Spring 2024 Newsletter
Spring is here again! As always, we’ve got some news to share along with tips and ideas for living your best healthy life. There’s plenty to read ahead, so let’s go!
Welcome Silvie!
We have a new addition to our small but mighty team of volunteer physicians - Silvie Georgens, dietitian and diabetes educator is now seeing patients at our clinic. Silvie has taken care of individuals living with diabetes for the last two decades.
Silvie has over 20 years of experience working with diabetes and nutrition. Her most recent clinical position was with Diabetes and Endocrinology Associates as a Physician Assistant. She also has extensive experience in insulin device training and management. In 2011 she obtained her masters in physician assistant studies and her PA license. For almost 10 years, she worked with Dr. Fink in La Mesa taking care of individuals in his adult endocrinology practice. She transitioned out of a clinical role 2 years ago to work in medical affairs with a pharmaceutical company.
In addition, she has served as a Clinical Educator for various pharmaceutical and device companies. Prior to becoming a Physician Assistant Silvie was a Certified Diabetes Educator and Dietitian and has worked with the Whittier Diabetes Institute, Family Health Centers of San Diego, the US Peace Corps in Honduras, Kaiser Permanente and UCSD Medical Center.
Silvie is also bilingual. She learned Spanish while living in Honduras for 2 years where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer. She finds great joy in educating her patients and seeing them take control and live well with diabetes.
We’re excited & grateful to have Silvie join us in helping patients improve and maintain their health through better nutrition and education!
AGNES sticks around for another year
In 2023, Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) was thrilled to announce the creation of our Telehealth program, led by our Telehealth Coordinator, Drew Kelly. Via the generous donation of the AGNES telehealth machine by the Lestonnac Free Clinic, we are now able to provide our patients access to critical specialty services such as gastroenterology, cardiology, and neurology, to name a few, free of charge. With this technology, Drew and other volunteers can remotely schedule appointments with specialists, seamlessly upload relevant patient documents, and utilize the attached clinical tools throughout the visit to provide specialists a holistic and detailed view of the patient.
Put to use, VIM was recently able to schedule a gastroenterology appointment for one of our patients that had inexplicably lost 250 pounds over three years. With ample progress notes, prior CT scans and ultrasounds, as well as thorough laboratory diagnostics, VIM was able to provide the gastroenterologist a comprehensive history of the patient. To begin the appointment, Drew took all of the patient’s vitals, and then handed the conversation off to the gastroenterologist, who was able to provide actionable steps the patient could take to further evaluate the cause of the patient’s weight loss and develop a successful treatment plan.
We were so grateful last month to find out that we would have AGNES for another year - this program has added vital services for our patients and greatly enhanced our ability to deliver free in-depth health care and life-saving services.
Volunteer(s) Needed!
In keeping with our Spring theme, we’re looking for a volunteer garden manager. (or two)
Didn’t know that we had a small community garden at our clinic? Surprise! We do!
We have interested volunteers from the local community, but we need someone to help coordinate planting, planning, maintenance & weeding, and volunteer work parties. The time commitment is about 8-16 hours per month and varies by season.
You can read the full position description here: vim-sandiego.org/news/volunteer-garden-manager-needed
Contact our volunteer coordinator, Logan, at ltucker@vim-sandiego.org
Like what we do at VIM? Consider joining our Board of Directors. Contributing as a board member is a great opportunity, and a chance to give back, using your expertise to make a real difference. Find out more at our LinkedIn listing here
Spring Health Tips
April is Stress Awareness month (which seems fitting, since tax time can be a very stressful time for many of us)
Not surprisingly, many of the activities that are recommended for managing or reducing stress are the same ones we see in how to improve your overall general health: get outside, move your body, spend time with people who make you smile, drink more water. There are some specific activities that can be extra helpful for managing stress, and our friends over at the Mental Health UK blog have rounded up eight of the best. you can find them here
As we move through the transition from winter to summer, it's time to shake off the winter blahs and get ready for the summer yays. A few things to put on your to do list:
Get ready to drink more water! Break out those water bottles and prepare to hydrate as it gets warmer.
Check the batteries in your smoke detectors!
Check your tire pressure before starting a long trip. You might wonder if this really counts as a health tip, but trust me, I've broken down away from home before and it was a terrible, horrible, no fun, very stressful day. While you're checking your tire pressure, maybe just go all in and check your coolant level & make sure you've got a roadside emergency kit and some snacks packed for that weekend road trip. Think of it as spring cleaning for your car!
Next month is Bike Safety Month - so if you're getting ready to head out for a ride, check your brakes and helmet to make sure they're in good working order. The National Safety Council has a whole series of tips for cyclists and drivers here
Thanks to the Grossmont Health District and the California Association of Free & Charitable Clinics for their ongoing support!
Where else to find us:
Follow our Volunteers in Medicine San Diego's Facebook page for current events, clinic updates, volunteer opportunities, health-related news, and much more.
You can also find us on LinkedIn as Volunteers In Medicine San Diego, and now on Instagram as well as vimsandiego.
