The Chambers Family Foundation has awarded a grant of $5,000 to Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades (VIM). The grant will sponsor four low-income, uninsured Deschutes County patients for one year so they can receive free-of-charge medical care.
VIM serves over 900 economically disadvantaged working adults annually. None of VIM’s patients are eligible for ACA coverage, so they rely on the clinic’s services, which are always free of charge. Patients typically have multiple underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and hypertension. They face language and cultural barriers in obtaining healthcare and VIM puts these needs front and center, offering primary and specialty medical care, prescription medications and mental health care. Patient needs have increased dramatically over the past two years; in response, VIM has expanded services and staff to provide the care needed to support our patients, which has increased operating expenses.
About the Chambers Family Foundation:
The Chambers Family Foundation’s philanthropic works make a tremendous impact all across Oregon.
Learning the importance of giving back to the community from her parents, Carolyn Chambers established the Chambers Family Foundation in 1999. She was an astute businesswoman and a communications pioneer in the early days of cable television. In 1960, she was granted a license for KEZI-TV, the ABC television affiliate in Eugene, Oregon. She combined her business acumen with her love of Oregon and its people to create the Chambers Family Foundation.
About Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades:
Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades (VIM) is a nonprofit clinic in Bend that provides free medical care to economically disadvantaged, uninsured adults from working families in Central Oregon. Our mission is “to improve the health and wellness of the medically uninsured or critically underserved through the engagement of professionals, community partners and dedicated volunteers.” VIM is the only clinic in Central Oregon that cares for the uninsured without charge. Patients receive primary and specialty medical care, medications, mental health care, surgery, physical therapy, lab work, medical tests and education programs. All care is provided through medical and support volunteers.
