Inside the Clinic - Expanding and Hiring Edition

Each week, our Executive Director, Anne-Lise Quinn, sends out a Clinic Update to the staff. In an effort to keep our wider community updated about the happenings inside Culmore Clinic, we will be posting an annotated version of this update to our blog each week starting now!

Greetings Culmore Clinic Community!

As we consider what reopening will look like, it is clear that we will have a hybrid model of clinical operations in which telemedicine continues to be a significant part of primary patient care, and possibly specialty care too. To that end, we are now advertising for a Clinical Director who can serve in a full- rather than part-time capacity, since the pandemic has taken us to a level of operation that, while not functionally full-time, is administratively so.

Moreover, with our strategic plan pointing us in the direction of being a full-time patient-centered medical home within the next few years, this full-time Clinical Director position will give us the opportunity to plan that expansion more gradually and effectively. The job description is posted on our website, so please get the word out if you know of anyone who might be interested!

As the small, but mighty Culmore Clinic has made headlines during this pandemic, we continue to work with other partners in the Bailey’s/Culmore community to bring the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors to the County level. Yesterday these partners had a rather unique discussion with both Supervisor Gross and Chairman McKay about how our neighbors have been hit so hard by this pandemic, how it has exposed the existential state of suffering and distress, and what we must do to ensure that when the next storm comes these neighbors are actually in a more solid boat, not floating on driftwood.  

Did you know that approximately 32 percent of households in the Mason District are considered ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households? This statistic speaks to the number of households that are barely making ends meet, yet are working! Learn more about that here.

As a health clinic, we see the impact of financial stress on the physical and mental health of our patients, and, while County departments have pulled out every stop to try and meet acute needs at this time, we clearly need to question how it is that many residents can work hard, but never earn enough to survive a life crisis, let alone build stability for themselves and their children.

Given this stress, I can only imagine how much our patients value the compassionate gift of healthcare that Culmore Clinic provides to them; and, while they may not know the full extent to which their neighbors – YOU!! - donate to the Clinic in time, talent, and treasure, I certainly do and I thank you so much!

Have a great rest of the week and weekend!

Anne-Lise

Culmore Clinic Executive Director