The Volunteer Voice
E-Newsletter
September 27th, 2019
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Cocktails for a Cause
Wednesday, November 6th
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On
Wednesday, November 6th
, the clinic will host our
"Cocktails for a Cause"
fundraiser in partnership with the Luzerne County Medical Society from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm at
Kevin's Bar & Restaurant
in Kingston. The event will feature celebrity bartenders, celebrity servers and a silent auction.
If you
would like to donate
to Cocktails for a Cause by providing a gift certificate, monetary donation or gift item for our silent auction, please
contact Kelly Ranieli
at 570-970-2864 or vimwb@hotmail.com.
Sponsorship opportunities
are also.
Click the
link below
to download the sponsorship form.
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Education and Dental Exams Provided by VIM
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The dental team at Volunteers in Medicine performed
dental exams
on 40 Pre-K Counts students at ABC Kiddie Campus. The team from right to left; Amanda McCarthy, PA Student from Misericordia, Darcie Schaffer, Manager of Dental Services, Dr. Mahima Singh,Volunteer VIM Dentist and Shelby Goss
, VIM Hygienist.
The purpose of the exams are to ensure that each child continues to have a healthy smile
. Darcie Schaffer and Natalie Pierre, Fortis Medical Assistant student also went to the Ann McGlaughlin Day Care and Wiggles and Giggles to
educate children on how to brush their teeth and importance of visiting the dentist.
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VIM Receives Grant for Humor Therapy
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Humor is an effective means for dealing with overwhelming emotion and can be used in
therapy to treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health illnesses
. The use of
Humor Therapy
by mental health practitioners sparks connection and increases communication between patient and provider. According to the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, humor provides many
benefits to an individual’s overall health
and well-being including reduced stress, decreased depressive symptoms, and greater resiliency and pain tolerance.
VIM was recently
awarded a grant from the Humor Therapy
Fund of the Scranton Area Foundation. Grant funds will be used to develop a humor therapy packet that the Social Care Coordinator can utilize during counseling sessions. This packet will serve as a resource to the Social Care Coordinator to strengthen the relationship with patients, allowing them to develop a deeper level of comfort which will
ultimately enhance the quality of behavioral health
counseling provided to the patient.
By incorporating humor therapy into VIM’s Behavioral Health Program, the clinic will enhance the holistic care to promote mental health wellness to those who face the challenges of day to day living.
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The NEPA Learning Conference was held on Sept. 19
th
and 20
th
at the Hilton Scranton and was attended by VIM’s Social Care Coordinator, April Lennon. At the conference, April listened to speakers discuss topics such as grant writing, finding your
personal strengths
,
professional development,
and other topics related to working for a non-profit organization. April also had the opportunity to network with peers, learn about and make
connections
with local agencies, and have a professional head-shot taken.
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Pictured above is Teri Ooms, Immediate Past President of the VIM Board and April Lennon, Social Care Coordinator at VIM.
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Flu Shots Available for Patients
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On
Wednesday, October 23rd
, the clinic will provide free
flu shots
for patients from 9:00 am - 2:30 pm. The Flu Clinic is offered through a partnership with Americares and Walgreens.
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Patient Success Story
A new female patient came to VIM with
concerns of several lumps on her mid and upper back. The one on her upper back had been there for over two years and the others appeared approximately three months ago. They were growing is size & unsightly so she was hoping they could be
removed
.
An appointment was made several days later with Dr. Frances Feudale and the patient underwent excision of the lumps which turned out to be large
epidermal cysts
. The following week the patient returned for suture removal and the two incisions were well healed. The patient and her daughter were
overjoyed
at the results.
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Welcome to Our New Students & Resident
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Himani Patel
and
Shaiua Shah,
are both Pharmacy students that joined the clinic this past week. They both have a common interest in
ambulatory care.
Himani and Shaiua are eager to share their
care
and
compassion
with the those who are in need.
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Natasha Wu,
a Geisinger Family Medicine Resident. Upon completion of her program, Natasha would like to practice in
Family Medicine
. She was happy to have the opportunity to
provide assistance and give back to the community
while at VIM.
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Hannah Fritz,
a student in the Pharmacy program at Wilkes University joined the clinic to volunteer. Hannah has an interest in focusing on
geriatric pharmacy
. She is excited to volunteer and experience working in public health.
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Students Enjoy & Learn at VIM
VIM hosts a variety of students from the
local higher education institutions
in the region. Currently, students at VIM are in the following curriculum's;
King’s College
Physician Assistant and BSN program,
Misericordia
Physician Assistant and ESL,
Fortis
Medical Assistant,
Marywood University
Master of Social Work,
University of Scranton
Pre-Med and Nursing,
Wilkes University
Pharmacy and Nurse Practitioner, and
Wilkes-Barre Career and Technical
Nursing. The relationship is a win-win for the students and the Clinic. The students get a unique hands-on experience and the clinic depends on them for assistance in particular departments.
These are a few comments from recent students:
“Great variety of learning opportunities!”
“Dr. Feudale was an awesome preceptor. Everyone was so great to work with!”
“Enjoyed the inter-professional experience.”
"The staff allowed me to be myself and taught me to stay positive."
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Executive Director attends
VIM Institute meeting
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On Tuesday, September 24th, 2019 Kelly Ranieli attended a meeting in Southampton, PA with other Executive Directors from VIM Clinics in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Mark Cruise was appointed in July as the new Chief Executive officer for the Volunteers in Medicine Institute located in Hilton Head. He is visiting and meeting with the
86 VIM clinics
throughout the United States and made a stop in Pennsylvania. The group
brainstormed
on a variety of topics including volunteer recruitment, social determinants of health, medication, technology and governance.
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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. 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 April
at
april-vimwb@hotmail.com
or call 570-970-2864.
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Tuesday, October 15th
Geisinger's Fresh Food Farmacy
Presented by Allison Hess
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Tuesday, November 12th
Family Service Association
Presented by Atty. Gert McGowan
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Tuesday, December 3rd
Robinson Counseling Center
Presented by Jessica Budzak
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Tuesday, January 14th
2020 U.S. Census
Presented by Katie Derhammer
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Maven Project Educational
Teleconference Sessions
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In conjunction with the clinic's partnership with the
Maven Project
,
educational teleconference sessions
will be provided by physicians across the country. Each session will be from
12:00pm to 1:00pm
in the clinic's conference room and is open to volunteers and providers.
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The upcoming teleconferences sessions are:
- October 1st - Chronic Kidney Disease: A Primer for Primary Care Physicians
- Tuesday, October 15th - Management of Asthma in Adults
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If there is
a topic you would be interested
in learning about, please reach out to Dr. Frances Feudale, VIM's Medical Director, at
drfrances-vim@hotmail.com
.
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VIM is
not a federally-funded clinic and does not charge for services
. The clinic operates solely from donations from businesses and individuals, grants from foundations and proceeds from special events.
Any contribution
you are able to make assists VIM with keeping our low-income neighbors
healthy, well and working
.
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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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