Staff reports
Bank of America’s Neighborhood Champions program, which provides multiyear flexible grant funding annually to high-impact nonprofits in nearly 40 communities nationwide, has named Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head Island Clinic (VIM HHI) as its Lowcountry 2024 Neighborhood Champion for its work providing essential, free healthcare services to uninsured, low-income residents primarily residing in Beaufort County.
Through 26 medical specialties and five disease management clinics, including a dedicated Diabetes Clinic and Hypertension Clinic, VIM HHI addresses acute and preventive healthcare needs across the region.
As a Neighborhood Champion, Volunteers in Medicine is awarded a $50,000 grant over two years, leadership training resources for the organization’s executive director, access to technical coaching and a national network of nonprofit peers.
Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head Island Clinic, which celebrated more than 30 years of service last year, offers 26 free medical, dental, mental health, and wellness services to uninsured individuals. With the Neighborhood Champion grant funding, VIM HHI will implement two innovative technologies to enhance patient care and surpass national wellness benchmarks. These technologies — impedance cardiography (an advanced EKG) and machine learning integrated into electronic health records — will drive quality improvements in managing diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, and heart failure.
Impedance cardiography provides clinicians and patients with deeper insights than a standard EKG, enhancing medication adherence and helping select optimal treatments for blood pressure control.
Additionally, VIM HHI is collaborating with a healthcare firm to pilot proprietary AI software, assessing its impact in a free clinic environment. This grant will significantly elevate VIM’s care delivery. If successful, VIM HHI’s model could pave the way for innovation across thousands of free clinics nationwide.
“There is often the perception that free care is “OK” care,” said Dr. John Newman, Executive Director of VIM HHI. “Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head Island is blessed with great doctors, great nurses, engaged patients and now awesome intelligence support and new technology. We are excited what improvements these advancements will bring and how we can share it with our free clinic colleagues across the country.”
