Pat McDermott, Author at Arlington Free Clinic

We have spent a great deal of time this year reflecting on the last 30 years and taking in just how far we have come. Arlington Free Clinic has changed and expanded its services many times over, always with high-quality, comprehensive patient care front of mind. Our volunteer program has been no different.

Starting in 1994 with borrowed space for clinic sessions and a borrowed basement for administrative work, we served 32 patients every Tuesday night. Volunteers — physicians and nurses included — transported everything that was needed to see those patients, then packed it all up again to go home at the end of the evening. Almost immediately it was clear that primary care once a week wasn’t going to come close to meeting the need. Soon, Thursdays were added for specialty care: gynecology, diabetes management, and eyecare. Today we rely on 350+ physicians, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals, interpreters, and “lay” individuals to provide that care, and more. Not only are we supported by the onsite clinical volunteers, but we rely on a strong group of volunteers who help fundraise and connect us with the Arlington and surrounding communities.

AFC volunteers have been essential to getting us through some of the most tumultuous times in our 30-year history. Each time they have stepped up and accepted the mission set before them. They have always been willing (driven even!) to adapt and find creative solutions to a multitude of unique challenges only a free clinic would face. Volunteers have been, and will continue to be, the bedrock of our patient care.

As we celebrate this 30th Anniversary milestone, we are moving forward with more resources available to our patients than ever before. Having taken the time to set up those resources soundly, we can now integrate volunteers in supporting access. With staff trained on the new phone system and patients reporting consistent ease of use, we can work on revamping administrative volunteer roles at the front desk. With Epic firmly under our belts and eligibility staff feeling confident in all the workflows and data management, we can consider what roles volunteers can play in keeping our patients’ eligibility up to date. As we have learned more about the dental world and how care plans are set up and executed, our dental staff are identifying ways volunteers can support patient care and be a part of our next expansion of dental services. Most recently, we have leveraged funding to create a more robust training program for our volunteer interpreters. We now provide the most comprehensive and detailed onboarding materials for new interpreters that we have in 30 years. This investment will ensure that the patients and volunteers can communicate as seamlessly and as accurately as possible.

In the coming year we are excited to expand the way volunteers support us out in the community. With the launch of the AFC Ambassador Program, we are empowering volunteers aged 16 and older to represent AFC and its mission “in the wild.” Ambassadors serve as an extension of AFC in the community. Some will hold item drives to provide patients with the tools they need to look after their health, such as dental supplies, blood pressure cuffs, sunscreen, and grocery store gift cards. Some will represent AFC at speaking engagements, and some will seek out spaces, events, and publications to promote AFC in the community. We are looking forward to this new role, new opportunities, and new volunteers!

We are continuously grateful for the hard work and dedication of our volunteers that make free, high-quality, comprehensive healthcare available to our neighbors. And we are excited for the new volunteers who come through our doors each day bringing new passion, new energy, new ideas, and new perspectives to our operations and mission. Cheers to the next 30 years!

Over the course of Arlington Free Clinic’s 30-year history, the strength of its enduring success can be attributed to the support — each step of the way — from its incredible clinical partners. Northern Virginia Radiology Consultants (NVRC) has been one of those partners from the very beginning. With the partnership beginning under the leadership of Russell E. McWey, M.D., NVRC (based at VHC Health), has provided the highest quality diagnostic and interventional radiology services at no cost to AFC patients.

The core services provided through the partnership include X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, mammography, and other specialized radiology-related diagnostic studies. Each service offered by NVRC doctors to AFC patients is delivered from a foundation of trust and respect that has been built over three decades.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr. McWey noted, “We don’t separate one patient from the other. So, whether they come from AFC or somewhere else, we take care of everybody. The care is the same. Everybody needs care and that’s what we’re here for.”

Dr. McWey joined VHC in 1987 and now serves as Chief of Medical Imaging and Director of Interventional Radiology. He has served nearly 20 years on VHC’s Board, and in 2020 was named chair. While serving as VHC’s Chief Information Officer, Dr. McWey also played a critical role in connecting the Clinic to NVRC and VHC through the Epic electronic health records system. This integration moved AFC forward substantially and vastly improved the communication of patient information between partners. Outside providers no longer have to wait for patient records to be shared and in urgent situations everyone has background information needed at their fingertips.

“I think it’s been a really cooperative effort to serve this community, and … people really appreciate what AFC has done, not just because of its altruism, but because it provides a good service in care that people wouldn’t get otherwise,” Dr. McWey said. AFC’s sustained ability to care for those in greatest need — as effectively and for as long as it has — would not be possible without committed partners like NVRC.

Earlier this year at a friend-raiser event hosted by an AFC donor, our new CEO Lesley was approached by the caterer. The young woman asked if Lesley worked for Arlington Free Clinic. When Lesley said yes, the woman’s eyes lit up. She shared that AFC had taken care of her mother many years ago and without that assistance, her mother would not be here today. She then waved over an older woman and introduced her to Lesley. Myriam, her mother, was just as excited to say hello. Neither knew when they booked the work that the purpose of the event was to celebrate AFC, but they were thrilled when they arrived and realized they could contribute to the community support.

Myriam is now more than ten years past her diagnosis, surgery, and treatment. She is now officially retired and relishes each and every moment she gets to spend with her grandchildren. Still, every once in a while, she does a little part-time work and sometimes helps her daughter with her catering business, which is what brought her to this very event.

Originally from Bolivia, Myriam has lived and worked in Arlington for over 35 years raising her daughters and grandchildren in her vibrant and supportive community. However, in 2013 she started feeling unwell. She had constant nausea, and she couldn’t eat anything. She could only stomach sipping ginger ale. Her family worried about her and, ultimately, her daughters took her to the VHC emergency department when it was clear things were not improving.

After meeting with physicians and completing a CT scan, the diagnosis was pancreatic cancer. Myriam did not yet know her prognosis. She says that her faith helped her to accept whatever the outcome may have been, but she immediately thought of her family and the milestones she might miss. And like many facing a serious medical diagnosis, she worried about the cost. Myriam worked as an independent contractor and did not have health insurance. Cancer treatment would be expensive and potentially inaccessible.

But there was some good news. The cancer had not spread, making surgery the ideal treatment. VHC referred Myriam to Arlington Free Clinic, where our case manager, Matt Kennedy, worked closely with Myriam and her family to set up a treatment plan and made sure she got the care she needed. He even made sure she was able to have her medical clearance appointment before surgery, despite a snowstorm that shut everything down that day, and thanks to a volunteer physician who made it through the snow to his office to see her.

Thanks to our partnership with VHC, Myriam underwent a 13-hour surgery there with Dr. Hatem Halabi, a leading surgical oncologist who specializes in highly technical surgeries on advanced cancers. After the surgery, Myriam steadfastly pursued further treatment with chemotherapy and radiation with Dr. Robert Christie at Virginia Cancer Specialists, followed by physical therapy at AFC.

“I feel so blessed,” Myriam said. “Some people suffer because they are alone. And I am beyond grateful to AFC.”

Our chance encounter with Myriam highlights how AFC’s patients are an integral part of the community and how their strength and resilience have an impact that spans generations.