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October 2015 The Health Wagon’s mission is to provide compassionate, quality health care to the medically underserved people in the Mountains of Appa
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 Click here to make a donation |
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The Health Wagon’s mission is to provide compassionate, quality health care to the medically underserved people in the Mountains of Appalachia. Our values are inclusiveness, community outreach, collaboration, spirituality and empowerment.
Let us tell you The Health Wagon story. Our average patient is 38 years old. Ninety-eight percent of our patients are uninsured. Seventy percent of them have an income of less than $20,000 annually, despite working multiple jobs. This means they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. Our patients live in desperately poverty-stricken rural Appalachia, where they can’t afford to go to the doctor but can’t afford not to. The mobility of our health clinic means we are able to fill the gap, whether they are inline at the food bank or at their job, we bring healthcare to them. |
October 3-4th: Grundy RAM- Free Medical, Dental, and Vision
October 5th: Dental clinic at Wise
October 8th: Chest X-Ray Clinic
October 13th: Endocrinology Clinic
October 14th: Flu shot clinic at Standard Core & Funk Drilling Coeburn, VA
October 21th: Flu shot clinic at MSHA in Norton, VA |
Free Flu Shot
Flu season is here and the Health Wagon is offering FREE flu vaccines. Please stop by our Wise or Clintwood office to stay protected this flu season! |
6th: Lee Co.
9th: Appalachia
13th: Coeburn
15th: Binns Counts
22nd: Clinchco
Mobile unit schedule is subject to change, please call 276-328-8850 for more information |
The Health Wagon is honored to announce that Dr. Vicki Weiss, President of Virginia Remote Area Medical, won Volunteer of the Year in the category of Health presented by United Way of Southwest Virginia!
Dr. Weiss has led the vision care component of RAM Wise, Virginia for the last 15 years. |
Remote Area Medical Wise and Health Wagon patient Billy would like to say THANK YOU to all of our donors. Because of each of your donations, Billy has been able to receive free life saving medical care since July 2015. Billy was an emergent unknown diabetic who could have easily died if he had not received care from the Health Wagon. |
No one likes the word cancer especially the staff at the Health Wagon. For the reason the Health Wagon focuses on prevention, screening and early detection. In fact, Southwest Virginia has a trend towards a higher number of individuals with cancer. The Health Wagon routinely provides clinics for women's health, lung cancer screening, mammography, and GI to identify possible cases. One patient, however, had ignored the signs and attributed them to normal aging and feeling sick at her stomach. The patient's symptoms continued to worsen and when she spoke to the provider she was immediately referred to additional diagnostics. It was discovered that she had stage 4 colorectal cancer that was inoperable. She is now receiving chemotherapy treatments
Early detection and yearly screenings could have diagnosed this condition in the early stages. If caught early, colon cancer is one of the most treatable forms. If you are over the age of 50 or have a family history, please speak with your doctor today about a colonoscopy. Don't wait until it's too late. |
Mark Abbott is a student in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at Gonzaga University. He is originally from Lynchburg, Virginia. He received his BSN from Liberty University. He has been an ER/ICU Registered Nurse for ten years, and has worked as a Research Nurse at the National Institutes of Health and is a Registered Respiratory/Board Registered Sleep Specialist. Mark has five children, one grandson, and two dogs, and enjoys cycling, hiking, and working out. |
Tristan Gibson is a Family Nurse Practitioner student from Chamberlain College of Nursing. She is a resident of Clintwood, Virginia. She has been a Registered Nurse for five years and plans to stay in rural southwest Virginia and practice family medicine after obtaining her Nurse Practitioner license. |
Instagram
The Health Wagon now has Instagram. Please follow us by searching healthwagon.
https://instagram.com/healthwagon/ |
Lee County RAM Recap
On September 12 & 13, 2015 Lee County held the second annual RAM event. Over 400 patients were served during the two day event. 611 dental procedures were performed, 180 glasses made and over 100 free flu shots were given onsite.
We would like to personally thank each and everyone who made this event successful. |
St Andrew
On September 19-20, 2015 Dr. Teresa Gardner and Dr. Paula Meade attended four Catholic Masses at St. Andrews in Roanoke, Va. They were able to inform the public about the mission of the Health Wagon, following in the footsteps of Sr. Bernie Kenny who is the Health Wagon’s blessed founder and mentor. The Health Wagon would like to thank St. Andrews Catholic Church for their donation and allowing us to share our story. |
St. John
On September 26, 2015 Dr. Teresa Gardner and Dr. Paula Meade attended Catholic Mass at St. John the Evangelist in Waynesboro, Va. They were able to inform the public about the mission of the Health Wagon and obtained several contacts for future dermatology clinics to be held at the Smiddy Clinic at Wise. The Health Wagon would like to thank St. John’s for their donation and allowing us to share our story. |
Henry Schein Donation
We are happy to announce that The Health Wagon has been accepted as one of the recipients of the Henry Schein Cares Medical Supplies Kits donation valued at $5,000.00 worth of free medical supplies! |
ENT Specialty Clinic
On Wednesday September 16, 2015 Dr. Braxton Cann, ENT-otolaryngologist donated his time for an Ears, Nose and Throat clinic for the Health Wagon patients. Several patients were able to receive this specialty service free of charge. Dr. Cann received his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine and operated his own practice in Norton, VA for over 50 years. The Health Wagon is very blessed to have Dr. Cann come and donate his time to help the under served population of southwest Virginia. |
The Health Wagon is a mobile health clinic that serves the poverty stricken people of rural Appalachia for little to no cost to the clients. In 1980, Sister Bernie Kenny began the program with nothing more than her Volkswagen Beetle and the passion to make a difference through service. The Health Wagon has grown exponentially since it started 35 years ago. The organization now has one brick and mortar clinic in Wise, Virginia, and a second one in Clintwood, Virginia, as well as a state of the art mobile health clinic. In 2013, The Health Wagon served 11,000 patients and provided over $1 million in health care costs.
To continue its efforts in serving the people of Appalachia, The Health Wagon needs donations and community support. This GoFundMe campaign is dedicated to purchasing a SUV due to the current need of The Health Wagon for a vehicle dedicated to carrying medical supplies. Our fundraising goal is $34,000 because (prospectively) this will cover the cost of purchasing an SUV. This monetary goal was determined by researching car makes, models, safety ratings, miles per gallon, reliability and size. We have used Kelly Blue Book, Carfacts and similar sites to decide upon the best choice in SUV for The Health Wagon. We have decided upon purchasing a vehicle similar to a 2014 Ford Explorer. Additionally, we are searching for a car dealership that is willing to provide a discount or match the funds raised for the SUV. Please click here to make a donation! |
This month, we are recognizing:
• National Breast Cancer Awareness
• Pregnancy and Infant Loss Month
• National Down Syndrome Awareness Month
• Health Literacy Month
• Healthy Lung Month
• National Physical Therapy Month
• SIDS Awareness Month
• Spina Bifida Awareness Month
• World Mental Health Day (10) |
Breast Cancer Prevention
What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk of Breast Cancer?
Many factors can influence your breast cancer risk, and most women who develop breast cancer do not have any known risk factors or a history of the disease in their families. However, you can help lower your risk of breast cancer in the following ways
• Keep a healthy weight
• Exercise regularly (4 hrs/ week)
• Get enough sleep
• Don’t drink alcohol, or limit alcoholic drinks to no more than one per day
• Avoid exposure to chemicals that can cause cancer (carcinigens)
• Try to reduce your exposure to radiation during medical tests like mammograms, X-rays, CT scans, and PET scans
• If you are taking, or have been told to take, hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives (birth control pills), ask your doctor about the risks and find out if it is right for you
• Breastfeed your babies, if possible
Although breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer, it can help find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat.
If you have a family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, you may have a higher breast cancer risk.
It is important that you know your family history and talk to your doctor about screening and other ways you can lower your risk. For more information about breast cancer prevention, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/prevention.htm |
If you would like to donate to The Health Wagon, we would greatly appreciate it if you would contribute online at: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/thehealthwagon/
Or you can mail donation checks to:
The Health Wagon, P.O. Box 7070, Wise, VA 24293
As a nonprofit organization, volunteers are welcome and tax deductible donations are accepted.
State Employees - Give through the CVC Campaign (#03588)
Federal Employees- CFC Code 33986 |
The Health Wagon Wish List
Medical Supplies
Alcohol wipes, Scalpels, Sutures, UA dip sticks, Band aids, Safety needles, Exam table paper,Butterflies, Gauze, Syringes, Medical tape, Exam gloves, Suture removal kits
Medications
Ibuprofen, Iron Supplements, Antacids,Decongestants, Dandruff Shampoo,
Aspirin, Folic acid, Anti-diarrheas, Zantac, Nexium, Allergy Medication, Claritin D, Antibacterial ointment, Prilosec, Foot/skin cream/lotion, Anti-Fungal cream, prenatal vitamins
Office Supplies
Copy paper, paper clips, K-cups (any variety), Toilet paper, Pens, Paper towels,
3 Ring Binders (all sizes),Post-it notes, First class stamps, Coffee cups, Letter size manila folders, Sharpies, Disinfecting wipes, Highlighters, binder dividers,
33 gallon garbage bags, Batteries, Stapler and staples, cleaning supplies
White out, 3 whole punch, Scotch tape,Stapler remover, Mail envelopes, Gift cards
Items to give to patients
Shampoo, Conditioner, Deodorant, Razors, Diapers, Wipes, Lotions, Soaps, Can foods |
Visit us at: www.thehealthwagon.org
Call us at: (276)-328-8850
Our offices are located at: 5626 Patriot Dr • Wise, VA 24293
P.O.Box 7070 Wise, VA 24293
233 Chase St, Suite 100 • Clintwood, VA 24228
P.O.Box 709 Clintwood, VA 24228 |
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