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Volunteers in Medicine.... /
Other ArticlesBy Kristine Dwyer, Staff Writer
Dr. Randle of Mississippi spent his career as
a physician in internal medicine until his
retirement two years ago. During this time,
Randle saw a growing need in his community to
support the medical care needs of those who were
uninsured due to self-employment, low-wage jobs
and the high costs of medical insurance. He
found that many individuals had no access to
preventative care and were avoiding treatment at
the point of serious illness, which ultimately
led them to larger health crises. As a result,
Randle and his colleagues, other retired
professionals, churches, community leaders and
local businesses in Oxford stepped forward to
open a Volunteers in Medicine Clinic that offers
quality care to those without health insurance.
Retirement has opened new doors for Dr. Randle
and he has found many benefits in serving as a
volunteer physician at the Oxford Medical
Ministries Clinic. “It keeps my mind active and
is a wonderful way to keep me engaged in life. I
have a reason to get up in the morning. It is
satisfying and very meaningful to continue
caring for patients and to alleviate their
distress in this gratifying environment. This is
a great way to carry out what I was truly
trained to do as a physician and it is
liberating to practice without the barriers of
paperwork, time-limited appointments and strict
reimbursement guidelines. Everyone would agree
that our health care system is in trouble and
Volunteers in Medicine is an opportunity for
citizens to try and rectify our health care
needs, one community at a time.” Randle chooses
to spend at least two days a week at the clinic
plus one evening offering direct patient care,
reviewing charts and lab work and writing
prescriptions. He especially praises the
dedication and compassionate spirit of the team
of volunteers that make the Oxford Clinic a
successful outreach program to those in need of
care.
The current statistics are alarming; 48 million
people in the U.S. have no medical insurance and
another 25 million are underinsured, comprised
mostly of middle and higher income families. As
the country faces deep economic impacts in the
new year, along with increased job losses,
partnerships with established resources might be
one solution to our healthcare crisis. The
Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) program is an
integral part of this nationwide solution.
Volunteers in Medicine began in 1994 in
Hilton Head, South Carolina. One out of three
people on the island did not have access to
health care. Simultaneously, a group of retired
health care professionals were interested in
continuing to utilize their medical skills in a
part-time, volunteer capacity. The union of
these two groups created the first VIM clinic,
which is a nonprofit free clinic. The VIM model
underscores the importance of using retired
medical professionals to provide essential
health care services in free community-based
clinics for medically underserved and uninsured
individuals.
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