need for health services by many members of the community. Promoting the theme of wellness, the DVHWC participated in their first health fair which included screenings and health information.
Support for emergency dental care started through a $4000 donation grant received from the Haller Foundation. Through the generosity of the Olympic Medical Center and the willing participation of several Sequim dentists, this program has grown and continues to help those in need.
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Thank you very much for helping me recently with my very much needed dental care. But more than that, THANK YOU for being so kind and for leaving me with my shred of dignity. P.M. |
The year 2004 brought many exciting changes to the clinic. More professional volunteers had signed on allowing a much needed second clinic night each week. With added access, patient visits doubled that year. |
Amanda Beitzel established the first Community Walk for Health, which would later become the Clinic Fun Walk, an important event to raise awareness and funds. The clinic went online with its own website contributed by Dungeness Communications.
The great work the DVHWC was doing even made the news as far as Seattle and was broadcasted on King News, Channel 5.
After 5 years of serving as the volunteer Clinic Director, Mary Griffith stepped down but remained an active board member. It was decided that a paid director should be hired to lead the increasingly complex and busy clinic. Board member, Margaret Walthall, stepped in as acting director until Jamie Goodwin, RN was hired in October 2005. In a continued effort to reach out and educate the public, the first Working on Wellness and public health forums were held through the Sequim Area Health Alliance.
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A Banner Year
2008 was a banner year for the clinic and its founder. The Chronic Health Clinic (CHC) opened its doors in May with Larry Germain, ARNP as the provider. Appointments filled up quickly. Four months later, the clinic moved from the cramped parish house to a vacated clinic facility belonging to the Olympic Medical Center on North 5th Ave.
In 2009, Jamie Goodwin stepped down from the role of clinic director after 3 1/2 tremendous years of service.
New Sequim resident, Rose Gibbs, RN, took over the helm, continuing the high standards the clinic now enjoyed.
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Devoting time to people, not insurance billing and
reporting, is why I went into nursing in the first place.” Rose Gibbs, Clinic Director
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The positive impact of the DVHWC did not go unrecognized. The Washington State Hospital Association bestowed its prestigious Community Health Award on the organization, deeming it a shiny example of how a community can come together to respond to the needs of its citizens.
One of the most frequent problems for patients in the CHC is Diabetes. A $38,000 grant from the Washington Department. of Health for Diabetes Education was a boon for these patients. This allowed for a robust educational program including a Diabetic Educator. Free wellness
forums were well attended and classes for chronic
disease management began to attract attendees. A physical therapist and a massage therapist joined the clinic to volunteer their services.
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The new decade brought an expanded vision that universal health care for the entire Dungeness Valley would one day become a reality. In 2010 the health care landscape changed forever with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Some free clinics thought there would be no need for a free clinic and explored closure.
DVHWC took a “let’s wait and see” approach. There was a quick 25% drop in clients initially as people qualified who did not beforehand, and then demands plateaued.
The numbers were reduced by about 35% after the first year. The number of returning clients became the majority. Although greater than 21% have some sort of insurance. In our area, all clients are having difficulty finding a primary care provider, including the Apple Health
subscribers who joined the health care market through the ACA. However, inability to pay new premiums and/or co-pays, loss of employment and health insurance or inability to find a primary care provider who is accepting new clients added some people. In addition, we are being sought by those who received partial subsidies and catastrophic plans and are now finding it prohibitive to afford copays and deductibles. Of course, there are still those who do not qualify for ACA, such as undocumented workers and non-citizens.
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Thank you for making me better when I was very sick. I couldn’t have done it without you. When I drive by your clinic my son says look mommy there’s the place that made you better. Thank you C.D. |
Celebrating a decade of service to the community in 2011, the DVHWC boasted 70 clinic volunteers who provided nearly $600,000 worth of health care services to those in need. In 2012, 70% of the DVHWC clients were under 50 and more than 40%were employed. The team administering the Prescription Assistance Program provided clients with $221,000 worth of prescription medicines at no cost. The 9th annual Fun Walk raised $35,000 for the clinic. Rose Gibbs was honored by the Sequim Rotary Club for her contribution to the community.
The Kitsap Public Health District and its 16 partners were awarded a competitive four year grant from the Washington State Department of Health. The grant ran from 2015 through 2018. Through this grant, the clinic provided a series of classes for our clients who wanted to improve their overall health and wellness, with a focus on diet and exercise. The target participants were those who showed an indication of pre-diabetes or pre-hypertension. Two of our volunteer registered nurses, Kitty Dissing and Renee Jones, lead this educational grant process. They were able to incorporate participants at the Community Gardens, as well as support and educational groups who met at the Shipley Center.
Shelley Stratton, RN provided additional instruction in exercise and yoga. Blood pressure screening was also offered monthly prior to the Working on Wellness forums as part of the grant.
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A vaccine voucher program began in 2018 with Walgreen’s for three main vaccines: influenza, TDAP and pneumovax. It continues today for those without health insurance.
In 2019, the clinic joined with 5 other local non-profits and the City of Sequim to form the Sequim Health & Housing Collaborative. This collaboration is working together to help our community in the areas of housing, substance abuse, physical health, mental health and food insecurity.
And then there was COVID-19. Our world changed and one wonders if there will ever be a return to “normal”. The challenges were many, but we managed. Happily, we continued to provide health services to our community.
The clinic was closed from mid-March and reopened May 11th for evenings. Regular clinic times were restored after approximately six weeks of evening closure and suspension of “in-clinic” patient care. Telemedicine consultation was made available, of special benefit to those seeking timely counseling and support during the lock-down. However, it was rarely used. Personal telephone consultation was very effective. The expectation that there would be a flood of new clients due to job loss and corresponding insurance loss has not been realized. The volume was lower for evening clinic in 2019 but slowly increased in 2020.
Another change from COVID occurred with the Working on Wellness Forum. Prior to closures, February 2020, 131 people attended the WOW forum at the Trinity United Methodist Church. Since then the forum has been shifted to a radio broadcast through the support of KSQM Radio, 91.5 FM. The broadcast is reached as far away as Port Townsend, Sequim, Port Angeles and Victoria, Canada. It is estimated that over 15,000 people are listening in Victoria alone and somewhere between 2500 – 3500 folks combined are tuned in to listen in Port Townsend, Sequim, and Port Angeles; but here is the truly amazing number: there are also on-line listeners in over 110 countries world-wide!”
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“When you work because you have passion to take care of people, the work is less hard.” “Managing your health is not a spectator sport”. Dr. Kip Tulin, Medical Director |
Dr. Kip Tulin fully retired from medicine in 2020. He was the clinic’s Medical Director for about eight years.
Dr. Carl Weber stepped up to fill that role shortly after. Other changes included our Chronic Healthcare Clinic. After 12 years of service, Larry Germain, ARNP left the CHC at the end of September. He was instrumental in the successful implementation of this program and has provided leadership throughout the years.
Recruitment for a replacement was successful and Kathi Gunn, ARNP assumed the role in January 2021. Interim coverage during the gap was filled by two of our volunteer providers. No clinic had to be cancelled.
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I wish to express my profound appreciation for
the wonderful services you are providing to our
community. Thank you so much. May God bless you and the work you do. Sincerely, H.D.
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John Beitzel and Rose Gibbs
2014 Margaret Preston was recognized for service on the clinic board. Margaret joined the board of the Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness Clinic in November of 2006. She saw the transition from a small, one examining room on the grounds at the Dungeness Valley Lutheran Church to a three-examination room facility supported by the Olympic Medical Center. Margaret served as Board President in 2009 to 2011. She chaired the Search Committee to hire our current Clinic Director, Rose Gibbs. She was an active member of the Development Committee throughout her tenure on the board and chair of the committee for many years. She enlisted the support of sponsors for our Clinic Fun Walk each September and helped make it a success for many years.
2015 Rose Gibbs was the first staff person to receive the Beitzel Award. She came to the Clinic in April 2009 after a distinguished career of over 35 years as a nurse administrator. She established a system of triage by a nurse to establish the urgency of each patient coming to the clinic. This expanded the clinic’s ability to meet the increased need for services at the time. Although a paid staff, her pay has been way below that normally given to someone of her caliber and she also worked many more hours than required in her contract. The quality of her work is evident in a number of accomplishments. In 2010 the clinic received a $38,000 Health Systems Resource (HSR) grant from the Washington Department of Health to increase services to patients and community members with diabetes to self- manage their chronic disease. This three-year grant is the largest grant ever awarded to the clinic. Rose set up the mechanisms to carry out the grant and to sustain many of the diabetes classes after the grant expired. Rose has been instrumental in making and retaining partnerships that provide a wide referral network for our patients with specialty providers in the community. Our Wellness program is also being expanded through a partnership Rose established with the Kitsap Public Health District and others and were awarded a competitive grant by the Washington State Department of Health to address chronic disease prevention in low-income populations.
2016 No award given
2017 Pennie Robinson, “The WOW! Lady” Since 2011, Pennie has diligently worked as the DVHWC Wellness Program Coordinator, coordinating the WOW! Working on Wellness monthly forums. These free lectures are given by volunteers in our area who are experts in their fields. Pennie listens to the attendees through conversation and evaluation forms to bring the topics they most want to learn about.
In 2010, 353 folks attended these forums. In 2016, there were 835 attendees and already in 2017 we have had 513 attendees. This is all due to Pennies diligent work to bring amazing speakers and amazing topics.
2018 – Eric Lewis - Eric served years on Sequim Free Clinic Board. He was instrumental in moving the Clinic into present building from the original Parish house in 2008, greatly expanding service potential, establishing the Chronic Care Clinic, helping the Clinic get financial records organized, and establishing a supportive relationship from OMC and putting dental, lab and X-ray services in place. As a result of the Clinic’s progress it received the 2010 Washington Hospital Association Annual Award. Eric still participates in Sequim Free Clinic Fun Walks and Annual Volunteer Appreciation Events. He is widely regarded as a team worker who is judicious, composed and generous. Eric established a high level of trust among fellow Board Members and is known for his leadership skills, and presence and providing dependable direction for the Sequim Free Clinic.
He has a high level of “emotional intelligence”
(the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically) and is dedicated to a high standard of health care for ALL on the Olympic Peninsula. Eric is generous with his time, available when asked.
2019-2021 No award given
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To qualify for this Habitat for Humanity program, one must be 65 and older or qualify as disabled, fall within 30% - 60% area median income, live in Clallam County, and have homeowner's insurance. The housing unit must be owner occupied. They must also meet the general requirements of any family partner such as the need for service, the willingness to partner with Habitat, and the ability to pay a low or no interest loan or qualify for grant funding. Lastly, the homeowners must be current on all taxes.
Interested? There are 7 steps to the process:
1. Open the rolling application period
2. Review and choose applicants
3. Crew will assess the home and the needs of the homeowner
4. Negotiate scope of work with homeowner
5. Secure grant or loan funding
6. Finalize contract
7. Initiate work
To create partnerships with our clients, we ask for 8 hours of sweat equity from any persons residing in the house over the age of 18. As there are sometimes physical limitations present in this demographic, sweat equity will be evaluated and qualified on a flexible basis. Homeowners must also be present in the home while staff and volunteers are on site. Examples of sweat equity include:
· Making lunch for the volunteers
· Writing thank-you notes to suppliers
· Clearing pathways in the home to the work site
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Meet our first Aging in Place clients, Mary Alice and Michael!
Experience working with Habitat and the crew was excellent! Our whole family including Will and Lila, our dogs, enjoyed the process and everyone involved. Now that the work is done we are Imagining what’s next. It feels good to know that our home has been taken care of in such a special way. We would recommend that anyone interested in repairing their home contact Habitat for help." – Mary Alice
Would you or someone you know be interested in this program? Get in touch with us at
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