CVVIM WELCOMES NEW BOARD & COMMITTEE MEMBERS!
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Three new directors were elected to our Board of Directors this spring.
Heather Adams, DNP, MSN, RN
is the Chief Nursing Officer for JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio.
Naomi Soto-Steidle, MPH
is a health policy professional with strong ties to the Coachella Valley, and finally,
Louise Cummings, CFRE
is a fund development professional with recent experiences in the Coachella Valley, Orange County and Washington areas. For more information on each of these directors, visit our website at cvvim.org to view their bios.
Also of note,
Chauncey Thompson
, a current director, was elected to the position of Secretary / Treasurer, replacing
Lorna Curtis, MBA
,
who retired earlier this year and resigned her director position.
Working closely with the CVVIM Board of Directors are several committees. The PR & Communications Committee welcomed
Pat Riley
, a marketing and public relations executive, as a community member, and the Finance Committee welcomed
Doug Goldfarb
, an accounting professional with experience in the healthcare industry, also as a community member.
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DID YOU KNOW?...
At CVVIM, we provide one-on-one visits with medical and dental providers, but did you know we also offer a number of other programs and services, such as Diabetes Education?
Monica Salazar, our Medical Manager, is a trained diabetes educator. Monica schedules four classes each year at the clinic with each class comprised of four 3-hour sessions, scheduled over 8 weeks on alternating Saturday mornings. Monica regularly invites members of the community to assist with the classes, such as a nutritionist to offer tips on healthy eating, or a physical trainer to demonstrate fun and inexpensive exercise tips. "It's important for patients to get hands-on experiences in the classes so they put into practice what they are learning," says Monica. "My personal favorite is when we talk about diet and nutrition, and I share a healthy recipe with the group, and then together, we prepare and enjoy it."
Classes also discuss the importance of regular medical care, self-monitoring and routine testing, as well as what can happen when people don't change their lifestyle after a diabetes diagnosis. People are shocked when they learn you can lose toes, even limbs and your eyesight from complications related to diabetes. "Making changes to your diet, or adding a regular exercise program to your activities may be difficult, but it's nothing compared to what can happen when someone chooses to not make those, and other, healthier lifestyle choices," shares Monica. "Education helps reinforce what their doctors tell them, it reminds them and it gives them opportunities to talk openly with others, to share their story, get support, and be supported by others."
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Thank you
to the following foundations and city governments who provided grant support for our operations:
The City of Indio
($1,000), the
City of Coachell
a ($1,000), the
City of Rancho Mirage
($3,000) and the
City of La Quinta
($5,000), for their support. To
Trilogy La Quinta Community Services, Champions Volunteer Foundation
and
Coachella Valley Wellness Foundation
, who each awarded $5,000. To the
American Association of Family Physicians Foundation
($5,360), the
Auen Foundation
($12,500),
Desert Classic Charities
($20,000), the
Guillermo J. Valenzuela Foundation
($20,000),
Kaiser Permanente
($25,000) and the
Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation
($25,000).
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WELCOME
NEW
STAFF
MEMBERS!
Catrina Grijalva
joined us as our Dental Assistant and Front Office Coordinator. Catrina has many years' experience as a dental assistant and running a dental practice, in addition to being a medical assistant. "I love CVVIM and working with the patients and volunteers! I feel like this job was made just for me." Also,
Alejandro Dominguez
, a front office volunteer for more than a year, became our new Volunteer Coordinator. This part-time position allows him to study for his MCAT examination, the test required as
part of his planned submission to medical school. And lastly,
Mary Martin-Coor
became our Event Manager in June, with responsibility for producing our signature fundraising event – the WineLover's Auction. Other events are in the planning stage, and Mary is working closely with other organizations who host events when CVVIM is the beneficiary. Full bios for these and other staff can be viewed on our
website at cvvim.org.
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Catrina Grijalva – Alejandro Dominguez – Mary Martin-Coor
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MEETING A MEDICAL NEED
Howard Rodman, MD
has been a volunteer since November of 2011, donating more than 2,500 hours to assist us in our mission to provide care to our Valley's low-income residents who have no health insurance and can't afford medical or dental care. Dr. Rodman was the Chief of Orthopedic Surgery for Kaiser Permanente in Panorama City before retiring in 2005 and moving to the desert. "There is a medical need in our community to help those who cannot help themselves... and there are many of them. CVVIM is helping to satisfy that need and it gives me great satisfaction to know I can be a part of it," says Dr. Rodman. "The compassion shown to our patients, from everyone, goes a long way in the healing process. That is why I am here." Thank you, Dr. Rodman, for all that you do!
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We inadvertently failed to recognize the
Coachella Valley Wellness Foundation
as a granting foundation in our 2017 Annual Report. We value and respect all of the foundations who award funding to assist us in our mission of providing
no-charge healthcare services to low-income residents of our Valley who are medically underserved. Our sincere apologies to the Foundation and their Board of Directors who do
so much good for local charities.
The Coachella Valley Wellness Foundation, which supports and promotes good health in the Coachella Valley, has been a granting foundation to Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine since 2015. Additionally, they were a major contributor and attendee at our WineLover's Auction in February of this year. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of local leaders and chaired by Patricia Newman. Other Board Directors are: J. Douglas Donenfeld, JD, Vice Chair; Walter Clark, JD, Secretary; Charles Riach, Treasurer; Stephen Lind, JD, LLM; Christopher Pyle, CPA; Martin Serna; Thomas Tokheim; Leslie Giesemann, MD, Emerita, and;
Joseph Iantorno, EdD, Emeritus.
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Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine – Board Of Directors
Roy Pitkin, MD – Chair • Ron Hare, MD – Past Chair & Founder • Dick Soderstrom, MD – Chair Elect
Chauncey Thompson – Secretary/Treasurer • Stewart Fleishman, MD – Medical Director • Heather Adams, DNP, MSN, RN • Louise C. Cummings, CFRE • Glen Grayman, M.D • Benjamin Guitron
Ross Hollenkamp, ESQ • Janet Kerrigan, DO • Rosa Lucas, FNP-C • John Mich
Sandy Powell • Naomi Soto-Steidle, MPH • Les Zendle, MD
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Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine provides primary
healthcare services to low-income adults living in the Coachella
Valley who have no health insurance, or who are underinsured.
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Clinic Address:
82-915 Avenue 48, Indio, CA 92201
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 10090, Indio, CA 92202
Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine is a 501(c)(3)
California nonprofit corporation – EIN 26-3312826
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