Our Executive Director's Open House Speech
In case you missed our Open Houses and 10 Year Anniversary of Nonprofit Status celebration last week, we have published excerpts from our Executive Director Lynette Sappe-Watkins’ remark. To learn more about the event, visit this blog entry.
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2023 Culmore Clinic Open House. For those who I have not yet met, I’m Lynette Sappe-Watkins, Executive Director. I arrived six months ago. My introduction to this role has been a whirlwind. Not only is this a fast-paced and efficient medical operation, it’s also a very welcoming one. Culmore Clinic is among the organizations I have been watching since about 2010. At that time I never imagined that I’d be in this role. It is a team I could not be more proud to be a part of. From our Board of Directors to our staff and volunteers, Culmore Clinic has one dedicated, compassionate and focused team.
By show of hands, does anyone know who William Osler was? William Osler was the first “Physician in Chief” of Johns Hopkins University Hospital. He is recognized as saying,
“The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head.”
I think Dr. Osler’s words strike true here at Culmore Clinic. Our providers are called by their hearts to practice the art of medicine.
We are blessed at Culmore Clinic to have a wonderful team practicing and supporting our patients. These individuals are a blend of paid and volunteer providers, whose skills in medicine are artfully woven together with compassion for community to support a tapestry of individuals who make up the local population in Falls Church and greater Fairfax County.
Ours is a community of people whose faith, traditions, skills, music and languages give our neighborhood color and depth. This richness of culture is beautiful. From a health perspective, this is a challenging community. As you know we see adult patients. Did you know many of these individuals have never had regular healthcare services. The phrase “annual physical” is not something many of them are familiar with. The result is that many of our patients are sick. Two thirds have at least one chronic condition. Thankfully Culmore Clinic is up to the challenge. We’ve assembled the tools and resources necessary to welcome patients, treat them, follow-up, provide medication management, health education and specialty care services.
Our team of volunteers and staff all work to keep patients on the path to health and wellness. It begins with our patient navigator team DeeDee and Monica – who work with volunteers to help patients register and enroll. Then Maria Obeid, Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Director and her Clinical team work with our patients. This team is made up of volunteer & staff medical providers, nurses, medical assistants, phlebotomists, behavior health counselors, nutritionists, social workers and a diabetes management specialist. Of course they are all supported by interpreters who make sure our patients understand this confusing world of healthcare. Everyone is working together toward one goal, improved patient health. Let’s recognize these individuals with a round of applause.
Each week dozens of volunteers cross our threshold to partner with our team for the benefit of patients and future patients. We’ve added about 20 volunteers to our ranks this year, which is vitally important because our patient population has grown by more than 10% since we assembled here last fall.
Patient care services have also grown this year – we’ve added women’s health, to our offerings as well as lab services, But that’s not all… We’re stepping into new territory with an important research study that adds greater value to our already vitally important clinical services. To introduce you to this new and important element of patient care, I’ll ask Maria Obeid, our Clinical Director to come share this exciting news.