Finding Inspiration in Every Turn

POTTSVILLE — Free medical clinics are available in Schuylkill County for people in need of care, including those without health insurance.

Since 2021, Volunteers in Medicine in Schuylkill & Carbon Counties has strived to meet the primary health care needs of the uninsured and underinsured. The nonprofit now operates on-site clinics in Pottsville and Tamaqua.

Part of the national Volunteers in Medicine nonprofit network of clinics, the clinics are run by Bob Alonge, CEO, in partnership with his wife, Sherrill Brennan; Valley Primary Care, Tamaqua; and a small group of volunteers and nurses.

Alonge — a retired therapist and pastor — said the group looks to expand its operations and provide a greater volume of care to those struggling to meet their basic medical needs.

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The examination room in Volunteers in Medicine’s clinic in Pottsville. 

The clinics provide “short-term” primary care, preventive care and treatment for chronic diseases. The goal is to connect patients with health insurance and into long-term primary care services, Alonge said. In addition to the uninsured, the services cater to those who have insurance but who cannot find a doctor or afford the deductibles on the day services are needed and provided.

“Sometimes, even when people have insurance, they just need help, guidance,” Alonge said.

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Alonge said more people should be aware that the clinics are available.

The Pottsville clinic, at 1 S. 2nd St., is open from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and by appointment.

Sandy Cooper, a retired nurse practitioner, assists Alonge in all facets of treatment at the Pottsville clinic.

Cooper specializes in physical examinations that may be required for commercial drivers’ licenses, school or sports, as well as general checkups, expertise and diagnostic services.

“If somebody has a sore throat and needs to be seen and can’t get in to a family doctor, they can come here and see me,” Cooper said, “and I can order them something to treat their illness and hold them over until they can get to a family doctor.”

Given how quickly emergency rooms and urgent care centers can fill up, VIM clinics are critical for those who require less serious or timely treatments, Cooper said.

“Not many people know that we are available,” she said. “ … We want people to know that they can come here for minor illnesses, injuries, lacerations, physicals, those types of things.”

In the future, Cooper also wants to introduce STD testing services at the clinics.

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Volunteers in Medicine’s Tamaqua clinic, at 229 W Broad St., is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and by appointment.

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While both clinics accept walk-ins, patients are encouraged to make appointments by calling 570-623-1113.

In addition to on-site medical care, Volunteers in Medicine provides guidance and direction and helps patients get the treatment they need. Recently, the clinic has assisted people with secondary issues such as food insecurity and financial and psychiatric needs.

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In one instance, Alonge said, the clinic saw a patient who had to go to the dentist but couldn’t book an appointment. Alonge contacted the patient’s dentist and was able to book an emergency appointment for him.

“Getting them connected with the right people is a lot of what we do here,” Alonge said. “We do short-term intervention. Our goal is to get people into more permanent situations, permanent medical doctors.”

Growing operation

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VIM, which launched its first clinic in 1994 in Hilton Head, South Carolina, is a national nonprofit dedicated to building free primary health care clinics for medically underserved populations. There are currently more than 90 VIM clinics located throughout the U.S.

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Alonge said that about 8 to 10 percent of Schuylkill County’s population — which is roughly 150,000 — does not have health insurance. Therefore, there are potentially 15,000 people in the county who could benefit from Volunteers in Medicine, he said.

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“That doesn’t even (account) for people that do have health insurance that we’re helping,” he said.

Given those numbers, it is important that VIM of Schuylkill and Carbon continue developing its staff, resources and facilities, he said. While the organization is being funded by private donations, Alonge hopes to secure grants in the future.

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Volunteers in Medicine’s Pottsville clinic currently consists of a small office and an adjoining exam room on the fourth floor of 1 S. 2nd St.

However, the clinic will relocate in January to a larger space on the second floor of the building. It is a mixed-use office facility, accessible by elevator or stairways.

With that move, VIM hopes to keep recruiting qualified volunteers, nurses and doctors to carry out its work at its two Schuylkill County offices.

Cooper said VIM will also accommodate bilingual workers and patients, as the clinics have access to a translating device.

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Life-saving experience

A native of Pottsville, Alonge first encountered Volunteers in Medicine when he and his late wife were treated at one of the nonprofit’s clinics when they lived in Weston, Massachusetts, about 15 years ago.

It was an enlightening — and life-saving — moment for Alonge, who at the time was out of work and didn’t have health insurance. While his wife was being treated for a twisted ankle, Alonge went in for what he thought would be a routine physical examination. However, clinicians found that Alonge’s blood sugar had reached an alarmingly high level.

“I told them my situation, about being between jobs,” Alonge said. “We didn’t have health insurance at the time, and they just did a physical for me, and they tested my blood sugar — I was at almost 600. You’re supposed to be 100. So they quickly, in an emergency-like way, took care of me, gave me medication. They followed me until I got health insurance.”

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“They literally saved my life,” he said, “so I’m paying it forward now. … This is my full-time mission.”

Moved by his experience, Alonge decided to get involved after he relocated to his native Pottsville several years later.

Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his late wife launched the local branch of Volunteers in Medicine, which now serves patients across Schuylkill and Carbon counties. Although there is no clinic in Carbon County, residents are encouraged to visit the one in Tamaqua, which is facilitated by Valley Primary Care healthcare specialist David Kasprzak. Outside of Schuylkill County, the closest VIM clinics are in Wilkes-Barre and Lebanon.

Brennan, a retired supervisor with the Schuylkill County Office of Senior Services, now runs the nonprofit’s day-to-day operations alongside Alonge.

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Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, VIM plans to host an open house sometime in January at its Pottsville office.

For more information about the clinics, visit vimintheskooks.org.

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