Board of Directors
John Beitzel, PhD
President
Frank DeSalvo, PhD
Vice-President
Denise Brown
Secretary
Vivian Brown
Treasurer
Jennifer Burkhardt
Lili Dodd, MD
Eric Lewis
Pam Scott
Lorraine Wall
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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In 2021 Dungeness
Valley Health &
Wellness Clinic had
709 Patient Visits.
The value of health services to the community
was $212,289.
$239,494 Cash Revenue
$181,924 Cash Expense
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Services to Our Community
Since Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic opened its doors in October, 2001 we have provided more than $5.8 million worth of services to our community in value of office visits; labs and xrays (thanks to Olympic Medical Center); prescriptions, both paid by the clinic and through our prescription assistance program; and dental services (thanks to the many community dentists participating in our voucher program).
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Services Values since 2001
(Clinic Opening) $5,814,747
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Vision & Vaccinations and 1%
Prescriptions Paid by Clinic
Dental Services 6%
Labs & Xrays 17%
Prescription Assistant 16%
Program
Value of Visits 60%
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Patient Demographics:
50% Male /
50% Female
84% Have no Local Doctor
68% Have no Insurance
46% Are Employed
56% Are Under the Age
of 50
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And a special thank you to our outgoing board members. |
The work you did and all the expertise you brought to the clinic has been invaluable. Thank you all, so very much!
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Gloria Mittelstadt
2 years
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Thanks So Much to our 2021 Clinic Volunteers
in recognition of the service of our 2021 volunteers
Providers
Sherry Churchill, ARNP
Caroline DeSalvo, MD
Kathi Gunn, ARNP
Gary Henriksen, MD
John Joseph, ARNP
Steven Moll, DO
Diana Schott, MD
Carl Weber, MD
Nurse Managers (RNs)
Terri Adelman
Suzanne Anaya
Mary Aulet
Bob Bagwell
Marlina Brooks
Maureen Byrne
Donna Cameron
Linda Fortney
Lyell Fox
Mary M. Fryer
Deborah Golwas
Mary Hendricksen
Ann Marie Henninger
Julie Ann Koehlinger
Christine Lanphear
Shelley Stratton
Janel Wiley
Assessment
Sandra Boudrou
John Hammond
Sharon Hammond
Tim Kurtz
JoAnn Munroe
Barbara Parse
Jean Pratschner
Dottie Robertson
Nancy Talbot
Vina Winters
Reception
Randi Cooper
Irene Greene
Susie Herrick
Bev Horan
Laurie Lightfoot
Sally Rodgers
Kristine Whitman
Jolie Will
Interpreters
Lilia Dodd
Carmen Pitkin
Data Entry/
Clerical Support
Hazel Blake
Eva Lundstrom
Jan Stewart
Specialty/Technical
Kitty Dissing, CDE
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Donations were given in memory of…
John Baritelle
by Lynn Baritelle
Gordon Zander
by Dungeness Valley
Lutheran Church members,
Viki Kocha
Jack Anderson by
James & Ruthie Armstrong,
Marion Wheeler Burns,
Mary Ann Dangman,
Jerry & Barb Enzenauer,
Jim & Gloria Fitzpatrick,
Myrna Juergens,
Patty Lebowitz,
Ken & Louise Lemley,
Bruce & Gail Schwab,
Randy & Ardith
Schuchardt,
Jane & David Sederquist,
David Wilkison &
Nancy Witter
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Thank you to this Amazing Community:
The last couple of years have been a challenge for everyone. While we weren’t able to have an in-person celebration for our 20th Anniversary, the clinic was showered with love and appreciation from individuals and businesses alike. Thank you!
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Planning for the Future – We Need Your Help
Our Board of Directors is working on a new Strategic Plan for moving into the future. They’ve created a short, 5 question, survey and are requesting input from the entire community. You can go to our website to answer the questions or you can send an email with your answers to these questions to freeclinic@dvhwc.org.
Questions 1-3 are asking you to rate how the clinic is doing on a scale from 1(poor) to 5(outstanding) and to explain why you gave that rating.
The mission of DVHWC, aka Sequim Free Clinic is to provide access to free quality health care to those who are medically underserved and to provide education to promote wellness.
- How is the clinic achieving
our mission?
Vision: The Sequim-Dungeness Valley is a place where accessible health care is available to all and each person takes responsibility for wellness and prevention.
- How is the clinic moving
towards our vision?
The Core Values of the Sequim Free Clinic are, “Compassion, Respect, Integrity, and Commitment”.
- How is the clinic living
these values?
Question 4 is asking for your opinions on moving into the future. This could be anything from the services we provide, how the clinic is run, marketing, fundraising, volunteer and donor appreciation or anything else you’d like to share.
As it relates to the Clinic’s strategic direction, please answer the following questions:
- What should the clinic start
doing?
- What should the clinic stop
doing?
- What should the clinic
keep doing?
And Lastly,
Is there anything else you want to let the Board know about your ideas about the Clinic’s Strategic Plan?
We appreciate your opinion, and thank you in advance for taking a few minutes to help the Board make the best decisions to keep the clinic thriving and serving our community.
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Clinic Director’s Report
By Rose Gibbs, RN, MHA/MPA
Another year of challenges with continual “up’s” and “down’s”. We have adjusted fairly well to the new COVID normal. We live in a different world now and may experience this altered way of life for a very long while. Happily, we have been able to provide uninterrupted health services to our community.
As per regulations, we continue to screen anyone who comes into the clinic for COVID -19. The expectation that there would be a flood of new clients, due to job loss and corresponding insurance loss, has not been realized. People remain cautious about coming to health clinics of any kind. Only about one third have been new clients. The volume has been lower than pre-COVID-19. In comparison to 2019, the evening clinic showed a 31% decrease in visits and the Chronic Healthcare Clinic was lower by 36%.
The cleaning of the clinic, physical distancing, screening of all clients and volunteer staff and so forth have complied with Public Health guidelines. This clinic was not designated as a testing or treatment area for COVID-19. We have been fortunate to have funding to support our vaccine program for those without insurance. Through this voucher program with Walgreens, clients without coverage are able to receive vaccines for influenza, TDAP and Pneumonia at no personal cost. Also, there is no charge for COVID vaccines and/or testing.
Kathi Gunn, ARNP transitioned from a volunteer provider to the role of primary care provider for clients in our Chronic Healthcare Clinic program. We are fortunate to provide continuity of care for those with chronic conditions such as hypertension, thyroid disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and others. For new residents and even those with insurance, we serve as a safety net for health care while they wait for three to five months for an appointment in one of the local clinics.
I want to especially acknowledge the volunteers who have made themselves available during these odd times. Only a very small number have not returned for personal or health reasons. Vaccine mandates have been met by all. Our volunteers are outstanding and make this clinic viable.
We quietly celebrated our 20 years of service to this community this last year. There have been a few upgrades. New flooring was completed in the waiting area. Chairs were replaced for our reception and volunteer staff. Through the generosity of the Jamestown Family Health Clinic, three replacement exam tables brought a much-needed update to the exam rooms. A food pantry of sorts has been placed inside of the clinic for easy access for any of our clients. And, last, but not least, the front landscaping, benches and entrance have been enhanced.
We continue to survive and thrive and remain in demand. Without community and individual support, we would not be here. Thank you to everyone who continues to help during these trying times. Hoping for better times to come. Service with safety is our daily mission.
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Audrey Gift receives the Beitzel Award
from Ralph Elston, former Board President
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Correction to 20th Anniversary Newsletter – Beitzel Award Winners
In our last newsletter we mistakenly reported that the Beitzel Award was not given in 2019. In April, 2019 during our annual Volunteer/Donor Appreciation event, Audrey Gift was presented with the Beitzel Award. Audrey was on the clinic Board of Directors from 2008-2017 serving as President, Vice President and Secretary. With her background as a retired Associate Dean of the College of Nursing at Michigan State University, Audrey was, and still is, particularly active in the Wellness program and development.
Audrey also took on the leadership role for the annual Fun Walk and Health Fair for 4 years including the year after she left board. Her commitment and dedication to the clinic is a true testament to this intelligent, generous, and classy lady.
We sincerely apologize to Audrey for not including her in the 20th Anniversary newsletter as she has been a significant part of our history.
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Our Clinic Board
Our Board is dedicated to the vision and mission of Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic and provide their time and skills in service to those of our community who are in need of care.
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John Beitzel, President
- Degrees; BSGeological
Engineering, 1961:
MSGeophysics, 1963:
PhD Geophysics 1972.
- Employment: ARCO Oil & Gas, Domestic
exploration 1968-1993, Retired Vice President of
Eastern Region Exploration
- Retirement: Planning consultant for non-profits
& numerous volunteer public health activities
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Frank DeSalvo, Vice President
- Performance Consultant
- Ph.D. Social Work
- Retired Professor
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Denise Brown, Secretary
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Vivian Brown
Treasurer
- Currently the Pharmacy Manager
at Walgreens – Sequim
- Pharmacist licensed for 41 years
with hospital (domestic & international)
- Retail, teaching, writing & clinical research
experience. Licensed in Washington, Arizona, and
Oregon
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Jennifer Burkhardt
- Chief Human Resource Officer
& General Counsel, OMC
- Board - Economic Development
Council
- Active WA State Hospital
Association and Legislative Advocacy
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Lili Dodd, MD
- Former Chief of Department of
Epidemiology and Pediatrics
- Former Director of Family
Development
- Former Major, Mexican Army
- Teaching and Family Development
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Eric Lewis
- Currently CFO for Washington
State Hospital Association
- Formerly worked at Olympic
Medical Center for over 21 years
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Pamela Scott
- Current Home Care Consultant -
Home Instead
- 20+ years in Senior Care Industry
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Lorraine Wall
- Retired RN with over 40 years in
clinical and nursing management
- OMC Chief Nursing Officer
and Chief Operating Officer
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Working on Resilience in our Approach to Life
by Barb Paschal, retired Physical Therapist, Author, Artist, Veteran, Teacher
One typical description of Seniors is …sadly… that we are not easily persuaded to embrace change…that we are even unwilling to try new things. DO NOT believe the antiquated adages “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” and “I am too old to change”.
Research on Brain function and quality of life has delved into the positive and dramatic physiological outcomes from the daily focus on being resilient in our approach to life no matter our age !!
Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s newest book has summarized the research compiled by 90 World Brain experts who congregated recently at the behest of AARP. One research in U. of San Diego done on autopsies on the brains of people who showed mild symptoms of dementia was startling and motivating.
The brains that exhibited significantly increased neural pathways due to obvious determination for learning throughout the person’s lifetime were examined. Other brains of people who showed a low level of working at increasing knowledge and experience were also studied.
Both sets of people had showed mild dementia shortly before their deaths. Some of the brains of people “determined-to-consistently learn” showed huge amounts of Amyloid plaques (linked to Alzheimer’s diagnosis) yet those people only showed symptoms of mild dementia. Some of the brains of people who had not developed a drive for learning had small amounts of the brain network-destroying plaques yet showed the same symptoms of dementia.
Findings proved that if we constantly try new ways to think and learn we build cognitive reserve with ever-increasing neural pathways (think of it as a savings account). We give our brains alternate pathways to function, therefore retaining more memory and cognition despite brain plaques that may block some of the pathways. Resilience in your outlook builds actual Brain Resilience…Exciting News!
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Myofascial Release…not Stretching!
By Carl Weber, M.D.
Volunteer Medical Director, Sequim Free Clinic
Some people stretch to reduce risk of injury, others stretch to enhance athletic or sporting performance, and yet others stretch because it gives them a sense of well-being Myofascial release (MFR) refers to the manual massage technique for stretching the fascia and releasing bonds between fascia and integuments, muscles, bones, with the goal of eliminating pain and increasing range of motion ("balancing the body"). During the self-deep tissue massage, these trigger points (TPs) are felt as painful muscle knots within tight bands of muscle.
People can empower themselves by learning how to help themselves. Myofascial release can benefit people of all abilities and lifestyles, from desk workers to stay-at-home parents....not just for athletes. By applying pressure to the area with the greatest points of restriction, these restrictions are released. Rolling over an area for 30 to 60 seconds achieved the best results. Staying in one spot for a 10-second “hold” over a painful trigger point is often all that is needed.
Ways to Apply Self-Compression: One can apply compression with your elbow, thumb, finger, knuckle, or self-care tools, including Backnobbers (theracane), balls of varying diameters and hardness and foam rollers.
Step #1: As you slowly roll each muscle, make sure to hold the tender areas for 30 seconds to one minute. Breathe and think about the muscle relaxing, as it will help to trigger a response in the muscle to actually relax. Once the tender spot is found, hold that position. Just lie there and concentrate on your breathing. After a time, you can add in a few very small and very controlled movements (about 1 inch, or 2.5 centimeters, per second).
Key tips: Make sure you roll the entire muscle length to ensure you get the knots out. Do not roll over joints in your body, especially your knees, elbows, or ankles. Roll leading up to the joint, but never over. The more you do it, the easier it will become. Place a body part directly on top of the roller and move gently and rhythmically to apply pressure to the underlying tissues. Remember that while rolling is definitely uncomfortable, it should never be extremely painful. If you need to modify by reducing pressure on the roller, please do so!
How much pressure? The pressure can be gentle or firm. Many people say that they like the sensation somewhere between “pleasure” and “pain.” The pleasure comes from knowing you’re on the right spot and feeling the muscle fibers softening as pressure is applied. The trick is to not change your breathing or tighten the muscle once you begin applying pressure. This comes with experience, but as a rule of thumb the more painful the tissue, the slower and deeper the pressure. In all cases, the key words are “work slowly,” “sensitively,” and “thoroughly.” Most researchers suggest holding the trigger point at a level of a 7/10.
Mistake #1: Rolling directly where you feel pain right away. Go indirect before direct.
Mistake #2: Rolling too fast. Go slower so that the superficial layers and muscles have time to adapt and manage the compression. Feel where the tender spots are with the roller, and use short, slow rolls over that spot.
Mistake #3: Spending too much time on those knots. Just spend 20 seconds on each tender spot then move on...you can't fix what been dysfunctional in one session.
If it's not improving your pain? Be aware that with the first treatment, there should be some initial relief. Often this is short lived and the pain returns in two minutes or the next day. If it is improving, even for a brief time you are on the right track. The pain might be different, worse in new areas and better in some areas. Do not get discouraged as this is common. Experiment with the timing of pressure: 15 sec, 30 sec, 90 sec. Experiment with the dosage of pressure. If it does not give relief after several tries (at least a few hours apart) then the problem likely could be a muscle tear, a tendon or ligament issue etc. Not all tender areas are trigger points.
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