HISTORY OF THE CLINIC VIM Berkshires is the result of a shared dream on the part of many individuals: opening a free healthcare clinic to serve the thousands of people living in the Berkshire area (MA, CT, and NY) who work without employer-provided health insurance, do not qualify for governmental assistance programs and are not financially able to purchase individual healthcare. The essential belief was that a volunteer based clinic in the Berkshires was crucial to closing some of the healthcare gaps facing our community. An Initiating Committee was formed in early 2003 and mission and vision statements were clarified. Volunteers spoke to civic groups and churches, as well as corporations and foundations, further increasing community support. Grants were received from a number of organizations to fund a needs assessment during the summer of 2003. The Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation offered assistance in recruiting licensed physicians to volunteer in the clinic. In March of 2004, commercial space was leased in Great Barrington, MA and a professional healthcare administrator was selected as Executive Director. During the build-out, local businesses and individuals donated numerous items and services to help the dream become a reality. Substantial portions of the necessary building renovations were done on a volunteer basis. All the architectural, general contracting services and much of the building materials were donated, and lawyers, accountants, computer professionals and public relations experts provided their services free of charge. As the Berkshire Eagle, put it on April 1, 2004, “It’s starting to look like a real old-fashioned barn-raising.” Every member of the board contributed funds towards the first year's operations and local and out-of-area foundations, local businesses, Berkshire residents as well as people from out of the area made additional contributions. As a result of this community wide effort, VIM Berkshires was incorporated and received its 501 (c) (3) status from the Internal Revenue Service. Its mission is: The VIM Berkshires free clinic will provide access to quality healthcare for all income qualified, uninsured residents of the Berkshire region in a respectful and caring manner. An opening celebration was held on August 13, 2004. Speakers included area political representatives as well as key members of the local healthcare community. The space was made ready and the first medical patients were seen in December 2004. The first dental clinic took place at the end of February 2005 and a second dental operatory was added in May 2006. The Clinic has three examining rooms for medical patients similar to those in the office of a private physician. Mental health patients are seen on or off-site by appointment with the professional staff. Besides medical and dental clinics and individual mental health counseling, the Clinic periodically offers off-site outreach programs where screening for various kinds of health problems occurs. In addition, through relationships and referrals to over 200 other organizations the Clinic serves as a portal of entry to healthcare for those who do not qualify for VIM’s in-house services. VIM Berkshires operates with one full-time paid employee and several part-time employees. As of June 2006, there were approximately 60 volunteer healthcare professionals and 140 “lay” volunteers. The Director of Clinical Services is a volunteer as is the case for other key positions such as Finance Director and Communications Manager. Volunteer physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, dentists, dental assistants and hygienists, mental health specialists, and other professionals provide medical services. Lay volunteers perform roles associated with patient intake, transportation and non-technical translation and a wide variety of fund-raising and administrative tasks to round out the workforce. An important role is played by trained medical interpreters for speakers of Spanish and other languages. The pharmacy is stocked with both purchased and donated medicines and over-the-counter and prescription drugs are provided to patients at no charge. The Clinic is pioneering locally in the use of electronic medical records to provide more accurate and better services to patients. In the twelve month period ending May 31, 2006, there were 1350 patient visits on the premises (some healthcare providers see our patients in their own facilities) and 3,500 volunteer contributed hours, also on premises. Services were delivered to over 400 patients and approximately 1400 people were referred to other organizations. Of the patients seen 43% had Latino surnames or were Spanish speaking, half were under the age of 30, most were high school graduates and the split between males and females was about even. The Clinic accepts no federal or state funds and is supported entirely by private donations. Nearly 500 individuals, foundations, businesses and grateful patients or their friends have contributed to the funds necessary to run the Clinic. The operations of VIM Berkshires are overseen by the Board of Trustees (a list of Board members can be found elsewhere on this website). Board members continue to enlist community support and to look both to the Berkshire region and beyond for funding. They are convinced that by providing healthcare to those outside the system, VIM Berkshires will improve the health and productivity of a significant portion of the workforce, help relieve the burden borne by local emergency rooms, and build bridges in the community as cooperating populations reach out to serve others.