THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE—Making a difference one patient at a time: Volunteers in Medicine celebrates opening of Pittsfield care center
Photo by Kenzie Fields
PITSFIELD — The idea came from Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires’ employees and volunteers: With about half of its patients traveling from Pittsfield to its Great Barrington office, why not open a second location in the county’s largest city?
A year of effort and millions of dollars in donations later, the nonprofit, which provides medical care and access to a full range of human services for uninsured persons, has a bright, brand-new space downtown. It’s the result of a fundraising campaign that is halfway to its $10 million goal, leaders said.
The need is growing: According to executive director Ilana Steinhauer, VIM Berkshires has seen a rapid increase in demand for services, including 700 new patients in the last year alone.
“It is precisely to keep pace with this increased demand that VIM has expanded into Pittsfield, added staff to support our volunteer practitioners and is growing and sustaining the programs that we know are critical to our patients,” she told supporters celebrating the new care center’s opening on Thursday evening.
The organization serves persons who are not eligible for MassHealth or Medicaid, often as a result of their immigration status. Many of its employees are bilingual and customers are greeted in their own language when they walk in the door, building a climate that is welcoming, with trust, communications director Nelson Fernandez said.
“One of the signature components of our service is that, from the moment the patient walks in the door, we engage them in their local language, and that immediately puts them at ease,” Fernandez said.
Thursday, the 20-year-old nonprofit welcomed guests, employees, board members and city officials to its location in the Doctors Park complex at 199 South St. Hors d'oeuvres were served, wine was poured and supporters squeezed into the space to hear the organization's leaders mark the occasion and thank donors and volunteers who made it possible.
Photo by Ben Garver for The Berkshire Eagle
Funding included $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars through the City of Pittsfield, as well as $441,000 in federal funds secured by U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren and a $75,000 earmark in the state budget.
Fernandez also lauded Berkshire Health Systems for its support, including Berkshire Medical Center’s internal medicine residency program.
Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires provides free comprehensive, high-quality health care for income-qualified patients who are ineligible for health insurance. It provides clinical services including primary care, women’s health, eye health and behavioral therapy.
But VIM also approaches care holistically, addressing social determinants of health such as housing, food insecurity, nutrition, literacy, employment and child care.
The new location has already made a difference, Steinhauer said.
“The first day we opened, we had a woman walk through the doors and start crying. And this was a woman who's been our patient since we opened 20 years ago, who has always lived in Pittsfield,” Steinhauer said. “And she said ‘For the first time, I could wake up, I didn't feel good and I knew I could walk right down the block to get my care.’”
Knowing that transportation and housing remain significant hurdles, “In order to really create health equity we had to remove some of those barriers,” Steinhauer told attendees. “By opening up a space in Pittsfield, we're completely changing access for over half our patients.”
Photo by Daisy Noyes
Steinhauer told the story of a patient, Jose, who came to the Great Barrington location last year with a seemingly impossible problem. His wife had been sent back to Guatemala by Mexican police, and their children, ages 2 and 7, were being detained on the U.S. side of the border, thousands of miles from either parent.
That, Steinhauer said, was “when VIM's magic began to unfold.” The organization gathered the necessary information, contacted authorities at the border and engaged lawyers, eventually winning a transfer for the children to a detention center in New York where their father could visit them. The family was reunited in Great Barrington last year.
“What truly stands out to me is that, in his moment of crisis, unsure of what to do, or where to go for help, Jose turned to [VIM staff]”, Steinhauer said. “In just a few months, we had become his place of trust and security.”
Steinhauer, Fernandez and board member Robert L.W. McGraw all expressed gratitude for the efforts of board members, volunteers, employees and donors for making the new care center possible. McGraw extended special thanks to Dan McManmon, whose company, Jedko Properties LLC, owns the property. Fernandez said McManmon and his company "allowed us to alter the space to meet our clinical needs, And they were incredible attentive and helpful during the construction process. ... Also the building is beautifully maintained."
"Each and every person in this room has showed up for [patients] with your sponsorship, your friendship and your commitment. We have saved and changed the lives of thousands within our community,” Steinhauer said. “These patients make the Berkshires a beautiful, diverse and sustainable community. And together we are making systems that work for everyone.”
Reach Greg Sukiennik at gsukiennik@berkshireeagle.com or at 413-496-6249.