Last night the staff and Board of Directors of the Free Clinic of Simi Valley celebrated the holidays and the end of a great year. Approximately 40 people representing all four programs and the Board of Directors attended the party held at the Senor Gomez Restaurant. Above are a few snapshots from the evening. Phyllis and Chas Wilson, Dennis Harvey along with Ron Whiteman, Kurt and Kristy Fredrickson with Ron and his guest Diane and Fred Bauermeister and Becca Merrell.
This is to let you know how satisfied (Marvin Banks& Barbara Banks) are with the Free Clinic of Simi Valley - Dental Clinic. We are both senior citizens and without these wonderful people (Dr. Graves, Citlali and Olga, we would not be able to get any dental work done. These people are so caring and treat everyone with respect. Marvin & I cannot afford to have dental work done, so without the help of the clinic we would be without dental care or greatly in debt. Dr. Graves is wonderful she pulled a tooth and in all my years and dental experience I have had before this was the first time I felt no pain during or after the tooth was pulled. (I have had many teeth pulled No Upper teeth Left at all) The care before and after was amazing. And my husband said the cleaning he got was the best he has ever had. The kindness of the people working at the Dental Clinic cannot be repaid in anyway but to thank them. Making appointments is great Olga takes the time to really help you and cares enough to call to let you know that you have an appointment. Being seniors this is a great help. Again we. would like to thank all of the people at the Free Clinic for their help and support.
Thank you,
Barbara & Marvin Banks
After the Thanksgiving holiday the Free Clinic will enter into a completely new and unprecedented venture with our friends at Kaiser. Beginning in two weeks, a resident pharmacist will see patients at the Free Clinic. Sound unusual? Well it is.
A resident pharmacist can see patients under the same types of protocols as a nurse practitioner or physicians assistant. The specially trained pharmacist, under the direct supervision of specifically credentialed pharmacist, can meet with a patient, monitor their medications, order follow-up lab tests and change the dosage or even the type of medication being administered.
The way it will work is a patient must first be seen by a physician for something like high cholesterol, diabetes or hypertension. The physician will order lab tests and prescribe a treatment plan for the patient. Then the resident pharmacist will meet with the patient to follow-up their progress and modify the patient’s treatment as it relates to their diagnosed illness. This is a brand new type of healthcare service and although common to some Kaiser patients, it will be among the first times this type of service is offered in a community clinic setting in
On Saturday October 27th the Free Clinic held our annual 'Make A Difference Day' at our Dental and Medical Clinics. These photographs are from the Dental Clinic at which we provided direct services to 63 people of all ages. In addition to our five operatories we arranged for the Dental Van to be parked out front to provide us with two more operatories. Olga and her team did a great job.
Fred Bauermeister was awarded the California Wellness Foundation’s Leadership Award. The award includes at grant which will allow Fred to take a three month sabbatical and provide training for the Board of Directors. The purpose of the grant is to help key executives in the health care profession rejuvenate, relax and return to their job refreshed. It also gives health care organizations the opportunity to strengthen and review policies and procedures.
Mr. Peter Kiesecker was the winner of the 2007 SPIRIT Award. Each Year the Free Clinic selects a member of the community to honor for their contributions made to the Simi Valley community and the Free Clinic. Mr. Kiesecker has long been a supporter of the Free Clinic and we were very pleased to honor him.
Assembly member Cameron Smyth was the honorary Chair of the 2007 Gala and SPIRIT Award Dinner.
Mayor Paul Miller enjoying the evening with his wife Connie. Over 140 individuals attended the gala on October 27th which raised over $40,000 for the Free Clinic.
Above is a photograph of Dr. Monica Tantraphol, Dr. Kevin Haggerty, Dr. Munira Husain and Dr Michael Tran all from Kaiser. Dr. Haggerty and Dr. Husain are doing their electives at the Free Clinic for the next few weeks. In other words, in addition to the Kaiser physicians being at the Free Clinic all day Thursdays, some have chosen to work additional days as an elective. Today was the first of those days. The Kaiser residents under the direct supervision of Dr. Tantraphol began this morning at 10:30 a.m. Dr. Tran, who has been a regular volunteer at the Clinic for the past three years, then began seeing patients today at 2:00 p.m. Dr. Tran along with Haggerty and Tantraphol attended the Gala on Saturday night.
Remember Annie? She was the student that graduated from
Following graduation, summa cum laude, she spent the next summer in
Thanks to our friends at the
On Friday Dr Kleiger placed a cap on the tooth of a patient in our Dental Program. The cap was made at the Simi Valley Adult School Dental Technology Program located next door to our Dental Clinic. It is a great example of volunteers from the community working together with the school and the Free Clinic for the betterment of the patient.
Dessire Puz is a dentist from Australia and Canada. She hopes to get licensed here in the United States as well. She is seen here assisting Dr. Graves in preparing a mold of a patients teeth in order to make a partial implant. This service is offered in cooperation with the Simi Valley Adult School Dental Technology Program.
Today was another landmark day in the history of the Free Clinic of Simi Valley. Today was the first day of what hopefully will be a long and mutually beneficial relationship between the Free Clinic and Kaiser and the UCLA residency program and the patients we serve. Today Dr. Tantraphol and four third year residents saw 16 patients. A reporter from the Ventura County Star along with a photographer were also here to do a story which will appear in Saturday's Star newspaper. By all accounts everything went great.
The Free Clinic of Simi Valley - Family Counseling Program is pleased to congratulate Maureen Kaye on becoming a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. On Saturday August 11, Maureen completed the second of the two written tests which are the final part of a very long process which includes 3,000 hours of supervised training. Maureen will make a fine member of the therapeutic community. CONGRATULATIONS!
Kaiser physician Monica Tantraphol mentors Free Clinic volunteer Sean Shen during todays medical clinic. Sean is a recent graduate of U.C. Berkeley and is volunteering at the Clinic to get some experience prior to attending medical school in the spring of 2008. The Free Clinic has a long history of providing mentoring to future doctors.
Meet Peter Kiesecker this years recipient of the Spirit Award at the Free Clinic Gala to be held on Saturday October 27th at the Ronald Reagan Library. Peter is president of a development company and a generous supporter of the Free Clinic.
Monica Tantraphol, MD came to the Clinic last night to meet the staff and gather information on Clinic procedures. Dr. Tantraphol is from Kaiser and is involved the residency program offered there in conjunction with UCLA. The staff enjoyed getting to know her and showing her our Clinic.
Dr. Rajpara is one of our seven dentists that regularly provide dental care at our Dental Clinic. Additionally the Clinic has five dental hygienists.
Recently the Free Clinic was used for a location in an upcoming TV movie called Black Widow. The film stars Elizabeth Berkley and is directed by Armand Mastroianni. Here is a link to more information about the film. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1046894/
Scott Theophilou has started his Eagle Project at the Free Clinic this week. Scott is replacing the storage shed in our play yard. The old one was damaged in the winds from last fall so he and his fellow troop members are pouring a cement slab and in a few days erecting a new sturdier shed. Thanks Scott!
Welcome our new blog. This offers me a chance to share news and information about our program, services and staff. Please include this blog in your favorite places and check it often for updates. I will try to include an update at least once a week. - Fred
