Inside the Clinic: Two is Better Than One Edition
Hello Community!
On Wednesday we had our first full day of onsite patient appointments and the Clinic was abuzz with activity and smiling faces! Thank you again to our wonderful hosts, First Christian Church, for giving us permission to open a second day to serve our dear patients in person. Telemedicine has its benefits, but both staff and patients feel so much better when they can connect directly. We are still testing the waters with onsite interpretation, but this continues to be done effectively remotely.
With vaccinations now open to all adults, we have dedicated one of our nursing staff to do vaccination scheduling for patients through at least the end of this month. This, at the very least, ensures that patients with questions about the vaccine(s) will have the opportunity to speak to a nurse directly; though providers, of course, are willing to step in if there are other questions patients have about their own specific situations. To date, 67 patients have been fully vaccinated, 25 partially vaccinated, and 17 have been scheduled this week.
Another wonderful event this week was welcoming onsite many of our amazing volunteers – old and new - for a fun outdoor gathering to celebrate the work you do for the Clinic and the community. Thank you to Barbara Weingold (Clinic Director) and Lisa Hornstein (Administrative Assistant) for all their work in making it happen and for organizing an amazing raffle with loads of prizes including from some of our great local businesses like:
Trader Joe’s, Bailey’s Crossroads
Giant, Bailey’s Crossroads
German Gourmet, Falls Church
La Madeleine, Bailey’s Crossroads
(Lisa roped in a number of her friends to contribute to the raffle prizes, so thank you to all of them, too!)
One of the sadder moments in that wonderful event was saying farewell to our dear Pedro Turina, Volunteer Enrollment Specialist, who has made the decision to take his leave for the time being to attend to some personal matters here and back in Chile. I am so grateful he agreed to stay on a little longer to help train our new Ignatian Corps Volunteer, Rose McGruddy who has joined the Patient Services team in the enrollment process which Pedro has so ably and professionally managed for many years. We wish you and the family all the best, Pedro! And remember, we know where you are!!!
Finally, this week (8th) Dr. Sneiderman, our Volunteer Medical Director, and current Volunteer of the Week will be celebrating another year on this amazing planet and so we say Happy, Happy Birthday to you!
Stay safe and healthy, One and All!
Anne-Lise