VIM History
The VIM Clinic building was constructed on a 1.1 acre lot of land that the town of Hilton Head agreed to lease to VIM for $1.00 per year. On the day construction began, Dr. Jack paid off the entire cost of the lease – all $30.50 of it! When VIM first opened its doors, Dr. McConnell began with a group of 5 paid staff members, 48 retired physicians, 74 retired nurses, and 3 dentists as primarily a walk-in 7,000 square foot clinic. By the end of that first year, the part-time clinic had seen over 3,000 patients. Over the past 25+ years, the Clinic has seen significant growth. Today, there are 22 full-time equivalent employees who operate the clinic with the help of over 650 retired and professional volunteers. As a team, the Clinic staff and volunteers see 10,000+ patients annually over 27,000 patient visits. The Clinic’s facilities now span over 16,000 square feet.
Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head Island keeps children in school, people at work and eases the burden on local emergency rooms. Our primary mission is to serve the health and wellness needs of the medically underserved population who live or work on Hilton Head and Daufuskie Islands. Our clinic is the only free and charitable medical clinic offering dental and mental healthcare south of the Broad River. We provide 27,000 medical visits and 6,000 dental visits annually that are equivalent to $10 million in healthcare. VIM conservatively saves the local hospital more than $6.8 million in uncompensated Emergency Department visits.
At VIM HHI, we focus on maintaining wellness, educating patients regarding self-care, and helping patients maintain their health so they remain productive members of our community. Funded by the generosity of our donors, we simply could not continue this critical work for our neighbors who need it most without our patrons’ continued support. Volunteers and donations ensure everyone in our community has access to healthcare regardless of their ability to pay. We are proud that 93.4% of incoming funds go directly to patient care. Our patients are not required to pay anything for their care. Every day, Monday-Friday, 40-60 volunteers are needed in the clinic to welcome, register and treat patient walk-ins and appointments.
We commit ourselves to the Circle of Caring, making a difference within our community, one patient at a time. Each year, more than 650 lay (administrative) and healthcare professional volunteers provide over 52,000 hours of volunteer service. Our Circle of Caring includes many physicians, medical suppliers and other professionals who donate or discount their fees for services provided.