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Volunteers in Medicine of
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TOGETHER WE HEAL |
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VIM-NH Opens Its Doors |
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On January 10, 2023, VIM-NH began seeing patients at Cross Roads House in Portsmouth, NH. We had an enthusiastic group of volunteers that outnumbered the patients, as we trained on the new electronic medical records system and developed our workflow.
UNH student volunteers Emily Komerska and Grace Harpster handled the intake for new patients, LNA Alyona Latsilnik from St Thomas High School obtained vitals and physician assistant Carolyn Guillette, and VIM-NH Founder Dr. Reiko Johnson treated patients. Coreen Toussaint, who is an RN who manages the mobile health program at Families First, coordinated follow-up for patients who wanted to be seen by the Families First mobile team two days later at the same site. Many patients we saw at Cross Roads House did not have primary care providers so we referred them to the Families First Mobile Health van or directly to Families First to get established with a provider.
On the last visit to the warming center, Coreen was able to connect with a patient who was newly diagnosed with cancer. We saw first hand how challenging it is to have multiple upcoming appts with specialists to coordinate those visits with her significant barriers to care; she does not have a cell phone, housing, or transportation. Thankfully, she is established with the Families First Mobile Health program and she developed a relationship with Coreen to help her navigate through this complex process. It is evident that when patients have healthcare workers advocating for them, they grow to trust the system, and will more likely present to appointments and have improved outcomes. Important touch points with advocates from multiple organizations - like the Willand Dr Emergency Warming Center, the Families First van, and the VIM-NH free mobile clinic for this particular patient - will help her get established in the healthcare system so she receives the best care possible. |
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Volunteers in Medicine of New Hampshire received positive press coverage at the end of December and on New Year's Day 2023, in an article titled, "Dr. Reiko Johnson starting free health care in Seacoast: What to know and how to help." Many people learned about VIM-NH's mission and services and expressed interest in wanting to support the cause. After dozens of inquiries from the community, we just onboarded 3 new providers and 3 new nurses! We also have about a dozen non-clinical volunteers signed up to help with many tasks. VIM-NH is grateful for journalist Karen Dandurant for sharing our story with the community. |
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Funding Updates Grant from NH Charitable Foundation New Hampshire Charitable Foundation/Impax Asset Management provided a $5000 Grant to VIM-NH. Impax Asset Management is a company investing in the opportunities arising from the transition to a more sustainable global economy. Their focus is investing in sustainable companies globally. They have offices in Asia and Europe and also in Portsmouth, NH. VIM-NH was chosen to receive this grant as we are considered a safety net organization. They worked with NH Charitable Foundation to provide our non-profit with this generous grant. Thank you Impax Asset Management and NH Charitable Foundation!
VIM-NH Online Fundraising Campaigns We had several online campaigns before we opened our doors in January, starting with Giving Tuesday in November and a New Year's Eve campaign. Since we are a small non-profit run by volunteers, our needs are specific to operational costs of medical supplies and related equipment. The community response was incredibly generous and all in all we raised $7,900 between Nov 1 and Jan 1, 2023! Thank you all so much for your incredibly generous support.
Community Oven Fundraiser Remember the fundraiser at the Community Oven in Epping? We raised $369 that night, thanks to all those who stopped by for yummy pizza! Thank you Community Oven for your support! |
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VIM-NH's Partners |
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Families First Mobile Health Clinic Families First Mobile Health Clinic provides healthcare to underserved patients throughout the state (Exeter, Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth) in their colorful mobile van. They come to see patients at Cross Roads on Thursday mornings. VIM-NH partners with FF Mobile Health to take care of patients who are at Cross Roads House. |
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Willand Emergency Warming Shelter The Willand Warming Center @ 30 Willand Drive in Somersworth, NH provides a warm overnight space for people experiencing housing instability through March 31, 2023. VIM-NH mobile free clinic has visited the shelter on several occasions to provide medical care to clients at the center. The team there has provided a warm, welcoming environment for many people to find shelter on cold nights and offer food, warm showers, and beds. |
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Cross Roads House Founded in 1982, Cross Roads House provides emergency and transitional shelter to homeless men, women, and children in the Seacoast area. They have tirelessly provided homeless families and individuals with basic necessities as well as the tools and guidance they need to return to permanent housing. |
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Interested in Volunteering for VIM-NH?
Join the VIM-NH team to make a difference in your community.
Seeking board members!
Contact rjohnson@vimnh.org for more info. |
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Free Dentistry Day |
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Saturday, September 9, 2023 |
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If you work in healthcare or have had to look for dentists, you may be aware of the dire needs in our community. The pandemic impacted dentistry disproportionately, and across the country dentists are in short supply. Many patients are going without dental care.
To address this need, VIM-NH is in active talks with dentists across the state to provide free dental care on Free Dentistry Day in 2023. Collectively, these dentists have generously agreed to provide care for free for a day. We are looking forward to collaborating with our dental colleagues!
In the meantime, we will reach out to dental offices to donate supplies or support staff to help coordinate this effort. While a day of free dental care will only make a dent in the needs in our community, it will mean so very much for the individual patients receive care. |
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There are many ways you can help VIM-NH, a 501(c)3 organization. You can volunteer in many capacities, spread the word through social media, or start a fundraiser for us in your community. For more information please visit our website at vimnh.org or email rjohnson@vimnh.org.
Follow us on Instagram at @vim_nh2021 and Facebook at www.facebook/vimnh.
Please donate here to help provide free healthcare to NH's families. Thank you! |
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