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Volunteers in Medicine Clinic opened in 1993 and was founded by retired physician Dr. Jack McConnell on Hilton Head Island. You might ask what would lead someone who was enjoying their retirement to start up a free clinic? That story starts with a hitchhiker named James…
James was a husband and father of two – soon to be three – who was looking for work as he had recently been laid off. Hoping to be able to provide for his family, he was committed to finding work, even if that meant he had to walk miles in the rain to find the right opportunity.
Dr. Jack McConnell and his wife, Mary Ellen, built their retirement home on Hilton Head Island. The same day that James was out walking in the rain looking for work, Dr. Jack happened to drive by and offer the stranger a ride to get him out of the dreary weather. James shared with Dr. Jack that his wife was pregnant and he was recently laid off. As they continued to drive, they became more acquainted with one another and being a retired physician, Dr. Jack asked him if his expectant wife had access to medical care. James replied, “No. Ain’t none of us does.”
The pair passed a construction site and James mentioned he might find work there. Dr. Jack parked the car and together the two of them entered the on-site trailer in hopes of speaking with the manager. Luck would have it that one of the employees at the site failed to show up to work and so James was offered work for a few days on the condition that he could begin at that moment. Dr. Jack and James shook hands and as the VIM founder headed for the door, James whispered to him, “I thank God for you, brother. You have been a big help to me. Why did you do it?”
Dr. Jack’s response? “I don’t know.” But, in fact, he did know. The next words are from Dr. Jack himself…
“Over time I realized that the answer, in one respect, was that I could not do otherwise. My faith gives me the unconscious desire and need to understand and help others. But in truth I expect it was, at a deeper level, my desire and need to understand and help myself. Throughout the whole of my life I have learned and relearned that it is only in service to others that we find and begin to understand ourselves.”
Our goals are to treat the symptoms, educate the patient in self-care, and monitor the patient to maintain wellness. To accomplish these goals, VIM HHI offers family practice, internal medicine, as well as lab, x-ray and ultrasound services, pharmacy, mental health, and dental care in a total of 26 medical specialties and five disease management clinics. We provide $13M in free healthcare!
VIM HHI, including the Medical Clinic, Dental Clinic, Mental Health Clinic, and Wellness Clinic, treat 5000 active patients, and conduct more than 21,000 clinic visits annually. We are able to provide these services due to the efforts of 550 volunteers who provide about 47,000 volunteer hours annually with a budget of $3.2M of which 90% goes directly to patient care.
Chair
Vice-Chair
Secretary
Treasurer
Richard Bender, DDS
Kaye Black
Miriam Hernandez
Lynne Hutchison, DNP, APRN
Fred Jackson
Julie Klemm
John MacLaurin, DO
Galen Miller
Elizabeth Mogil
Peggy Mulligan
Diane Neal
Christye Peterson
Coleman Peterson
David Reed
David Schaus, DDS
Steven Siegelbaum, MD
Patrick Snowman, MD
John Newman, MD
Alan McCollough
Dave Ekedahl
Mary Ellen McConnell
© Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of Hilton Head Island
