|
Volunteers in Medicine of
|
|
TOGETHER WE HEAL |
|
Meet Our New Partners on the Seacoast |
|
We are excited to introduce our new partners, Cross Roads House and Families First, in Portsmouth!
Many of you may be familiar with the important work both organizations have been doing in the Seacoast for many decades. Cross Roads House will host our evening clinics several nights a month, and we will collaborate with Families First to ensure our patients have ongoing care.
Due to logistical reasons, we have parted ways with the YWCA New Hampshire who had generously offered to host the first VIM-NH clinic in Manchester. Special thanks to Katie Parent, Director of Programs and Community Outreach at the YWCA and Courtney Perron, Director of SNHU Center for New Americans. Thank you for believing in VIM-NH and our mission.
Our goal is to begin seeing patients at Cross Roads House in early 2023. With the support of our community partners, donors, volunteers, and supporters, VIM-NH will pursue our mission to provide free care to uninsured and underinsured patients in New Hampshire.
About Volunteers in Medicine of New Hampshire (VIM-NH) Volunteers in Medicine of New Hampshire (VIM-NH) is a new mobile free clinic whose mission is to provide free healthcare to uninsured and underinsured families of New Hampshire. VIM-NH engages and mobilizes volunteer healthcare providers to offer primary care and acute care in places more easily accessible to underserved patients such as shelters, community centers, or outside of food pantries. |
|
|
|
Medical Director's Corner |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reiko Johnson is a family physician who currently works as a per diem provider at several locations in New Hampshire - Greater Seacoast Community Health (Goodwin and Families First) and at the Catholic Medical Center urgent care in Bedford.
She was inspired to start the VIM-NH free clinic after spending five years volunteering for Hampton Free Clinic, which served patients for 18 years in front of a soup kitchen in Hampton Beach. After learning about healthcare access issues directly from her patients, she decided to launch a similar mobile free clinic, backed by a national organization called National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics.
The first free clinic location has shifted closer to the Seacoast for several reasons. The Cross Roads House has a fully stocked, built-in exam room which creates less barriers for a mobile health team to operate. The collaboration between Cross Roads House, Families First Mobile Health, and VIM-NH is a perfect partnership to provide the highest quality and continuity of care for our underserved patients.
Dr. Johnson looks forward to networking and collaborating with many community organizations and working with medical and non-medical volunteers to successfully launch VIM-NH mobile free clinic in New Hampshire. |
|
|
Introducing VIM-NH's Partners |
|
Families First Mobile Health Clinic Coreen Toussaint, RN is the Program Manager for Mobile Health at Families First, a community health center in Portsmouth. She is passionate about caring for the uninsured and underserved patients in our community. Families First Mobile Health Clinic provides healthcare to underserved patients throughout the state (Exeter, Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth) in their colorful mobile van as pictured here. |
|
|
Coreen enthusiastically supports the mission of VIM-NH, and has generously agreed to collaborate with VIM-NH to increase access for our underserved patients. One of the challenges to operating a walk in free clinic is scheduling follow up care for the patients. Coreen will address this issue by ensuring patients seen at the VIM-NH free clinic at Cross Roads House will have follow up visits at Families First. Collaboration between VIM-NH and Families First will help more patients find stable 'medical homes' to receive ongoing care. |
|
|
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. |
|
Cross Roads House will welcome the VIM-NH mobile health team to see patients on-site two evenings a month. They conveniently have a built- in exam room in their building, allowing mobile health teams like VIM-NH to come and provide valuable services. |
|
|
|
|
Alyona Latsilnik |
|
Ally is a senior at St Thomas High School, and just received her LNA license. She has been volunteering at the Wentworth Douglass Hospital in the emergency room. Ally is excited to join the VIM-NH team helping in all aspects of clinic development, and will also support the clinic operations as a LNA when we launch in 2023. She is planning to sponsor several fundraisers for VIM-NH in the fall at her high school.
Ally's favorite school subject is mathematics. She is a member of the school ski team, and also a third degree black belt at Park's Tae Kwon Do where she trains with Dr. Johnson. |
|
|
|
|
|
Christian and Knightly and Emily Komerska |
|
Christian is a sophomore at UNH majoring in business. He has grown up on the Seacoast and will be assisting VIM-NH with marketing and fundraising. He is also currently working at Freedom Cafe, a nonprofit coffee shop in Durham where all proceeds are donated to help end human trafficking.
|
|
Emily is also a sophomore at UNH, and she is pre-med and a neuroscience major. She is looking forward to learning more about the complexity of the healthcare system and providing care to the underserved. She is minoring in music and loves to sing. |
|
|
|
Grace Harpster |
|
Grace is our third UNH sophomore to join our team. She is also a neuroscience major and has spent many years volunteering for various non-profits.
She is excited to be part of a team of volunteers helping to launch the VIM-NH free clinic utilizing her many skills.
In her off time she enjoys hiking running, and spending time with family and friends.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interested in Volunteering for VIM-NH?
Join the VIM-NH team to make a difference in your community.
Seeking providers (MD/PA/NP), RNs, MAs, board members, and non-clinical volunteers
Contact rjohnson@vimnh.org for more info. |
|
|
|
St Thomas High School Hot Cocoa Fundraiser A Success
Spearheaded by senior & VIM-NH volunteer Ally Latsilnik, close to $500 were raised with a 50/50 raffle and hot cocoa sale at St Thomas High School's final football game. Booster club president Deanna Leedberg just happened to be there to pitch in and save the day during the cocoa rush.
Students and parents were incredibly generous and donated extra to help support the mission of VIM-NH, to provide free healthcare to NH's families.
Thank you to the St Thomas kitchen staff, athletic director and team, and all of the families who donated and stayed warm with hot cocoa!
Picture: From left - Alyona Latsilnik, Reiko Johnson, Deanna Leedberg |
|
|
|
Upcoming Events |
|
Newfields Turkey Trot 5K
When: November 24th, 2022 Time: 9am Where: Old Lee Rd Entrance to Rockingham Rail Trail
Optional donations will benefit VIM-NH launch its first clinic at Cross Roads House
Contact: rjohnson@vimnh.org with questions |
|
|
Join the Fun!
Informal out and back 5k on trail. No sign up or registration required. Arrive by 845am. Parking on Old Lee Rd, police will assist.
Suggested Donation: $5 per child/student $10 per adult
Donate Venmo @vimnh www.vimnh.org/donate |
|
|
|
Join us for a VIM-NH Community Oven Fundraiser
When: Monday, December 5, 2022 Where: Community Oven, 24 Brickyard Square, Epping. Time: 5-9pm (dine in or take out)
Take a night off of cooking to help start a free clinic in NH!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
Choose Volunteers in Medicine of New Hampshire on Amazon Smile when you shop and 0.5% of proceeds will benefit our organization.
Please donate here to help provide free healthcare to NH's families. Thank you! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Follow us |
|
|
|
|
|
