Ilana Steinhauer is not only the Executive Director of the VIM Berkshires but also serves as clinical director and is an active nurse practitioner. The Massachusetts clinic provides care to about 1,300 patients, 80% of whom are minority immigrants, mainly from Latin America. Attention to the social determinants of health is a fully integrated piece of Ilana’s model of healthcare. From ensuring the availability of translators to having patients meet with community health workers to assess needs related to housing, employment, education, childcare, etc., and to make connections to available resources, she is constantly working to address and reduce health disparities.

Being a rural community with a lack of public transportation, Ilana helped create a transportation program to get patients to and from appointments, eliminating a major barrier to care. This program provides almost 1,000 rides annually, which significantly increased patient visit attendance and, in turn, drove improved health outcomes. She also helped create and serves as a leader of BASIC– Berkshire Alliance to Support the Immigrant Community, which brings together different local organizations working to make it easier for immigrants to thrive in their community, harnessing the various available resources and working together to change the systems that impact health outcomes. Ilana also helped ensure that resources were available to address to COVID-19 pandemic by educating the community, helping identify places to quarantine for those living in congregate housing, and ensuring equitable access to vaccines. Greater then 95% of the clinic’s patients have received COVID-19 vaccinations.

Within the VIM clinic, Ilana ensures equity is central to the organization’s culture. She hired a Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) expert to work with staff, volunteers, and board members and launched a multicultural action group representing all key constituents (including patients and community members) to assess the clinic’s performance and recommend action, ranging from policy changes and staffing to adjusting intake and treatment practices.

“We are grateful to have leaders like Ilana Steinhauer who are dedicated to providing accessible, affordable, and equitable care to the members of their communities,” NAFC President and Chief Executive Officer Nicole Lamoureux said. “Ilana exemplifies the passion found at Volunteers in Medicine and other Free and Charitable Clinics for creating a culture of health, addressing disparities, and changing systems to have a positive impact on health outcomes in communities throughout the country.”

The RWJF Awards for Health Equity is a grant program spanning seven years that has been awarded to the NAFC and other organizations spanning sectors including public health, health care, social justice, civic leadership, education, community development, and philanthropy.

Wittenberg, who has been a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society for 46 years, has been a volunteer at Volunteers In Medicine Berkshires in Great Barrington since 2011. He has seen more than 1,000 patients during his time with VIM.

The piece to be auctioned is called “Femme assise dans un fauteuil, s’essuyant la hanche gauche,” or “Woman Sitting in an Armchair, Drying her Left Hip”. The auction house estimates the piece will sell for between $250,000 and $350,000. 

Click here for full story.

• Top nonprofit
• Top wellness center
• Top general practitioner
• Top dentist–Michael B. Mullany, DMD

With readers’ input, the awards celebrate the best of the region, covering Berkshire, Litchfield, Dutchess, and Columbia counties.

They will share lessons learned from supporting immigrant families in achieving school success. They will also share some tried and true best practices to increase student success and family well-being.

The webinar is hosted by Ready4K, an organization that helps families promote their children’s educational development.

Register here >> https://bit.ly/engageimmigrantfamilies

—Best nonprofit

—Best general practitioner

—Best wellness center

—Best dentist: Michael Mullany DMD

Between now and November 10, readers can vote every day in every category to help us get over the finish line. Click links above to cast your ballots.

Thanks for supporting VIM!

“We are paving a road of equity and access for all, by eliminating the structural barriers that surround something as simple as navigating community resources and getting a child enrolled in a summer program,” notes Natalia DeRuzzio, VIM’s Patient Services Manager, who oversaw this effort. “Our work is relevant, and it is changing people’s lives.”

Read this Berkshire Edge article for more information.

“Gray’s extraordinary skills and experience as a physician, hospital leader and educator will allow VIM to take the high-quality, comprehensive healthcare we provide free of charge to our patients to a new level of excellence,” notes Arthur M. Peisner, VIM’s Chairman of the Board. “His relationship with the local hospital system will help ensure that we work together to find innovative, effective, equitable solutions to care for our community.”

“The goal” says VIM Executive Director Ilana Steinhauer, “is to maximize the immigrant parents’ engagement in their children’s academic life.”

Learn more here.

NAFC Quality Standards elements include policies and procedures related to the following areas: Administrative, Enhanced Access and Continuity of Care, Identifying and Managing Patient Population information, Planning and Managing Care, Providing Self-Care Support and Community Resources, Tracking and Coordinating Care, and Measuring and Improving Performance.

“VIM is able to provide the highest quality of care while simultaneously maintaining the highest quality of standards, thanks to the thousands of hours of time donated by first rate clinicians,” notes Alice Lustig, VIM board member and Chair of the organization’s Quality Assurance Committee. “We are delighted to receive this recognition from the NAFC.”