Bergen Initiative Volunteer Medical

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Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 1025
Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative
South Hackensack, NJ 07606
241 Moore Street, Suite 101
Hackensack, NJ 07601
bvmi.org
Printing generously donated by United Water.
Bergen
Volunteer
Medical
Initiative
We make
women’s health
a priority
STORY INSIDE
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A PUBLICATION FOR THE SUPPORTERS OF BVMI
2014–2015 Board of Trustees
Rolf Henel
Chair
Gene Marsh
Vice Chair
Neil Abitabilo
Vice Chair
Jack Inserra
Secretary
Clifford Surloff, CPA
Treasurer
Heidi O. Ahlborn, MD
Michael W. Azzara
Samuel A. Cassell, MD, Founding Chair
Roy D. Cho, Esq.
Andrea Costa Egan
Janet Finke
The Honorable Antero (Tito) Jackson
Tammy King
Wendy Klein, Esq.
Marilyn Schotz
Charlotte Sokol, MD
Christopher Vanuga
Bernard Weinstein
Carl Wierum, MD
Amanda Missey
Executive Director
Dear Friend...
We wanted to share with you some important changes taking place
at Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative!
You are holding the first – our new newsletter – in your hand right
now. In each issue of BVMI Checkup, you will find out how BVMI has
changed a patient’s life. We’ll also highlight just how our incredible
volunteers and generous donors made that story possible.
Another change is less obvious, but may also be of interest to you. In May, Rolf was elected to serve as chairman of the BVMI Board
of Trustees, and Amanda became the new executive director upon the retirement of Norma Gindes. We are both thrilled to lead
this dynamic organization, and look forward to working with all of our supporters to ensure that BVMI continues to provide primary
healthcare to the uninsured in Bergen County.
We hope you enjoy BVMI Checkup – let us know what you think!
Rolf Henel, Chairman of the Board
rhenel@bvmi.net
Amanda Missey, Executive Director
amissey@bvmi.net
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FALL 2014
How Can I Help Episcopal Social Services?
Bergen
Volunteer
Medical
Initiative
CARING FOR WOMEN
WOMEN’S HEALTH:
A BVMI Priority
Lisa Ann Milller, MD
L-R: Donald Weinstein, MD, volunteer physician at BVMI; Arthur DeSimone, MD, BVMI Medical Director
When Speed Counts
On a Monday afternoon, a 32 year-old
single waitress named “Barbara”
came to Bergen Volunteer Medical
Initiative (BVMI) for the first time.
She walked into Dr. Don Weinstein’s
examining room complaining about
her bloated stomach. Although she’d
been dieting and had lost 25 pounds
in two months, she just couldn’t lose
any weight around her stomach.
Barbara appeared to be six months
pregnant, yet test results showed
that she wasn’t.
Dr. Weinstein, an internist and
gastroenterologist who has been a
BVMI volunteer for five years, felt
her abdomen and found a hard mass
surrounded by fluids. He preliminarily
diagnosed the mass as an ovarian
tumor and determined that Barbara
urgently needed a CAT scan. She also
needed to be seen by an oncological
gynecologist.
Dr. Arthur De Simone, BVMI’s Medical
Director and liaison with Bergen
County’s five local hospitals,
immediately called Holy Name
Medical Center and reached out to
Dr. Sharyn Lewin, who specializes in
Did
You
Know
?
women’s cancers. Their conversation
ended with Dr. Lewin saying, “Send
her right over.”
By Wednesday – just two days later –
Barbara had seen Dr. Lewin and
undergone a CAT scan. Dr. Lewin
agreed that “it was likely an ovarian
tumor.” Exploratory surgery confirmed the diagnosis, and several
tumors were removed. While
recovering in the hospital, Barbara
and her parents praised BVMI’s quick
action and access to medical
resources. “I can’t thank BVMI
enough,” added Barbara, who is
currently receiving follow-up
treatment and care.
“Not a minute was wasted in getting
a confirmed diagnosis and free
treatment for our patient,” noted
Dr. De Simone. “We are fortunate that
we have excellent relations with the
area hospitals and a network of
incredibly responsive physicians.”
BVMI provides primary and preventive care to low-income Bergen
County residents who are working
but have no insurance. Our patients –
I ACCORDING TO ENROLL AMERICA 2014,
AS MANY AS
who are often seeing a doctor for the
first time in years – frequently need
to be seen by specialists outside of
the healthcare center. All five area
hospitals – Holy Name Medical
Center, Bergen Regional Medical
Center, Englewood Hospital and
Medical Center, Hackensack
University Medical Center and
The Valley Hospital – and 300 area
physicians in private practice have
agreed to provide free services to a
specified number of BVMI patients.
BVMI relies on volunteers to provide
free healthcare to almost 1,000
patients. We welcome both clinical
and non-clinical volunteers to help
at the Center. If you are looking for a
way to use your talents and make a
meaningful contribution to our
community, we want your help!
For more information or to submit an
application, go to bvmi.org and click on
the link for Volunteers. Current clinical
volunteer needs include physicians,
nurses and social workers; non-clinical
volunteers are needed to assist with
volunteer management, clinician
credentialing and administrative work.
13.2% OF NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS –
100,000 IN BERGEN COUNTY – REMAIN UNINSURED,
EVEN AFTER IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.
I ALL OF BVMI’S
1,000 PATIENTS ARE UNINSURED, EVEN THOUGH THEY WORK.
BVMI: Healthcare for the Uninsured
Sixty-seven percent of BVMI’s
patients are female, so we take
women’s health seriously. So
seriously, in fact, that we created
the Women’s Health Initiative two
years ago. Volunteer Kay Fagan,
PhD, RN, APN leads a women’s
health team of three gynecologists
and two nurse practitioners.
Lisa Ann Miller, MD, is a gynecologist with a full-time practice. Since
2010, she’s found the time to
volunteer twice a month. “This is
an important way to give back – to
help those who otherwise would fall
through the cracks.” She adds,
“Patients feel very comfortable coming here. We treat them like family
and they are very appreciative.”
All new patients at BVMI are
seen by a primary care physician.
Women patients are then referred
to a women’s health practitioner for
a full gynecological exam. When
necessary, referrals to outside specialists are made; women over 40
are referred for a mammogram.
We at BVMI know that keeping
women healthy is important. Our
typical patient supports her family
on low-wages while caring for
young children and aging parents.
If she’s not well, the family suffers.
We need your support to provide
more care for more women. Help
us shorten waiting lists and ensure
women receive the compassionate
care they need and deserve. To
learn more about BVMI’s Women’s
Health Initiative, contact Amanda
Missey, Executive Director, 201518-8484 or amissey@bvmi.net.
THANKS TO OUR
VOLUNTEERS AND DONORS
For every $9 we spend, $8 is used
for the medical care of our patients.
Volunteers provide more than $500,000
annually in pro bono service to BVMI!