The Volunteer Voice
E-Newsletter
December 16, 2019
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You are cordially invited...
Annual Appreciation Luncheon
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
11:30am to 2:00pm
Westmoreland Club
Mark Your Calendar and
Stay Tuned for More Information
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Welcome To A New Volunteer Dentist
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Dr. Joseph Carr, DMD
is a dentistry practitioner in Forty Fort, PA. Dr. Carr started volunteering at the beginning of November and focuses on providing
dentures to VIM patients
. The staff is very
excited to welcome
Dr. Carr to the clinic.
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VIM is in need of additional
volunteer dentists, dental assistants and dental hygienists
. The VIM Dental Clinic is a high demand community resource providing free dental care to the low income, uninsured community. Many patients seek care at VIM for severe pain caused by abscesses and dental caries . If you know of anyone that may want to volunteer, please call
Kelly Ranieli
, Executive Director, at
(570)970-2864
.
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Behavioral Health Success Story
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Mary is a 23 year old female who started counseling at VIM in October for a presenting problem of
anxiety and panic disorder
stemming from unresolved childhood trauma. Her symptoms were so severe that she was often unable to go to public places without having to leave due to a panic attack. Every day responsibilities such as working and attending family gatherings
triggered her anxiety
and she would often avoid these events by isolating herself. Through psychoeducation and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Mary became more aware of her anxiety and
learned techniques to calm
irrational thoughts. She has even been able to pull herself out of an attack during
high stress situations
. Mary’s dedication to her mental health has
greatly improved her quality of life
and she is hopeful to see even more improvement in the future. Mary’s story is a testament to the strength of the therapeutic relationship and self-discipline in healing severe anxiety as a result of trauma. April Lennon, Social Care Coordinator at VIM, continues to meet with Mary on a regular basis to improve her mental health and well-being.
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Staff Virtually Attend Maven Lecture
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On Tuesday, December 10
th
, VIM hosted an online video lecture by Dr. Charlie Schwartz from the MAVEN Project. This lecture entitled
“Informed Consent”
focused on the patient’s ability to understand relevant medical information as well as the burdens, risks, and implications of treatment alternatives in order to make an independent, voluntary decision
Dr. Schwartz is an internist/psychiatrist and spent his career at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as an Associate Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry and Montefiore Medical Center as an attending physician in psychiatry and internal medicine and Director of Primary Care Psychiatric Training, Palliative Care Psychiatry, and HIV Psychiatry. He is currently interested in remote, telephonic work such as the MAVEN Project.
The MAVEN Project provides a
multitude of free resources
for practitioners at VIM including “real-time” and video-taped educational lectures and the ability to consult a variety of specialists. If you need any information regarding how to access educational lectures or to do a consult, please contact Dr. Feudale.
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Daon Kim
is a class of 2020 Pharmacy student from Wilkes University. He hopes to continue his practice at a
Military Hospital
.
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Sam Giordano
is a class of 2020 Health Administration student from The University of Scranton. He chose to volunteer at VIM to help the underserved. He hopes to pursue his Masters of Health Administration.
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Robinson Counseling Center In-Service
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Jessica Budzak, D&A Specialist and Prevention Education Specialist from the Robinson Counseling Center spoke to the volunteers and staff of VIM at the November in-service. The Robinson Counseling Center is an affiliate agency of the Children’s Service Center. They provide private counseling, family counseling, group counseling, and medication management to adults. Jessica also provided education on the
vaping crisis among adolescence.
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Staff Attend Family Service Center
2019 Family Week Conference
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Family Service Association held their annual Family Week Conference on Friday, November 22
nd
. In attendance from VIM were Kelly Ranieli, Executive Director and April Lennon, Social Care Coordinator where they learned about building “healthy communities through healthy families” which was the theme of the event. Teri Ooms, past president of the VIM board, gave an informative lecture titled “Overview of Regional Social Determinants of Health”, outlining needs specific to Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. Many other speakers covered a variety of topics including trauma, social determinants of health, and the impact of substance use on families.
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Social Care Coordinator, April Lennon and Marywood MSW Intern, Serena Kozokas have been visiting local agencies in Luzerne County to create a network of referral sources for the Health Equity Program. Health Equity is the focus of addressing obstacles that prevent individuals from having a fair opportunity to live as healthy as possible. VIM’s
Health Equity Program
focuses on food insecurity, employment, housing, and transportation. April and Serena recently met with
Educational Opportunity Centers
to learn about their variety of services to both employees and patients and with
Career Link
to discuss a
collaborative effort
to establish a strong referral system for shared consumers. Specific projects with both of these agencies are in the beginning stages.
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Bill Gates’ 5 Secrets To Happiness Are Surprisingly Affordable
By: Remy Blumenfeld of Forbes Magazine
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It’s maddening, but sometimes
Forbes
readers dismiss the wisdom of a life coach. You tend to pay more attention to the life lessons delivered by billionaires. The problem is that while most life coaches are not very rich, most billionaires are not tremendously happy.
So you can imagine my delight when, about 30 minutes into his most recent “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit, Bill Gates, the world’s second-richest man, was asked two very personal questions.
“Are you happy?”
and
“Through it all, what makes you happy?”
His answers not only wise, but surprisingly affordable.
As a life coach, I don’t believe in the
idea of happiness
— I’d have preferred it if he’d been asked about balance, fulfillment or gratitude. Still, to the first question Bill Gates, 63, responded: “Yes! When I was in my 30s, I didn’t think people in their 60s were very smart or had much fun. Now I have had a counter-revelation. Ask me in 20 years and I will tell you how smart 80-year-olds are.”
To the second question, Gates said,
“Some recently said that when your children are doing well it really is very special, and as a parent, I completely agree." “Sometimes following through on commitments to yourself, like doing more exercise, also improves your happiness.”
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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, January 14th
2020 U.S. Census
Presented by Katie Derhammer
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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 | Fax: 570-970-2868
email: vimwb@hotmail.com
website www.vimwb.org
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