Diabetes clinic seeks volunteers
Published Thu, Jun 16, 2005
The Island Packet

Barbara Blackshear was shocked when she discovered she had diabetes 10 years ago.
The Bluffton woman, a health-care worker at a retirement home on Hilton Head Island, said she doesn’t know what she would have done without the free clinic that has helped her through every step of her illness, with free medicine and supplies.
“They’ve helped me out a lot—I learned the proper diet and how to check my blood sugar,” she said of the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic. The island facility provides free health services to people living or working on Hilton Head and Daufuskie islands who cannot afford such care.
Two doctors and a certified diabetes education nurse lead the diabetes team of 11 other volunteers that serves more than 200 patients. But with a growing population of diabetics, there is a strain on the clinic’s manpower to treat and educate the public, said Dr. Frank Bowen, the medical director for the clinic. To meet the need, another doctor is needed.
The doctors and nurse volunteer take a half-day each Thursday to treat patients with the disease that results when the body does not properly convert sugar into energy.
The island clinic is dealing with part of the national problem with diabetes: 18.2 million people in the United States have diabetes and 4,531 adults in Beaufort County have the disease, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
And the problem is growing, especially in the black community, Bowen said. Blacks account for 58 percent of the patients at the clinic, while Hispanics and whites represent 22 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
Diabetes is characterized by above-normal levels of blood glucose. Most food is turned into glucose, or sugar, to be used for energy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The pancreas makes insulin, a hormone, to help glucose get into the body’s cells. When someone has diabetes, his or her body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in the blood.
The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles, according to the American Diabetes Association.
This is why the clinic operates on a system that teaches its patients to care for themselves so they need less medical attention, Bowen said.
But the clinic is under-staffed, which causes doctors to look at immediate problems rather than extending treatment to self-sufficiency education. Treatment includes medicine, eye care, psychological counseling and educational programs.
“This is a self-defeating process,” Bowen said.
A year ago, three doctors and a diabetes educator ran the diabetes clinic, but a doctor left.
“Our main problem now is lacking another doctor,” said Jan Hoaglin, the clinic’s only certified diabetes educator.
Bowen said he thinks the search for another volunteer will be successful because doctors, even retired ones, often are dedicated to the profession’s “guiding principal”—the patient.
“A lot of times a doctor will retire and feel like something is missing,” Bowen said. “The patient comes before your golf game and everything else.”
Doctors also will volunteer after retirement because they miss interacting with their colleagues, Bowen said.
“We receive stimulation from each other,” he said.

Hilton Head Christian Academy Does it again!
February 2, 2006

Hilton Head Island, SC – The Key Club of Hilton Head Christian Academy recently delivered over 200 Christmas gifts for our VIM’s pediatric patients. The students have been collecting money since school began, and with the support of the local Wal-Mart store, provided wrapped gifts coded for age and gender,which was a huge help to our volunteer staff. What is even more remarkable about this project is that it is the fourth year that we have received such wonderful presents for our patients from this group of students.

This project started four years ago when two friends (and students of Hilton Head Christian Academy) decided that they wanted to do something for the community’s children during the Christmas holidays. On their own they collected money from neighbors and friends and brought over new gifts for the pediatric patients. William Barrett and Bryan Mullen, now both seniors at the school will be graduating in June and going on to college in the fall. They are hoping that the school’s Key Club will continue the tradition that they started many years ago.

VIM sees many children in the course of a week whose parents have no room for extras such as Christmas presents. For some children, it was the only gift they would receive over the holiday. The kindness and generosity of this group of young people clearly demonstrated what the “giving season” really means on our island.

Angels Outside the Clinic Walls
February 2, 2006

Hilton Head Island, SC – While Volunteers in Medicine depends heavily on the generosity of individual donors, foundation grants, proceeds from events, and the goodness of volunteers, there is an entire group of donors that, while they don’t send checks to the clinic, they do as much or more to contribute to VIM’s care of the medically underserved in our community.
Every year Volunteers in Medicine receives help with patient care from medical groups and organizations who provide services for our patients at little or no cost to VIM.

In 2005 VIM paid nearly $100,000 for laboratory services for our patients. This amount represents highly discounted tests performed by our laboratory provider. We would have never been able to provide laboratory testing for over 22,000 patient visits if we had been billed at full price.

For 2006, Hilton Head Regional Medical Center has advised the clinic that they will be providing the clinic with $100,000 in lab services for our patients. The lab specimens will continue to be drawn at VIM, but they will be delivered to the hospital lab for processing. This generous gift from the hospital will enable VIM to continue to provide necessary laboratory tests for our patients at no cost.

In addition to their gift of lab processing, the hospital will also be providing 36 outpatient procedures for VIM patients this year. These procedures will include outpatient surgery and procedures that need to be performed in a hospital setting – all at no charge to VIM. Some examples of this hernia operations, some gynecologic surgery, and some special x-ray studies

Fourteen additional organizations have donated more than $10,000 in services or supplies to the clinic in 2005. They were recently recognized with 2005 “Circle of Caring” awards. The VIM Circle of Caring Award is awarded every year to medical groups in the community who donate many hours of care and services for VIM patients, while continuing to manage their own patient load. There are many of our patients who would not be healthy today if not for the help from the following medical organizations:

*Biopsy Diagnostics provides free tests for our patients *Carolina Dermatology provides free dermatological care and treatment *Coastal Gastroenterology provides care to our patients at a greatly reduced fee to VIM *Hilton Head ENT and Sinus Center provides care to our patients at a greatly reduced fee to VIM *Hilton Head General and Laparoscopic Surgery provides surgical management at a greatly reduced fee *Hilton Head Imaging provides CAT scans at a 90% discount *MRI at Belfair provides free MRI’s for our patients *The Outpatient Surgical Center at Hilton Head provides surgical management at a greatly reduced fee *Pelton and Crane donated over $57,000 worth of dental equipment to furnish two new dental operatories *Surgical Eye Care of Hilton Head provides free care to our patients *The Auxiliary at Hilton Head Regional Medical Center – for providing VIM with approximately $30,000 in bulk drugs and prescriptions for our patients *The Urology Group provides care and treatment at a greatly reduced fee *Tobin Bone and Joint Surgery provides care and treatment at a greatly reduced fee *Women’s Health Care Associates care and treatment at a greatly reduced fee

The generosity of these medical practices and individual physicians allow us to care for our patients beyond the walls of the clinic. We are inspired by them, and indebted to them for their support of our patients.

August, 2006
Contact Donna Thorne (803) 264-2437

BlueCross Foundation Grants more than $2 million to Support Healthcare in SC

Columbia, SC – The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation recently awarded $2,075,750 in grants, including $43,850 to Volunteers in Medicine, Hilton Head’s free medical clinic, for maintenance of electronic medical records.

Other grants were awarded for school nurses in low income districts across the state, as well as funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy, promote physical activity and better nutrition to school children, fight obesity, provide free dental care to the uninsured, to educate Hispanics about the proper use of antibiotics and to fund free medical clinics in South Carolina.

Margie Maxwell, the free clinic’s Development Director said, “This grant will enable us to maintain and enhance our electronic medical records system, which means rapid access during patient assessment and treatment and safe storage in the event of a natural disaster.”

Ed Sellers, BlueCross Chairman and CEO, said, “There are many community groups making a valiant effort to improve healthcare for low income populations in South Carolina. The BlueCross Foundation is pleased to award these grants to help support these organizations and the people they serve, including Volunteers in Medicine.”

Headquartered in Columbia, the BlueCross BlueShield Foundation is a philanthropic affiliate of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. Created in 2002, the Foundation identifies and acts to help solve South Carolina’s health problems, with special emphasis on access, affordability and quality of healthcare. The Foundation and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Volunteers in Medicine Receives a four-star rating from Charity Navigator
February 16, 2007
Volunteers in Medicine has received a four-star rating for sound fiscal management from Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator is a national non-profit organization that evaluates and ranks over five thousand charities on their financial health. A four-star rating is the highest rating that an organization can receive from Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator’s goal is to guide intelligent giving and they aim to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace in which the givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome our nation’s most persistent challenges, such as health care, education, homelessness and hunger.
Charity Navigator is a 501© (3) non-profit organization under the Internal Revenue Code and does not accept any contributions from any charities they evaluate. They rate charities by evaluating two broad areas of financial health, their organizational efficiency and their organizational capacity. Charitable Organizations are not asked to provide their financial records because Charity Navigator evaluates financial data directly from each organization’s public tax filings. Less than 25% of the organizations evaluated receive a four-star designation. Details of this rating can be viewed at Charity Navigator’s website at: www.charitynavigator.org.
Several key factors that led to this prestigious rating (VIM is the only four-star rating for charitable health facilities in the State of South Carolina are: Administrative Expenses for the clinic’s operations have been calculated at 11.5% – which means that 88.5¢ of every dollar received through donations goes directly to patient care; Fundraising Efficiency: for every dollar that is raised by VIM, only 8¢ is spent to raise it; and Organizational Capacity: revenue growth is greater than program expenses.
This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Volunteers in Medicine from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.

Curing a clinic shortage
A renowned physician and researcher, Jack McConnell proved to be a terrible retiree. “I never got so bored in my life,” says McConnell, whose career achievements include directing the development of the tuberculosis tine test, Tylenol tablets, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. “I sat around thinking, ‘Is this all I got left?’ ” It wasn’t: after retiring to Hilton Head, South Carolina, to play golf, the pediatrician quickly noticed that a large number of the resort island’s low-income residents had no health care. So he started a free medical clinic to serve them, luring recently retired physicians and nurses off the golf course and back to work. “We offer them a way to practice medicine the way they were taught to practice,” says McConnell in his honeyed East Tennessee drawl—an unhurried, personal approach that dates to an era before managed care. The success of the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, which opened in 1994 and last year tallied nearly 30,000 patient visits, speaks both to Hilton Head’s doctor-heavy demographics and to the persuasive powers of its founder. (McConnell persuaded South Carolina lawmakers to waive licensing procedures, obtained blanket malpractice coverage for a fraction of the normal rate, and even coaxed local contractors to donate their construction services.) Now, the Volunteers in Medicine Institute is using McConnell’s model to build a network of free clinics nationwide; so far it’s opened 50 clinics from Washington to Georgia. “Every community in this country has all the resources it needs to operate a facility like ours,” says the intrepid physician, who at 81 is in the process of starting a clinic in Africa. “But someone has to step up and take the risk.” —David Dudley

2007 Impact Awards
AARP Magazine
December 2006

Colleague lets St. Peter know what he’s in for

The Island Packet
Sea Foam
dlauderdale@islandpacket.com
Published Monday, February 19, 2007

Thanks to Margie Maxwell of the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic for sharing an essay she wrote upon the death of Peg Oswald, RN.
Peg passed away Feb. 3 after a very short illness. She was 72. Peg had been on the staff of the clinic from the very beginning, even before founder Dr. Jack McConnell opened the doors.
“She was an icon here at the clinic—almost our clinic mascot because she knew everyone and did everything that needed to be done,” said Margie, VIM director of development and public relations.
At the clinic, which has become the model for more than 50 others worldwide, retired doctors and other health care professionals volunteer their services to provide free primary medical care for the community’s poor.
Dr. Frank Bowen, executive medical director, said, “We at VIM are grateful to her family for loaning Peg to us for this chapter in her life. She was the first nurse at VIM and in a sense was the personality of the clinic as it grew. She has worked with every doctor, nurse and lay volunteer who came to VIM.”
Margie wrote her tribute as a warning letter to St. Peter about Peg’s arrival. The Andrew referenced at the end is Peg’s 19-year-old grandson who was killed in a car accident in Atlanta two years ago.
Margie writes:
“Dear St. Peter:
“Our dear friend and colleague Peg Oswald should be at your door right about now. Knowing Peg the way we know her, I thought you might want to be aware of a few things.
“The first thing she will ask you is why it is you and not St. Patrick there to greet her. You might just want to save yourself some time and ask St. Patrick to join you for the afternoon. The second thing she will ask you is if you need a shot. You are on your own with both of these questions, but be forewarned.
“When you get her settled into her heavenly home, please make sure she is near Duke fans. Any woman who names one of her dogs ‘Duke’ is serious about her team. A blue angel gown in her closet would probably help.
“Peg does not do well sitting around doing nothing. Here on earth her job at the clinic was to supply immunizations to the hundreds of children and babies who came through our doors. She juggled that with handling triage, answering the phone, checking labs, chatting with her patients and rocking babies.
“Even on the craziest days at the clinic when everyone was frantic with work, Peg always managed to stay on an even keel to keep everyone else calm. You will need to give her a job or two up there just to keep her busy—or rest assured that the complaint department will need to put on more staff up there just to deal with the practical jokes complaints—some of which are best not discussed in church.
“You would think after keeping her busy all day she would want to go home and put her feet up—but she won’t. She’ll volunteer at your events, help in your community, visit with your family—and they will love her instantly.
“She has a huge heart and she will want to share it. Remember, when Dr. Jack first began talking about his vision 14 or 15 years ago, it was Peg Oswald who was there with him from the beginning. I am warning you, if you don’t find her something to do, you will find some strange things on your desk chair!
“If you have some lonely souls in heaven, just introduce them to Peg. We have always said that if you’ve met Peg for an hour you know her for a lifetime. She does not judge, and she doesn’t have a care about how anyone is dressed or how they look. They will score extra points, however, if they laugh at her jokes. No one will ever have to guess what Peg thinks of them—believe me, they will know within the hour. She was as real and decent and human as anyone could ask for, and I know she will help you greatly with some of your new arrivals who need a little help settling in.
“Please, please keep an eye on her diet for us … although it was probably one of your boss’s miracles that she never picked up E. coli from one of her favorite blood-rare burgers at Reilley’s. Believe me, you will watch in awe … or horror.
“I hope you don’t think I am being bossy (but St. Peter, you’d better get used to bossy!) but I’m going to tell you three things to say to Peg and I promise you she will walk right through without an argument. Take my advice and:
• “Tell her we love her.
• “Tell her you are well aware that her grandchildren are more beautiful and gifted than anyone else’s, including your own.
• “Tell her Andrew is waiting for her in the bar with a glass of her favorite wine.
“Godspeed, Peg.”

One From The Heart by Judith Lawrenson
Pink Magazine
March, 2007

Margie Maxwell-Sometimes Things Just Feel Right

When I went to see Margie Maxwell at Volunteers In Medicine to firm up our article, I decided to take a couple of little gifts that I knew she would really like. I took a bag full of used children’s books, some old stuffed toys, and a huge twelve pack of toilet paper. Yes, it just felt right and Margie loved it, as I know she would. With her that kind of thing actually does feel right.

Margie feels just right in her home too-or should I say all of her homes. She is very much at home in her office at VIM. You come in, sit down, and simply “be” there. Everything is going a mile a minute, but she always has a little time she has saved just for you. Book shelves meet at corners with stacks of paper, people come and go all day, and the phone is ringing, but she made sure her desk faced the window and quite a nice little view of the world to enjoy. Margie targeted VIM as her ideal place to work because she has been a long time admirer of Dr. Jack McConnell and the mission of VIM.

She says: “As Director of Development I spend my days working at finding the money to keep the clinic running. I am surrounded by the most amazing group of staff and volunteers. The medical professionals are here on their appointed day and they also give of their non-assigned time to care for patient follow- up and teach medical and dental interns. Lay volunteers include former Peace Corps volunteers, pro-ball players, former CEO’s and CFO’s of companies, archeologists, teachers, librarians, and even a musician or two. We have several published authors, two international correspondents, and even one United Nations representative! No wonder I love it here.”

She is also very much at home on Hilton Head Island. From the first visit she and her husband of 35 years, Charlie, fell in love with it hook line and sinker. They determined to form a plan to make that move happen, and stick to it. The “Maxwell 20 Year Plan” included buying a house on Hilton Head Island and moving here as soon as Margie retired from her job. She spent 28 years working for a large health insurance company as Senior Vice President of Marketing. She sold group health insurance to huge corporations and worked and lived the corporate life, but once she and Charlie discovered Hilton Head, as I said, the end was never in doubt. They found their dream in a home in Point Comfort that featured the main attraction of 90 feet of waterfront in the back yard!

Please notice I did not say dream house, I said dream home. Margie tells me that the house itself was anything but a dream. She and Charlie lived in the house just as it was for almost a year before they started to make decisions about how and what they wanted to do. In the mean time though, it took on a life and character of its own. “Our girls visited, our grandchildren came often, we had many family celebrations here, cousins got to know each other, and we kept busy enjoying each other’s company. My four-year-old grandchild is convinced his Grammy owns the whole entire beach. Somehow Charlie and I had created a central spot where families feel free to visit and no one seemed bothered by the way the house looked.”

Eventually, they decided to improve the house rather than do a tear down because they wanted to stay in keeping with their Point Comfort neighborhood. They are doing much of the work themselves and having done much the same thing with by husband, I can really identify with what is happening. Margie says: “I can hang drywall like a pro, do exterior painting, and make a good try at most of what Charlie wants me to do, but he still winces when I offer to do interior painting. There are some things that should be left to others. Charlie is the contractor and I am the apprentice-no doubt about that.” I feel sometimes I never want to look at drywall dust ever again as long as I live but regardless of the work and frustrations we have experienced, we have never, ever discussed moving or finding another house. We have found home-we just need to improve the structure that surrounds our home and family.”

Finally the last place that Margie feels at home? Well, I think it is in her own persona-in her own skin as we say. She is happy and comfortable being who she is and doing what she does. What a gift that is. In addition to all of this she volunteers with the Speaker’s Bureau for Beaufort and the Omen Foundation Lowcountry Affiliate. Not enough? She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Point Comfort Homeowners Association.
And best of all when I asked her what made a bad day for her she replied: “I just don’t allow bad days in my life. There is too much good in the world.”

Profile:
Q: Have you seen any good movies lately?
A: Flags of our Fathers-I went with Charlie whose father was at Iwo Jima and a dear friend whose father was also at Iwo Jima. I gained a new respect for their courage

Q: Do you have a pet?
A: Yes-Rocky the Flying Cat. He is an ornery 16-year-old orange tabby that we took in as a stray kitten.

Q: Favorite thing about HHI?
A: I feel like I have finally come home.

Q: What do you value?
A: I value integrity-in my self and in others. People who always try to do the right thing, and are trustworthy and honest inspire and challenge me.

2007 Circle of Caring Awards
Volunteers in Medicine Clinic

VIM is so fortunate to have additional support beyond the walls of the clinic -local health care providers in the community who donate many hours of care and services for VIM patients either at no cost or at a greatly reduced cost, while continuing to manage their own patient load. There are many of our patients who would not be healthy today if not for the help from these organizations:

Biopsy Diagnostics
Carolina Dermatology
Coastal Gastroenterology
Hilton Head ENT and Sinus Center
Hilton Head General and Laparoscopic Surgery
Hilton Head Imaging
MRI at Belfair
Outpatient Surgical Center of Hilton Head
The Auxiliary at Hilton Head Regional Medical Center
The Urology Group
Women’s Health Care Associates
Woodlawn Medical Group
ABC Hearing
Hilton Head Regional Medical Center
Stephens Pharmacy
Dr. Thomas Morse
Southern MRI
Palmetto Anesthesia
Hilton Head Heart

Dr. Roger Sorg captures national honor for diabetes care
Press release July 2007

Roger Sorg, D.O., head of the Diabetes Management Clinic at Volunteers in Medicine and VIM’s Board Chairman has received the 2007 Merck Excellence in Diabetes Care Award from the American Osteopathic Foundation. This award was established to reward excellence in the field of diabetes and honors those who utilize a programmatic or innovative approach to treating and managing the disease.
Dr. Sorg received this prestigious honor for heading the team of 5 nurses, 1 exercise physiotherapist, 4 physicians, 2 dietitians, translators, and a team of diabetic educators that provides free medical care to those that live and/or work on Hilton Head or Daufuskie Islands and have no access to health care. Dr. Sorg coordinates a system of preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic measures aimed at educating, treating, and preventing complications for over 300 diabetec patients who attend VIM’s diabetes clinic.
There are over 20.8 million diabetics in the United States today. Diabetes is costing our nation $132 billion annually and is the sixth leading cause of death today in the United States. The average annual cost to treat a diabetic patient in the United States is $13,243. The actual cost for VIM to administer this entire program is $34,750.00, or about $107.00 per patient annually. Dr. Sorg’s monetary award of $10,000 will go to help support VIM’s diabetes program.
Dr. Sorg received his Bachelor of Science from Bowling Green State University. He received his medical degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, Iowa. He is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists, a member of the South Carolina Medical Association and the American Osteopathic Association. He is also a certified diabetic educator.
In addition to his volunteer work at VIM, Dr. Sorg serves as a Deputy Coroner Pathologist for the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office. He is frequently seen in the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina’s orchestra playing saxophone or clarinet, or playing in the Sun City Orchestra and Chorus. He is also a certified wheel chair tennis instructor.

Soup challenge raised thousands for charity – and showed off some amazing soups By JIM FABER
Island Packet January 15, 2008

Even as temperatures sprung into the 60s on Sunday, plenty of people still found it perfect weather for a bowl of soup.

Some 1,000 people turned out for the 2008 Lowcountry Soup Challenge at Tanger Outlet Center 1 in greater Bluffton to taste about 20 different soups, said Margie Maxwell, development director for Volunteers in Medicine.

Volunteers in Medicine, the Hilton Head Island nonprofit clinic that serves low-income residents, is the beneficiary of the money raised at the event.

This year, more than $9,000 was taken in at the gate. That amount included on-site ticket purchases and sales of a cookbook featuring soup recipes from the 15 previous challenges, Maxwell said.

Pre-sold ticket revenues haven’t been counted yet. Attendance was higher than usual, Maxwell said, which she attributed to holding this year’s event in January. It previously had been in November.

“Moving the Soup Challenge to January makes it more conducive to soup eating,” Maxwell said.

Also, moving the event from Saturday to Sunday meant more folks stopped by after church for lunch, she said.

Next year’s Soup Challenge is scheduled for Jan. 11.

And the winners are …
First place: The Plantation Club at the Landings. Chefs John Cowan and Doug Miller created a Shrimp and Oyster Bisque.

Second place: Aqua Grille and Lounge. Chef Eric Seaglund created a Sweet Vidalia Onion and Shrimp Bisque.

Third place: The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. Chef Richard Lipton created She Crab Soup with Parmesan Crab.

The People’s Choice Award: Determined by a vote of attendees; went to chef Delores Pate of Colleton River Plantation for her Navy Bean Italian Sausage Soup.

Five Minutes with Dr. Lee Pratt, volunteer neurologist
By JUSTIN PAPROCKI
The island Packet May 2, 2008

Dr. Lee Pratt celebrated National Volunteer Week by, well, volunteering.

The West Virginia native serves as a volunteer neurologist at Volunteers in Medicine, the nonprofit clinic that provides medical care to low-income residents on Hilton Head and Daufuskie islands.

This week has been dedicated to the millions willing to give up their time (and money) to help others. In an area so dependent on volunteers, Pratt is one of many locally whose service keeps the island running.

Pratt talks about the benefits of volunteering, living the Sun City Hilton Head life and the best way to motorcycle around Bluffton.

Question. Did you have any big volunteer week celebrations?
Answer. Well, we did have a luncheon yesterday.

Q. How’d you end up at Volunteers in Medicine?
A. We knew about it, but it wasn’t until we settled in that I started. I ended up being the only neurologist. There is another one who works part time. I work Mondays.

Q. How long have you been down here?
A. About five years. I practiced up in West Virginia. When I left we had nine neurologists in Charleston and four bailed at the same time. Malpractice (insurance) got too expensive so some of us just said, “let’s do something else.” ... We had always driven past Sun City. We remember saying, “That’s where all those old folks live.” Fast forward 10 years and here we are (in Del Webb’s The Haven at New Riverside). We love it, though. It’s very active. I’m in the motorcycle club.

Q. What kind of motorcycle do you have?
A. Two Harleys.

Q. Ever ride down to Volunteers in Medicine?
A. Never ride to the island. We love the Bluffton Parkway. (U.S.) 278 is a little crazy. Lot of out-of-town people. Lot of people who don’t know where they’re going, so they’re making sudden stops, abruptly switching lanes.

Q. Might be funny to see your doctor ride up on a Harley, anyway.
A. In West Virginia I used to ride some (to the hospital). They’d have a special parking area for motorcycles.

Q. Why do you volunteer?
A. It keeps you active. Keeps you reading. Keeps you up-to-date. It’s a little slower pace. It’s just fun.

Q. Are you pretty busy when you’re there?
A. (It’s) not overwhelming. It’s interesting. We have some excellent volunteers.

Q. Do you ever wish you were back practicing full time?
A. No (laughs). Don’t miss the paper work. Don’t miss the endless committee meetings. I don’t work weekends.

Q. Gives you six days a week to ride.
A. Right.

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