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The Volunteer Voice
E-Newsletter
August 2nd, 2019
Back to School Backpack Giveaway
The clinic will be hosting a Back to School Backpack Giveaway on Wednesday, August 14th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm for children of registered patients. The Health Equity program at VIM helps patients resolve socio-economic issues that may affect their mental health and ultimately their overall wellness. Many patients have financial restraints so the goal of the Backpack program is to assist with decreasing the stress of back to school costs.
We're Hiring
VIM's Upcoming Events
Save the date for our upcoming events! We hope to see you there.

  • Cocktails for a Cause - Wednesday, November 6th at Kevin's Bar & Restaurant in Kingston

  • Annual Meeting & Appreciation Luncheon - Tuesday, January 28th at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre

Stay tuned for additional information.
Patient Success Story
A 53-year-old female came to VIM for assistance from the behavioral health program in May of 2019. When the patient first began the sessions she had severe symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder , Major Depressive Disorder and general anxiety. Her symptoms included loss of appetite, insomnia, panic attacks, mood swings and suicidal ideation .

The patient has experienced a particularly difficult life from the time she was a young child throughout adulthood. VIM's Social Care Coordinator has been counseling the patient on a weekly basis and has helped her to process unresolved trauma from her childhood, create a crisis intervention plan and use coping strategies to deal with stress and anxiety.

Recently, there has been a significant positive change in the patient. She no longer has suicidal thoughts and wakes up each day happy to be alive and looking forward to the future. The symptoms that she had have been drastically reduced to a manageable level . The patient verified that a combination of talk therapy, medication, finding her faith, and reconnecting with her family members has given her the strength to overcome her adversities and she looks forward to continuing to work on herself with the help from staff at VIM.
Welcome to Our New Students
Katarina Smigol is a Resident from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. She spent time at the clinic last week observing Dr. Martin Freifeld , volunteer gynecologist. Upon completion of her program, she would like to practice OB-GYN in New York.
Nephtalie Pierre is a medical assistant intern from Fortis Institute . She is happy to complete her internship at the clinic - " VIM is a wonderful place to work . I get to meet and help new people each day."
Bu Jung Kim , a Geisinger Family Medicine Resident, spent time seeing patients in conjunction with Dr. Frances Feudale , VIM's Medical Director, at the clinic last week. He is interested in practicing in Family Medicine . Bu Jung is happy that his residency program includes volunteering at VIM because it is a way "to serve and learn about the needs of our community."
Ashlee Oleginski is a student volunteer from Penn State University . She has been assisting the clinic with various projects including creating on a new volunteer and student orientation manual .
Healthy Smiles Program
Visits Local Preschools
So many healthy smiles this summer! Darcie Schaffer , VIM's Dental Clinic Manager, and Madison Yech , Dental Clinic Volunteer, have been very busy presenting the "Healthy Smile for a Healthy Start" Program to local summer programs. The children enjoyed practicing brushing on Katie the Kangaroo and the other dental props.
Iron Triangle Park in Wilkes-Barre on Monday, July 15th
Building Blocks Learning Center in Dallas on Tuesday, July 16th
Building Blocks Learning Center in Plains on Tuesday, July 23rd
Building Blocks Learning Center at Solomon Elementary School in Plains on Tuesday, July 30th
Maven Project Educational
Teleconference Sessions
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.
The upcoming teleconferences sessions are:

  • Tuesday, August 6th - Update on Hypertension

  • Tuesday, August 20th - EKG Interpretation of Common Outpatient Findings

  • Tuesday, September 3rd - Diabetes Management
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 .
Big Losses in PA if ACA is Repealed
An article recently published by the Public News Service details the severe consequences hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents face if the Affordable Care Act is repealed .

Some of the key takeaways from the article are:

  • Full repeal of the ACA would leave about 1.5 million PA residents without insurance, 14.4% of the state's population.
  • ACA repeal would lead to a 116.8% increase in demand for uncompensated care, costing hospitals $1.8 billion a year.
  • Repeal also would result in the loss of about 137,000 jobs in Pennsylvania, increases in prescription drug costs for seniors and a loss of insurance coverage for young adults.

Click the link below to read the full article.
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. 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.
 Tuesday, August 13th
United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA
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