The Volunteer Voice
E-Newsletter
September 7th, 2018
Save the Date!
VIM's Annual Luncheon
Save the Date! VIM's annual luncheon will be held on Tuesday, January 29th, 2019 at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre. Sponsorship opportunities will be available soon. Stay tuned for additional information!
The photos above are from VIM's 2018 Annual Luncheon.
Patient Centered Medical Home Update
This week, the clinic's staff had a zoom conference call with the Americares team to complete the review of the clinic's electronic medical records system . New functionalities of the program were identified and will help the staff and volunteers effectively track data and ultimately provide the best care.

The next assignment for the VIM staff from the Americares team is to complete a Gap Analysis Worksheet . This project will help staff identify the current state of clinic and project ideas for future goals.
Dr. Kathleen Hirthler Receives Innovation Award
On Tuesday, August 21st, Dr. Kathleen Hirthler , VIM's volunteer Assistant Medical Director, received the President’s Award for Excellence in Innovation from Wilkes University for her efforts in promoting programs, ideas, and sustainable practices. Hirthler has developed five new graduate nursing programs at Wilkes including the University’s first Ph.D.

Pictured above from left to right are Dr. Kathleen Hirthler, Evene Estwick, Zbigniew J. Witczak, Wilkes University President Patrick F. Leahy, Melissa Howells and
Deborah Tindell.
Flu Vaccines Will Soon Be Available
Once again, flu season is upon us as witnessed recently with the grounding and decontamination of two overseas flights landing in the USA with positive confirmation of 13 passengers on board with influenza.

The clinic has already made preparation with the Wilkes-Barre Department of Health on the donation of approximately 200 doses of influenza vaccines.  Walgreens has also contacted the clinic and is preparing to obtain vouchers to offer a flu clinic on-site at VIM from 1 PM until 4 PM on two dates in October. Sign up sheets will be posted for our patients in the very near future.

Best practices for the prevention and spread of germs is frequent and proper hand washing, covering nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and awareness of signs and symptoms of the flu which include body aches, fever, coughing, extreme fatigue, and/or diarrhea. If influenza is contracted, individuals should rest, increase or maintain fluid intake, take Tylenol or Ibuprofen for fever and body aches.   See a physician if symptoms persist longer than 4-5 days or if you begin to experience shortness of breath.

VIM Welcomes New Dental Hygienist
VIM is pleased to welcome our newest staff member, Shelby Goss , RDH. Shelby is a registered dental hygienist and will focus on teeth cleaning and educating patients on preventative measures for good oral hygiene. She is a graduate of Luzerne County Community College and hopes to one day become an educator for new hygienists.
Join us in welcoming Shelby to the team!
Welcome to our New Students,
Residents and Volunteers
Debbie Burge is the newest volunteer nurse at the clinic.
She chose to volunteer at VIM to help members of her community in need.
VIM welcomes Bailey Evans and Mary O'Neill from  
Luzerne County Community College's  Dental Hygiene Program.
Patient Success Story
In April 2018, a patient came to VIM in need of dire dental care . The patient, a sixty-three year old male and cancer survivor , met with Dr. Singh, to establish a treatment plan. Due to all of the medications the patient had to take during his battle with cancer, it was determined that he would need a full-mouth extraction since he had numerous cavities and abscesses.

Over the course of five appointments , the patient had eleven maxillary (upper) teeth and eight mandibular (lower) teeth extracted and impressions taken for a full set of dentures. After a month-long healing process, the patient’s permanent dentures were fitted. The entire process of extractions and fittings took four months. The patient left the clinic smiling ear-to-ear , which he hadn’t been able to do for years. He was pleased with his new appearance and looking forward to eating many of the foods he hadn’t been able to enjoy for quite some time.

VIM's Executive Director Attends
Financial Management Conference
On Thursday, September 6th, Kelly Ranieli , VIM's Executive Director, attended "Fundamentals of Financial Management" conference at the Courtyard Marriott in Scranton. The full-day seminar was presented by the Scranton Area Foundation’s Center for Community Leadership and Nonprofit Excellence in partnership with the Moses Taylor Foundation . Topics discussed included reading financial statements, expense allocation and fraud prevention.
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 the next presentation, please RSVP to Chelsea at  chelsea-vimwb@hotmail.com  or 570-970-2864 .


 Tuesday, September 25th
9:00am to 10:00am
Wyoming Valley AIDS Council
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