Inside the Clinic: New Things Edition

My Dearest Community,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I hope you have all had a great week and are ready for a happier, healthier new year!

I must say, I woke up very early and a wee bit down in the dumps this morning and don’t really know why. I went to bed in the jolliest of spirits, reflecting on how it had been a great Christmas with the kids; and, while we’ve been super busy at the Clinic closing up the year, making sure we had on-call support for patients, and making IT improvements and other upgrades for onsite and telemedicine operations, I was excited and thankful for how the team had rallied to make sure the Clinic was ready for 2021 and that I got my favorite Christmas pressie of all (other than the toaster...) when Barbara agreed to become our permanent Clinical Director!

So, why wake up down in the dumps? Still not sure. I wasn’t going to let it rule the day though, so I decided to get BUSY. I tidied up, cleaned the kitchen, put on a load of laundry, prepared a big brunch for the kids, Skyped my dad, had a great chat with my son about The Andy Griffith Show, watched the rain (while I caught my breath and counted my blessings), and guess what? The blues departed!

I also learned this morning that our End of Year Campaign – which we had hoped would bring in $10,000 if we were lucky – brought in over $25,000!!! Wow!

And do you remember the Angel Tree at Goodwin House? Well, that tree that you first saw at the beginning of December as green with a spattering of white Angels, each representing $25 donations, looks like it has been hit by an avalanche of snow! The Angels are covering it!! Thank you, Goodwin House!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome five new Board members: Philip Eliot, Cynda Tipple, Andres Jimenez, Jonathan Engler, and our very own, Terry O’Hara Lavoie. Their pics and bios will be on our website soon (one of my 99 New Year’s resolutions is to get the website updated!). Just so you know, our outgoing Board Directors – Mohamed Abdelilah, Dave Ashman, and Ann Cartwright – are going to remain close by, either on Board Committees or the Advisory Board. Under the great governing oversight of the Rev. Andrew Merrow as President, Mary Anne Hilliard as Vice-president, and Philip Eliot as Secretary/Treasurer; together with our Board Committee Chairs - Daphne Papamichael (Development), Lorraine Creely (Site Development), Dave Ashman (Finance, Audit, and Risk Management), Terry O'Hara Lavoie (Board Nominating and Governance), and Cynda Tipple (Strategic Planning) - we remain in mighty hands! 

I can also announce that we have a new standing committee – the Young Professionals Committee – that will be represented on the Advisory Board by its Chair, Jasmine Williams. The Young Professionals Committee works with the Board of Directors to promote Culmore Clinic’s mission among students, recent graduates, and those early in their careers. It identifies opportunities to attract and appeal to an 18 to 30-year-old, diverse demographic and serves as a think tank for new and emerging trends in medicine, community health, communications, social media, and technology. You’ll be learning more about their work very soon!

Enjoy this long weekend! I so look forward to seeing you again next week!

Nồng nhiệt,

Anne-Lise

Hot off the Press - An excerpt from Caroline Hillkirk, our Interpreter Manager’s email to her team today:

“Interpreters are meant to be invisible in order to facilitate the proper relationship between a patient and the health care provider. For this reason, we are often overlooked as an important part of medical care. Many, or most, feel just 'ol anyone who speaks a second language can interpret properly in a medical setting. Not so.

I hope when each one of you reflects on 2020, you realize how important your work as an interpreter has been to the Culmore Clinic medical staff and to our patients. Your selfless dedication to our patients has truly made a difference in their lives during this annus horribilis. Your voice is the one they hear speak their language. You are the voice of the Culmore Clinic. Invisible you are not.”

Oh, the love!!