Fall 2015 - Gloucester

The Clinic Pulse
Volume 4, Issue 3
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
President ~ Frank T. West, III, MD
Fall 2015
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KAY BRADLEY RECEIVED
THE UNSUNG HERO AWARD FROM VIRGINIA
HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION
Vice President ~ Nancy Dykeman
Secretary ~ Linda Gaskins-Jeffers
Treasurer ~ C. Richard Pogue
Directors:
Gaylen Davis, RN
Nina Guy
Louise Theberge
Pat Zima
Bob Bailey
Orlando Bartlett
Margie Wiley
Vicky Gunn
Ex-Officio
Board Members:
Ann Quinn
Adam Taylor
Wayne J. Reynolds, DO
C.R. Harris, Jr. DDS
Stephen J. Friedrich, FACHE
Megan Kleckner
Kay Bradley, Executive Director
Staying Connected
to GMCC
www.gmcareclinic.com
@gmcareclinic
Senator Hanger; Bill Mims, Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and VHCF Board Member; Carter Melton,
VHCF Board Member; Kay Bradley, Executive Director of GMCC; Dr. Frank West, President of the GMCC Board
On May 28th the Clinic’s Executive Director, Kay Bradley,
received the Unsung Hero Award from the Virginia Health Care
Foundation. The award is given out to those who have made great strides to
increase access of health care to uninsured Virginians. “The board of
directors and I are so thrilled that Kay was honored with this prestigious
award. She has been tireless in her efforts to help our organization better
serve our neighbors in need in Gloucester and Mathews. Her dedication,
hard work, and especially her compassion are truly an example to all who are
around her.”, Dr. Frank West, GMCC Board President
PAGE 2
WHY DO WE NEED A FREE CLINIC WHEN WE HAVE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
(OBAMA CARE)?
The answer, in part, is: Although today there are thousands more Virginians with health insurance prior
than the passing of the ACA, there are still thousands more who continue to try and live without any
coverage. The Virginia Health Care Foundation has some interesting data about this on their website.
Studies completed in 2104 show that 15% of all Virginians (995,000), under the age of 65, are without
any form of medical insurance. It is estimated that close to 4,000 of these individuals live in Gloucester
or Mathews Counties. The overwhelming majority of these people are employed (71%), many have more
than one job yet they can’t afford medical care nor needed prescriptions The uninsured have a higher
likelihood of being diagnosed with late stage cancers, much higher possibility of preventable
hospitalizations, and a greater possibility of death from a treatable condition. A recent study revealed
that 60% of uninsured Virginians reported that they had at least one unmet medical need within the past
year. An earlier study revealed as many as 10 working age Virginians die each week because they
lack health insurance-most from diseases that could have been treated easily if caught early.
The ACA does little to address the need for dental services yet we have reliable data that reflects adults
with periodontal disease have a 1.5 to 2.0 times higher chance of a fatal heart attack, are three times
more likely to have a stroke, and if they are diabetic the chances that they can control their illness are
greatly diminished. The ACA has helped many but not all! Clinics such as GMCC are here to fill the gap.
GMCC is their safety net; they have nowhere else to turn! In 2014 we recorded 12,863 patient visits and
provided $17,237,306 worth of medical services. We trust this helps clarify why Clinics are still needed
and why your support is so critical.
Ann Quinn, Former Board Member and Friend of the Clinic
P.S. We will include more information about this topic in subsequent publications of our newsletter.
Remember, tours of the Clinic and answers to questions such as this one will be available. Just call
804-210-1368 and ask to be scheduled.
THE MARY MORTON PARSONS MATCHING GRANT
In May the Clinic received a matching grant from The Mary Morton
Parsons Foundation in the amount of $50,000. The matching grant
goes towards helping pay off the Clinic’s $2.5 million capital
campaign. To date the Clinic has received $16,450 of the $50,000
needed to receive the matching grant. The Clinic needs your help to
reach our goal of $50,000 and get closer to paying off the mortgage on
our new and improved Care Clinic. The new Clinic has helped expand
services to uninsured or underinsured residents of Gloucester and
Mathews County that range from more patient rooms to a dental wing
for residents to receive dental care. The Clinic is not just a home for
the patients that use our services but also a home for the people that
serve, donate, and volunteer here year after year. Your donation to our
local Care Clinic is very much appreciated.
PAGE 5
GREETINGS FROM KAY BRADLEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Kay G. Bradley,
Executive Director
Courtesy of Quinton Sheppard
Gloucester Mathews Gazette Journal
In the last newsletter, I told you that we have started a new era for the
clinic where we will define our success by quality indicator benchmarks.
Major components of this approach include: a full hour for a
comprehensive health assessment for new patients, another session of
planning with the targeted patients to define their risk factors, their need
for self-management (i.e. individual and group self-management
sessions, pharmacy consults) and finalize a Plan of Care. While we will
provide the comprehensive health assessment to all our chronic care
patients, this year, we are concentrating on self-management for patients
with diabetes and/or obesity, with full patient visit planning.
How are we doing? Last quarter, we exceeded Medicaid standards by
59% for blood pressure control (<140/90); 34% over Medicaid
standards for LDL under control (<100) and we exceeded Medicaid
standards by 47% for HbA1c (blood sugar level <8.0). Thank you to our
412 volunteers and the paid staff for believing that the quality of health
care is just as important as access to care.
Kay G. Bradley, Executive Director
PATIENT CORNER
PAGE 3
A NOTE FROM JANET GOMEZ, VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
The Clinic continues to be very blessed by the wonderful volunteers who donate
their time and talent to care for the patients we serve. Since January, 50 new
volunteers have joined the Gloucester-Mathews Care Clinic family. Two new
doctors have started volunteering at the Clinic – Dr. Helene Goldsman, who
specializes in internal medicine, started volunteering in April and sees patients
once a month at the acute care evening clinic; Dr. Maurice Murphy is a retired
emergency medicine physician who started seeing patients in July during the day
two times a month.
We will have a new psychiatrist starting in August –
Dr. Parthiv Sheth – he will be seeing patients at the evening clinic on the first
Thursday of the month. Another physician is returning to volunteering at the
clinic on a regular basis – Dr. Wendell Poulsen, Jr. He will be seeing patients 2
times a week. We will be participating in the annual Mathews Market Days on
September 11th and 12th – in addition to handing out information about the
Clinic, we will have several nurses who will do free blood pressure checks.
Stop by and say hello!
Janet Gomez, Volunteer Coordinator
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Exercise Equipment Trainer to help train patients on how to use the exercise
equipment.

Dietician who can work one-on-one with our patients on a healthy diet.

Nurses and medical assistants who can volunteer during the day.
If you know of anyone who would like to volunteer, please have them give Janet Gomez
a call at 804-210-1368. We have new volunteer orientation on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays
of every month at 3:00 p.m.
PAGE 4
UPCOMING FUNDRAISING EVENTS
P.O. Box 684
Gloucester, VA 23061
Non Profit Org.
U. S. Postage Paid
Gloucester, VA 23061
Permit Number 27
Return Service Requested
GMCC funding is provided in part by
More Ways to Give to your Local Care Clinic!
Donating just got a whole lot easier. Every time
you shop at either of the above stores remember
to think of the clinic. A portion of your sale will
be given back to the Clinic. For Amazon
purchases go to www.amazonsmile.com and
select Gloucester-Mathews Free Clinic as your
charity and begin shopping. When you visit
Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, mention the Clinic at
check out to have a portion of your sale given
the Clinic. Happy Shopping!