Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine (LVIM) provides high-quality, compassionate outpatient medical, dental, and mental health care to the working uninsured of Polk County with an impressive team of dedicated volunteers. <br><br>LVIM is a volunteer-run medical clinic where patients gain a medical home and have access to doctors' visits, dental and ophthalmological care, lab work, in-house x-rays and ultrasounds at no charge. More extensive diagnostics, such as CT's and MRI's, are also available through a network of participating ancillary providers who volunteer their facilities, staff and professional time at no charge to LVIM or the patients. Additionally, LVIM's full-service pharmacy provides patients with a formulary of generic medications as prescribed by volunteer providers and a Prescription Assistance Program provides high-cost medications at no cost to LVIM patients.<br><br>Additionally, LVIM hosts a mobile food pantry on the 2nd and last Tuesday of each month.

LVIM envisions a Polk County that is healthier through improved access to free, high quality outpati

Source: Nonprofit submitted responses

Goal One: Increase access and inclusiveness to provide more services to more patients.

Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.

Goal Two: Enhance & improve continuity of care.

Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.

Goal Three: Improve patient health outcomes by providing evidence-based care and protocol.

Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).

Describe an investment in leadership

Annually, LVIM hosts a staff retreat to learn and grow together on the topics of diversity, equity and inclusion, communication, best practice and more. All LVIM staff members have the opportunity to pursue a professional development opportunity as identified in staff annual reviews. Over the last year, LVIM invested in leadership by creating flexible work schedules for one staff member to pursue a Masters degree in Social Work. This year, another staff member is enrolled in an MBA program. Beginning in the fifth year of employment with LVIM, staff members are invited to take a 40 hour sabbatical to learn and grow in an area of their choice. Upon their return, they then share their learnings with the team. Additionally, LVIM supports all staff in joining a professional or civic organization to enhance their knowledge and network.

This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:

• Strategic Partnerships

• Networks of Collective Impact Efforts

• Thought Leadership

• Raising Awareness

• Community Building

• Policy Advocacy

What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?

This year, LVIM has invested in external marketing efforts (thanks to a grant from the American Rescue Plan) in order to ensure that the community knows about our services. LVIM’s external efforts have included billboards in five locations that rotate throughout our county, digital billboards in 26 local eateries and watering holds, signage on the inside of every city bus, as well as in-kind radio and TV advertising. LVIM also participates in community outreach events such as downtown walkabouts, community gatherings, health fairs, and more. Additionally, LVIM participates in efforts to educate local law & policy making bodies (Citizens Healthcare Oversight Committee, Board of County Commissioners, State lawmakers, and more) about the work LVIM does, the greater community need and the potential impact these bodies can have on the health of our community.

In 2020, like every organization, business, family and individual, LVIM adapted and pivoted to meet the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19. While LVIM usually relies on up to 150 volunteers per week to run the clinic at full-capacity, in the spring of 2020, that number plummeted to only 57. Many of our volunteers are retired and in an older age bracket, which required them to shelter at home while the world figured out how to conquer COVID-19. During that time, staff were cross-trained to handle things volunteers usually handle. LVIM incorporated a telemedicine platform to ensure patient care could continue while also keeping staff and volunteers safe. LVIM was a leader in ensuring our staff and volunteers were at the front of the line to voluntarily receive the COVID-19 vaccine in January of 2021; 96 individuals showed up to get vaccinated. LVIM created volunteer engagement activities that included coffee chats on Zoom, a private Facebook group, ding-dong dash thank-you gifts and tokens of appreciate left at the volunteers’ homes with waves and air hugs given from their driveways. As a result of all the occurred in 2020, LVIM has incorporated student engagement like never before. Today, more than half of LVIM’s volunteers are college students seeking careers in healthcare, from pre-med to nursing, and beyond. It has been an exciting challenge to intentionally incorporate student engagement into LVIM’s daily operation.