News – Page 6 – Arlington Free Clinic

Located in the heart of Ballston, Dr. Sara Varghai opened NOVA Optique + Eyecare in March 2021. A strong believer in the idea that sight shouldn’t be limited to those who can afford quality eye care, giving back to her community through a pro bono partnership with Arlington Free Clinic has been part of her business model since the beginning.

For nearly two years, Dr. Varghai has generously saved one appointment slot per week for an AFC patient. Our clinical case manager uses these appointments for patients with acute eye care needs as well as for those who have complained of poor eyesight and are due for a check-up. Dr. Varghai provides a comprehensive eye exam and generously donates a free pair of glasses to every patient we refer. If a more serious problem is identified, one that may require surgery, for example, she alerts the Clinic so we can make a referral to a specialist.

Dr. Varghai shared about a rather young AFC patient who had only one seeing eye. During her appointment, Dr. Varghai stressed the importance of glasses for protective reasons and encouraged the patient to reach back out in the future should she need anything. Several months later, the patient was experiencing flashes in her good eye. Thankfully, everything was fine, but Dr. Varghai was happy she felt comfortable calling her office so she could have her mind put to ease right away.

We are tremendously grateful to Dr. Varghai and her compassionate staff for their service to the patients of AFC. So many simply need glasses to help them get through the day and wouldn’t otherwise be able to access.

Given that 65% of AFC’s 1,400 patients are women, our team of volunteer women’s health providers — Colleen Borelli, MD, Christine Pintz, NP, David Powers, MD, Rupali Singh, MD, and Laura Stone, MD — fulfill a critical dimension of AFC’s comprehensive care by addressing general gynecological needs, providing survivorship services for those diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer, and ensuring access to potentially life-saving preventive screenings.

Coming out of the pandemic, cervical cancer screening in particular has been a great priority of AFC’s women’s health program, given how important early detection is to successful outcomes. While we have a wonderful partnership with the Women’s Imaging Center at VHC Health that allowed us to keep pace with the need for mammograms all through COVID, screening for cervical cancer requires an appointment at the Clinic. Since most women need screening every 1-5 years, we fell behind while we were limiting onsite care during the height of the pandemic. These days, we’re keeping our volunteer gynecologists very busy and have quadrupled the number of cervical cancer screenings completed compared to last fiscal year.

Our women’s health team works in partnership with the VHC Health Outpatient Clinic GYN program to provide additional testing and biopsies when an abnormality is detected during screening — and thanks to a longstanding partnership with VA Cancer Specialists, we are able to provide access to the full range of cancer treatment, should a need arise.

AFC is careful to avoid duplicating services available elsewhere in the community, so to fully meet the women’s healthcare needs of our patients, we partner with Arlington County DHS where women may access prenatal care, contraception, and STI testing.

Thanks to our volunteer GYN team for being the strong foundation of this program, and for the significant impact they make on the health of the women of AFC!

“Luis” hadn’t been feeling like himself. Working as a cook was hard on his body, but he had a sense that something else was going on. His wife was expecting their first child, and this had given Luis a newfound appreciation for the interconnectedness of his life and the lives of those who depend — and would soon come to depend — on him.

He shared his concerns with a co-worker who happened to be a patient at Arlington Free Clinic and soon Luis had access to comprehensive healthcare for the first time in years. After learning he had diabetes and high cholesterol, and gaining free access via AFC to the medications, education, and other resources needed to manage these conditions, he began to feel much better! But years in the kitchen had done a number on his feet. AFC called upon Edward Pozarny, DPM, a local podiatrist who generously provided two pro bono foot surgeries this year, getting Luis back to work — and to chasing after his daughter — pain free!

Luis recently registered his daughter for pre-k at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. Reflecting on his health journey that began before she was even born, he shared how much he has come to value himself and his well-being since taking charge of his health: “if I’m good, then she and her mother are good — and so are my elderly father and my brother back home in Guatemala.” AFC has a responsibility to patients like Luis who are themselves shouldering great responsibility in their families and throughout the community every day.

Story from our 2023 Annual Report. Read more about AFC’s commitment to ethical storytelling here.