Volunteers in Medicine Newsletter
Public Relations at the National Office
2nd VIM National Conference Update
New Administrative Assistant Joins VIM Staff
AMA Foundation's Healthy Communities/Healthy America Award
Allscripts Medication Services
Heart to Heart International
News from VIM Alliance Clinics
Volunteers in Medicine
162 St. Paul Street
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 651-0112
info@vimi.org
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Public Relations at the National Office
To help us raise awareness about the Volunteers in Medicine movement, the national office has begun working with Elizabeth Davis of Boardman Davis Communications on our PR efforts. Our goal is to increase visibility of Volunteers in Medicine by building relationships with the media on both a national and local level.
In order to do this effectively, Elizabeth may call upon individual VIM Alliance members for local success stories, such as details about an outstanding volunteer, clinical program, or community event.
As part of our PR efforts the national office has developed a Press Room page on our website. This page provides links to press releases, media mentions, the VIM Press Kit, latest VIM news, and a current list of VIM Alliance clinics. Please refer your local press contacts to this page for information about the national organization. Be sure to email us any press coverage that your clinic receives and we will post it to this page. If you have not done so already, please include a link from your website to our new website www.volunteersinmedicine.org.
With the health care issue at the forefront of the presidential election, the national office has invited Senators Obama and McCain to visit a VIM clinic. This is in no way an endorsement of either candidate, but rather a way to bring awareness on a national level to the issues of the uninsured and showcase the collective work of Volunteers in Medicine. Clinics in the “in contention” states were prioritized for site visits. We recognize this is a long shot but well worth the effort. If you have direct connection to either campaign, please contact the national office.
2nd VIM National Conference Update
The national office has received your inquires about the next VIM Alliance National Conference. We are exploring the possibility of hosting a conference in Spring 2009.
The initial planning is underway and possible funding sources are being sought. A small planning committee, composed of VIM Alliance clinic representatives, has met and will continue to provide input and direction to the national office staff. As always, we welcome your individual input and suggestions.
New Administrative Assistant Joins VIM Staff
Please welcome Brenda Kissam as Administrative Assistant in the national office! Brenda Kissam joined VIM in May, after the departure of Ellen Hamilton. Brenda recently relocated from Kansas to be closer to her family in Vermont. With her background in education and hours of nonprofit volunteer experience, Brenda is quickly becoming an integral part of the staff.
Among her many responsibilities, Brenda oversees the McNeil OTC program. If you have not done so already, please submit your McNeil Order Form as soon as possible. The deadline for orders was Friday, August 29th.
Brenda can be reached at bkissam@vimi.org or by calling (802) 651-0112. You will find her in the office on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
AMA Foundation's Healthy Communities/Healthy America Award
Community Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) located in West Chester, Pennsylvania was among 16 clinics from across the country to receive the 2008 AMA Foundation’s Healthy Communities/Healthy America award. These free clinics are recognized for their excellence in physician and community volunteerism, resourcefulness, sustainability and leveraging partnerships.
Community VIM joins the five VIM Alliance members who were among the 2007 recipients: Community Health Mission in Savannah, GA; Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank, NJ; Partners for Healing in Tullahoma, TN; VIM Clinic of Bartholomew County in Columbus, IN; and VIM of the Cascades in Bend, OR.
The Healthy Communities/Healthy America award is supported in part by a generous grant from Pfizer Inc. Applications for the 2009 program will be available on the AMA website in November 2008. The Foundation plans to award up to 20 grants of $10,000 to $25,000. We strongly encourage VIM Alliance members to apply for this award.
Allscripts Medication Services
Allscripts is the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare. Across the country, thousands of health organizations ranging from solo doctor's offices to large academic physician groups and hospitals embrace Allscripts for their proven ability to optimize financial and clinical outcomes.Allscripts is a trusted partner providing comprehensive medication dispensing, electronic prescribing and patient adherence solutions tailored to each client’s specific needs. As the pioneer in the industry, they have over 20 years of expertise serving more than 15,000 client physicians nationwide. Allscripts works in close partnership with physicians to help them add revenue and margins to their practice, while providing patients the added convenience of in-office prescription pick-up.
For more information on how to establish a medications account with Allscripts, please contact: Steven L. Karno, Sales Executive at (866) 790-8520 or via email at steve.karno@allscripts.com. Additional information can be found at www.allscripts.com or in the Allscripts Overview.
Heart to Heart International
Heart to Heart International is a global humanitarian organization that inspires, empowers and mobilizes individuals to serve the needs of the poor in their community and around the world. Heart to Heart works to improve the quality of medical care and access to essential health services in developing countries and takes a holistic approach to restore medical services and rebuild lives in times of disaster. In addition to their international work, Heart to Heart also provides assistance to some of the poorest and most vulnerable populations in America.Heart to Heart International provides medicines and medical suppliers to qualifying free health care clinics across the United States. Heart to Heart’s custom order service allows requesting organization to choose items from the Heart to Heart catalog. There is a handling fee of $200 per order to help Heart to Heart cover basic operational costs. (Typically, this fee is less than 7% of the total value of the donation.) The requesting organization is also required to cover all shipping fees, which will vary depending on the size and weight of the order.
For more details about Heart to Heart International visit www.hearttoheart.org. The U.S. Organization/Clinic Application Fact Sheet will provide specifics on requesting, transporting, and reporting procedures. For specific question, please contact Heart to Heart International at (913) 764-5200 or via email at info@hearttoheart.org.