THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE: Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires prepares for a second term of President Donald Trump
Read the full article at The Eagle here.
PITTSFIELD — Hours after the election was called in favor of President-elect Donald Trump, the staff of Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires gathered at Parsons Marsh Reserve in Lenox.
The 20 staff members began the walk in silence, hands wrapped around cups of coffee and hot chocolate.
As they wrestle with what a second Trump term could mean for the people they serve, the hike was a moment of grounding for the staff.
“Yesterday’s hike was not just a moment of reflection but a statement of solidarity,” said Executive Director Ilana Steinhauer, in an email to The Eagle. “We walked as one to demonstrate that our commitment to the health and well-being of our community is unwavering.”
Volunteers in Medicine was started 20 years ago to meet the health care needs of an underserved community in the Berkshires — people who are ineligible for health insurance. At its clinics in Pittsfield and Great Barrington, VIM offers patients well-rounded care that addresses both immediate medical concerns and the many external factors, from housing to food security, that contribute to good health.
Today, the nonprofit predominantly serves people who have immigrated to the Berkshires from Central and South America. That demographic shift is largely a result of MassHealth, which insured many of the patients VIM served in its early years but excluded undocumented immigrants, said Nelson Fernandez, director of advancement and communications.
Given Trump's threats of a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants featuring front and center in his campaign, anxiety is high among both VIM staff and patients, Fernandez said.
“The stress of being an immigrant in this country during these times is in fact a social determinant of health,” he said. “You could imagine the post-traumatic stress that people feel after they land in this country.”
That stress is one the staff know intimately. Seventeen of the 20 staff members are themselves immigrants. Fernandez emigrated with his parents from Cuba in 1969.
Exactly what a second Trump term could mean for the community VIM serves and its own ability to provide care is as of yet an unanswered question. It’s one likely to remain unanswered until Trump seeks to implement his espoused policies.
And that, Fernandez said, means the team is very much in a game of wait and see.
“But we’re hopeful that, regardless of who’s in control in Washington, that the nature of our work and the value that we create will be seen as worthy enough to fund,” he said.
Volunteers in Medicine is almost exclusively funded by private funders and foundations.
As the team moves forward with this uncertainty, they are resolved to continue the care they've provided the Berkshires for the past 20 years.
“Our hike at Parsons Marsh was a physical reaffirmation of our dedication to health and wellness for all, mirroring our daily efforts in the clinic,” Steinhauer said. “We stand resolute in our mission to ensure that no one in our community goes without the care they need, regardless of the political climate.”
It's a commitment that extends to both VIM's patients and its staff who daily provide frontline care.
“One of the things VIM will continue to do — it's always done it but will continue to do now more than ever before — is make sure that, like the hike, there are many other examples where we show are colleagues that taking care of themselves, focusing on their own needs, making sure they have people that they can talk to as they deal with the daily pressures of providing services to people who are really experiencing trauma in many cases, is fundamental and critical,” Fernandez said.
Claire O'Callahan reports on housing in Berkshire County. She can be reached at cocallahan@berkshireeagle.com.