Who is an Alliance patient?

Dr. Sheryl Joyner speaks her heart for Alliance patients and makes a connection that cannot be disputed or doubted. She is pictured below with Morton Spivey, an Alliance patient who works as a caterer, as well as two additional jobs, to support his family.

     "An Alliance patient delivers my morning paper, fixes my latte at Starbucks, bags my groceries, pumps my gas, and inspects my car. They work at my gym and teach at local preschools. An Alliance patient is often behind the counter at the library, video store, shoe repair shop and dry cleaners. They fit and alter my daughter's prom dress and help my son fit his new pair of tennis shoes. 

     When its been a long day, Lax is running late, Walton is at Bible Study and the kids are hungry, it is often the smiling face of an Alliance patient that serves me at Wendy's, Char-Grill, Snoopy's, or K&W.  Alliance patients works in restaurants all over town both waiting tables and in the kitchen. I frequently see Alliance patients in my neighborhood cleaning houses, working as nannies, pushing strollers, and maintaining yards.

     They are plumbers, electricians, pest control technicians and appliance repairmen. They teach dance, gymnastics, karate, and swim lessons. They pastor churches and are musicians. Many of my patients own their own businesses including ethnic restaurants, janitorial services, and salons. They cut hair, give pedicures and work as massage therapists. They are bookkeepers, dog walkers, taxi drivers, caterers, yoga instructors, and personal trainers. They service my car, change my oil, and rotate my tires. They sell me my cell phone and wait patiently while I ask a million questions.

     In many ways these patients are similar to those of us that work at Alliance. They go to work, receive a paycheck, pay taxes, raise families and contribute to the community. They simply do not have health insurance. So many people whose lives touch mine every day and in turn touch yours. I am honored to take care of them because they take care of me."

Let's Go Back To Our Roots

Alliance's Annual Spring Soiree will be held on Friday, May 18 from 6:30 to 11 pm. This year's theme is "Back to our Roots" and we will be holding the event right here at our office. Begin the evening enjoying music and cocktails on our front lawn surrounded by our meditation garden and our community garden. We will also have clinic tours available during the first hour. At 7:30, join us for dinner and a silent auction! Following the auction, we will feature a tribute to Dr. Charles Mann and end the night with dancing. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit our event website at http://www.alliancemedicalministry.org/support/events.asp. Just eight weeks away, the event planning is in full swing! Want to help? We need donations of auction items. Please contact us at development@alliancemedicalministry.org if you'd like to contribute or can help recruit items! We're looking for things like jewelry, artwork, tickets to shows or sporting events, gift cards to restaurants, complimentary stays at resorts and gift certificates to spas. Please also let us know if you have any unique ideas!

Know a company that would be interested in getting involved? We're also asking for sponsorship at this time. Visit http://www.alliancemedicalministry.org/documents/2012_Alliance_Soiree_Sponsor_Packet.pdf for more information.

We look forward to seeing you! Thank you for your continued support!

Heartthrob of the Week: Carol

“You don’t have to be here very long to just feel that there’s special work going on at Alliance,” says Carol Rahmani, who volunteers as a counselor. She joined our family in September as our first volunteer psychologist. Carol has gone above and beyond in fulfilling her role by working with Joi Williams, Director of Pastoral Care and Counseling, to develop and recruit volunteers for the Pastoral Care and Counseling Team and has even recruited two former colleagues to serve our patients! More importantly, she has brought a loving heart and a touching story to Alliance. Carol is an NC State graduate and has a passion for the Raleigh area. With the exception of only one year, she has lived here since college. She worked in Wake County Schools as a psychologist and spent a great deal of time on administrative management, supervising counselors and working directly with parents. After retiring four years ago, her husband became terminally ill and passed away. This huge loss was very challenging and left a hole in her heart. After some time, she decided that she wanted and needed to find a volunteer opportunity where she could give back and be of service to the community she loves so much.  Carol’s goal was to find an outlet where she could refocus her energy in a positive way.

A friend of Carol’s knew that Alliance was in need of mental health professionals and encouraged Carol to get involved. She met Joi and quickly came on board. “We are blessed to have Carol!  Not just because of the high professional skill set that she brings to our patients, but because Carol truly is part of the Alliance Family,” shares Joi. “Outside of Alliance, our patients would have to pay $80 to $120 to have a counseling session with a professional like Carol. But because she is willing to share her talents at Alliance, our patients have access to services that are disappearing in our community to those without insurance.  By treating the mind and the body, we can have more impact in the overall health of our community.”

“The staff has just embraced those of us volunteering with the Pastoral Care and Counseling team, and it does feel like a family,” Carol says of her experience with us. But her favorite part about volunteering at Alliance is “being able to serve. I spent 30 years doing that, and I think it’s in my blood. Then you get to the end of your career and you’re looking forward to retirement, but there’s something missing if you don’t find a way to fulfill that desire to serve. Alliance is a setting where you can serve and make a difference. They are a good fit for me!” Carol had considered other volunteer opportunities, but felt best about being at Alliance. “In pastoral care and counseling, you run into all different kinds of people and get to experience their touching personal stories. People come here initially for medical care, but then we get to help them through their unimaginable pain and misery. I just think Alliance helps support them in ways that go far beyond the excellent medical care that you expect of Alliance.”

Carol is excited that she is able to apply the skills she learned while working in Wake County Schools at Alliance. The mission and target population of Alliance is different, but the same root problems exist such as financial struggles, family differences, and even sometimes, abuse. She has found her nitch, but feels that is possible for anyone who wants to be involved!

Thank you, Carol, for your hard work, dedication and enthusiasm! You have poured your heart into Alliance and we are glad to share ours with you!

At last, my love has come along...

Valerie Smith-Davis, a hard-working wife and a mother to a 3-year-old girl, searched for affordable healthcare options and thought she would never find a solution! She works full-time as a case manager, but her employer does not offer health benefits. Then, Alliance came along...

"I am so grateful to have healthcare and access to good physicians!” She is from New York and had always associated clinics with the stereotype -- below-average healthcare. “But Alliance is nothing like that! It is a great alternative,” she said. And the best part about finding us? “They made it easy for me to get the care that I needed. I didn’t have to jump through hoops to gain access to healthcare.” Valerie, that’s what we’re here for! We’re ecstatic to have the opportunity to serve such sweet, appreciative and hard-working people!

Since coming to Alliance, Valerie and her husband have been able to address problems, access medications and manage their overall health. She has received pastoral care and counseling to work on making her health and herself a priority, reduce stress and relax more. Valerie has learned new ways to use her breathing to let stress out of her body. She has also worked with Dr. Lewis on diet, exercise and weight loss. This has helped her to manage her blood pressure without medication, which is important to someone with as much independence and perseverance as Valerie!

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return! Thank you for loving us, Valerie.

Heartthrob of the Week: Kimberly Conklin

“I’ve known Kim for about 9 years, since we worked together at the OB-GYN. She has a heart of gold and she’ll bend over backwards for someone!” – Robin Schroeder, RN

“Kim knows so many our patients personally; she knows a lot about them and truly cares for them. Because of that, she’s able to give them the individual attention they need.” – Leanne Ritter, Medical Assistant

She certainly does have the HEART of Alliance after serving as our Nurse Manager for the past 7 years. Kim is an RN from Angelo State Universityand began volunteering at Alliance Medical Ministry in 2003. After working at a local OB-GYN office, Kim would volunteer each Friday afternoon to see our gynecology patients.

In 2004, Kim went on a 2-week mission trip to Honduras. “Alliance was on my mind a lot while I was there. I kept thinking of new ways to get more involved when I got back,” Kim shares. Kim didn’t have to search very far – shortly after her return, she received a call from Dr. Weaver, who was the Director of Alliance Medical Ministry at that time. Dr. Weaver asked Kim to come on board as Nurse Manager. “I felt compelled to say yes to God’s call, and so I immediately did,” Kim says, and then joined our team on November 20, 2004.

A lot has changed since that day. She has felt the pressures and faced the challenges of a rapidly expanding organization dealing with an underserved population, such as language barriers and a need for more funding. Her heart and compassion for others has made Alliance stronger and helped us to see growth and many positive changes. When Kim first started, there were two nurses, who were required to draw all blood work, triage all of the patients, call with results, make referrals and schedule testing for all patients. We now have four RNs, two CNAs, a Medical Office Assistant and a phlebotomist. We’ve gone from serving 1,500 patients to over 8,000. That’s thanks to passionate staff like Kim! “I’m so grateful for a compassionate team of staff and volunteers,” she says.

All the hard work has been worthwhile for Kim. When asked how this opportunity has been different from other work experiences, she describes it as “much more gratifying. We have the unique opportunity to combine our skills with our faith.” She is often inspired by the relationships she forms. For example, she is responsible for scheduling diagnostic mammograms and biopsies. Several months ago, she was able to coordinate care for a patient who was diagnosed with breast cancer and still keeps in touch with her. She explained that this isn’t rare; she has formed invaluable relationships with her patients over the years. “It’s so gratifying to know that you help make a difference,” she says.

Thank you, Kim, for lending your heart, skills and passion to our mission and patients! How sweet it is to be loved by you!

Volunteer Highlight!

     “Everybody needs a little extra help sometimes,” says Kyle Sloate, a volunteer at Alliance Medical Ministry who has been donating her time since November 2011.  A graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kyle has worked alongside staff at Alliance gaining experience that will lead her to achieve her goal of becoming a Physician’s Assistant.  Spending so many hours with Alliance has allowed Kyle to become more excited for her future career in healthcare. Looking for a great environment to work in to gain experience, Kyle chose Alliance because she was drawn to their mission. Alliance Medical Ministry is a non-profit organization that provides affordable healthcare to working uninsured Wake County residents. “I like that their goal is to help people no matter where they come from.  Everybody deserves healthcare.” claims Kyle.

     Kyle’s favorite thing about Alliance Medical Ministry, aside from their mission, is the staff.  From day one the staff at Alliance has welcomed her and allowed her to feel appreciated.  Alliance isn’t the only one being spoken so highly of.  Alliance has appreciated having Kyle on board just has much as she has enjoyed being here.  “She fits right in like she has been here for years.  She is very courteous to the patients and performs her duties more like a staff member than a volunteer. We have really enjoyed having her here with us,” says Dr. Watson. Volunteering at Alliance has allowed her to learn to relate to patients in a short amount of time as well as gain the trust of Alliance patients. Kyle Sloate is very appreciative of the opportunities Alliance Medical Ministry has allowed her and claims it has been an “invaluable experience.”

     We would like to recognize Kyle for her commitment to our mission and her compassionate service!  You are a big part of the Alliance Family!

Illuminate Event Devotion

At last night's Illuminate Event, our intern chaplain, Laura Tardie, shared a story of light with us. Her devotion is as follows:

"A little girl woke up one night to an unfamiliar sound in her bedroom. It sounded like the alien she’d seen in a movie earlier with her big brother, she thought, still half asleep. For a few minutes she was scared to leave her bed and felt trapped, holding tight to her blankets; she was afraid the alien would hear her. She finally mustered up the courage to lean across her bed and reach for her lamp. As she strained her arm to twist the knob the light quickly flickered on as the darkness darted under her bed and in the corners of the room. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she realized that the alien was just her cat scratching at something he saw on the floor.

Light. It dissipates fear. It allows us to see things for what they really are. It lets us see one another for who we really are. It’s easy to understand that children are afraid of the dark. But even many of us as adults get scared in the midst of darkness.  Perhaps it is because the darkness represents the unknown. The unclear. The misunderstood. And it temporarily blinds us so we feel out of control.

Tonight we gather in darkness. Our eyes had to adjust as we left that room to come out here. I have been referring literally to the absence of visible light. But let’s delve further into this imagery. Let’s think about the people in our very community who are left in the dark. Or our neighbors whose part-time job does not provide them with medical insurance. What about our friends who are not sure if they will be able to pay their next electric bill?

Like the little girl who couldn’t figure out the noise in her dark room, we often have trouble seeing the people in our community who cannot make ends meet, but we know they are there. And often like the girl, we label them as alien or foreign. But when the lights come on, our eyes adjust, and we see the familiar faces of our next-door neighbors, our friends, the people in our church who don’t say anything, and the people behind us in the grocery store check out line.

The light that illuminates our hearts to help our neighbor is ignited by Christ whose life was the light of all people and whose light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.

The prophet Isaiah knew something about the needs of his neighbors. Listen to his challenge to his people while they fasted and let it become ours to our neighbors:

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.” Isaiah 58: 6-9

So let us take on Christ’s light and shine as lights of our community here in Wake County to give all the honor and glory to God. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy spirit, Amen."

Check out the full story on the event on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/notes/alliance-medical-ministry/illuminate-event/261387980601511