When visiting Arlington Free Clinic, guests pass a beautiful stained-glass image of a tree. This thoughtful art piece was made for us by a volunteer gastroenterologist, Dr. Ian Shenk. Dr. Shenk was a dedicated volunteer physician from 2011 to 2022 and cared for well over 600 patients during his tenure. He was passionate about patient care and notorious for requesting to see 8-10 patients each clinic session. When the pandemic hit, Dr. Shenk could not be deterred from volunteering on-site despite his age and higher-risk status and saw patients every other weekend while the clinic was empty.
Dr. Shenk was also the physician who first worked out an agreement with VHC Health to perform gastroenterology procedures for AFC patients in their suite. Thanks to this partnership, GI care has become one of our most accessible specialty services. Last fiscal year alone, 133 AFC patients received colonoscopies at no cost. The arrangement that Dr. Shenk established continues today with AFC volunteer provider and Board Member Dr. Stanley Drake, who performed 30 colonoscopies and 22 upper endoscopies at VHC Health last year.
In January 2022, after much reflection, Dr. Shenk made the difficult decision to retire, recognizing that his capabilities were no longer what they once were. Though stepping back was a painful decision for him, his legacy is woven into the GI program he helped establish, the lives of patients he treated, and the stained-glass tree that greets every visitor to the clinic.
We were deeply saddened by the news of Dr. Shenk’s passing away this summer. He was loved by patients, staff, and volunteers alike. AFC and our capacity for care are forever bettered because of Dr. Shenk, and his impact will be felt in our community for years to come.
