Joel C. Taylor
Chief Executive Officer at Coastal Carolina Hospital
Market Chief Operating Officer, Hilton Head Regional Healthcare
As a community hospital, Coastal Carolina Hospital strives to provide compassionate and extraordinary care to each patient who enters our doors. Bluffton Jasper Volunteers in Medicine (BJVIM) Clinic plays an integral part in ensuring that the healthcare needs of our community members are met by expanding healthcare access to underprivileged members of the Beaufort and Jasper county community. As we work to meet the changing needs of our growing community, Coastal Carolina Hospital is proud to support BJVIM in their very important role in community healthcare. Our longstanding support and partnerships with BJVIM have allowed for many of our residents to continue to receive follow up care as well as preventative treatment and education. We are honored to support such an important organization in our community.
Gail Thompson
Volunteer – Bluffton Jasper Volunteers in Medicine
I joined Bluffton Jasper Volunteers in Medicine in September 2011 because I needed to do something constructive with my free time. After losing my husband to cancer I was ready to throw myself into a worthy cause. I volunteer 2-3 afternoons a week and enjoy what I am doing. I like the interaction with the patients and my co-workers. It amazes me that so many of our volunteers give their time to a cause that needs our help.
Dave Faas
Since I retired over a year ago, I began to look for volunteer opportunities to use my newfound free time to help others. During my working years, I was busy with career and family but now, newly retired, I felt it was time to give back.
My neighbor mentioned to me that he volunteered at Bluffton Jasper Volunteers in Medicine (BJVIM) and found it quite rewarding. He suggested that I check it out. Not being a doctor, nurse or other medical specialist, I wondered if it would be a good fit for me (my career was in Sales), but I visited the clinic anyway to see for myself. What I found were caring and passionate volunteers whose sole mission was to provide quality medical care for those who need it the most but cannot afford it.
It quickly became apparent to me that even though I have no medical background, my other skills and talents could be utilized in other areas such as Administration, Finance, Development or in other ways that require fulfilling the mission of serving the poor.
I would recommend BJVIM to those looking for volunteer opportunities. It is a special place that offers meaningful and rewarding use of the gifts that God asks us to share with the less fortunate.
Dr. Stephen Keil
Doctor – Bluffton Jasper Volunteers in Medicine
We have a complement of great volunteers running the clinic including nurses, grant writers, interpreters, active board members and the list goes on. They are generous with their time and put out a lot of effort. Of course we can use more help at all levels. The clinic is growing and will always need financial support.
Personally working at VIM as a physician has been rewarding in that it allows me to extend my experience and knowledge in a useful and meaningful fashion. It also gives incentive to stay up to date with new developments in medicine.
I look forward to more of my time allotted to the clinic and the patients we serve.
Dr. O’Malley
Not ready to stop being a doctor, I was among a large number of volunteers who got the project off the ground, saw some of its first patients and was, for a brief time, its first Medical Director. Since then, the clinic has grown in size and scope though its mission remains the same: the provision of basic medical and now dental care to uninsured patients in need. Knowing we are obliged to share our gifts and talents, our many volunteers and staff do so gratefully and with great satisfaction. PA students are taught as well and our patients, for their part, receive the acute and chronic care they need.
Martha Girardi
Recently, a dear friend sent me that quote. The understanding of which Jack McConnell writes is profound for me. I have realized that all my volunteer experiences have one common element. That is the recognition that my small role actually does make a difference in the lives of those we serve. When I am at the clinic, I forget the challenges in own my life. Instead, I ask myself how I might make the life of even one of our patients a little bit easier.
It is a cliche to say that I get more from my volunteer time than I give. Nevertheless, it is true. Whether it is the young woman who pulls a five-dollar bill from her purse and asks where the donation box is located, or the man who says, while choking back tears, that the people in our clinic quite literally saved his life, I witness this gratitude, generosity and hope with every hour I spend volunteering at BJVIM.
Mary Bowers
I believe very strongly in the work that BJVIM does for the underserved in our community. Having been a volunteer there I saw firsthand the needs and how this organization goes over and above to meet those needs. I have seen the expansion of the program to include additional sites and include dental services for our patients. These are the reasons I give to BJVIM.
Ida Isherwood
My husband Bob and I were very blessed with wonderful jobs
and good health insurance. We always financially supported our church and our favorite charities, but deep in our hearts we knew we could do a little more. After meeting Ray & Barbara Elberton and learning about BJVIM and the incredible work they do for the uninsured, we heard God’s calling to help. When my husband passed in January 2021, I knew I wanted BJVIM to be the recipient of donations made in Bob’s memory. I continued to support BJVIM and always will.
“Whatever you did for the least of these, my brothers and sisters you did for me” –– Matthew 25:40
