Donate & Volunteer
Volunteer Spotlights
- Earnest Volunteering in Sensible Shoes: Nell Newton
- The Heart of the Matter: Cardiologist George Rodgers, M.D.
- A Mother-Daughter Immunizations Team: Louise and Rose Ann Reeser
- Center for Adolescent Health Volunteer: Zach Jeanes
- Volunteer Specialist: Endocrinologist Peter Emerson, M.D.
- First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin
- Strength in Numbers: Clinic Volunteer Sheri Overton
- Volunteer Appreciation
Earnest Volunteering in Sensible Shoes: Nell Newton
Nell Newton is a first-year student at Meadville Lombard Theological School, a Unitarian Universalist seminary based in Chicago. Nell is part of a program where she can study remotely while living and working in Austin. Part of her coursework involves volunteering at a local nonprofit service agency, and she chose to work with People’s Community Clinic.
“Students in my class choose a site at which to volunteer partly so that we can learn how nonprofits function. One day, many of us will be running churches, which are also nonprofit organizations, and it helps to learn from other models,” Nell explains. “Another goal of our volunteer work is to see examples of ‘what is religious’ in everyday life. Churches don’t have a monopoly on ‘the religious’, and serving at a nonprofit is an opportunity to see how that it is expressed within the greater community.”
Since beginning her volunteer work, Nell says she has seen religious values expressed at PCC. “One of the principles of Unitarian Universalism is to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of each human person, which fits right into PCC’s mission of providing care with respect and dignity to those who are medically underserved or uninsured. I chose to volunteer at PCC because of the correlation between PCC’s core values and my own. It’s lovely to see how well PCC runs and carries out its mission each day.”
PCC is mission-driven, and while volunteering, Nell has observed that the staff is very clear on PCC’s mission and their role in carrying it out. “I see this as a sign of organizational health. The medical staff wants to help their patients and make a difference in their lives. They could work for a for-profit clinic, but choose to work at PCC because of the mission.”
Nell describes herself and other Unitarian Universalists as “earnest people in sensible shoes.” As a group, “we are very hands-on and eager to make a difference in the community.”
Nell spends most of her volunteer time working on two projects. The first involves researching how Medicaid makes referrals for children’s dental providers so that PCC can help families access dental care. The state-run Medicaid dental program has recently changed the way patients are connected with providers and Nell is preparing information to help patients better understand what their options are when seeking dental care for their children.
The second project is a time study that involves following patients during the course of their visit. PCC wants to provide excellent care but at times patients have endured long waits to see their health care provider. Nell’s time study tracks a patient from the time they walk into the clinic until the time they check out and notes how long they wait at each point of their stay. If the patient sits in the waiting area for 40 minutes, Nell sits there with them. She notes the myriad small events that are part of patient care that all add up time but are hard to measure otherwise. Her notes are being analyzed by the administrative staff in order to see where lags occur, and how well things usually flow.
When she comes to volunteer at the clinic, Nell helps out in any way that she can. On some days, that means reading to children in the waiting room, which she says is one of the most fun things she gets to do. “It is a delight to read to the kids, or to be able to hand a book to a child and have them take it back to their parents to read! I carry a tote bag full of books in both English and Spanish, and the kids love digging through it to find one they’d like to read.”
“On most days, I spend my time watching and learning. My favorite part about volunteering is the people. I’m interested in getting to know all of their stories – staff and patients included. Every person has a story, and PCC has one too. It’s very interesting to see all those stories work together. PCC has a history, and the people who work there are a part of that history, retelling itself each day.”
Nell has had a unique opportunity to watch the clinic in action, and feels a strong connection to the work that happens at PCC every day. “Often I’ll see a patient waiting to see their doctor, or a baby about to get a shot, or a medical assistant helping a provider, and I’ll say a little prayer for them. In general, Unitarian Universalists aren’t really famous for prayer, but when we do pray, it is sincere.”
Nell only has a few months left until she completes her volunteer project, and she hopes to stay connected to PCC after she moves on. “The work done by People’s Community Clinic is too important, and I don’t want to let go of what I’ve learned here. I think I have one of the best sites in my class.”
The Heart of the Matter: Cardiologist George Rodgers, M.D.
Dr. George Rodgers started volunteering at PCC in 2006. At the time he’d made a transition from a busy practice with Austin Heart to a biotech firm (Biophysical Corporation). He started volunteering at PCC because he wanted to continue seeing patients. This was a great opportunity to continue practicing as a cardiologist, which he really enjoys and wasn’t able to do as much at a biotech firm.
Dr. Rodgers sees something special about volunteering at PCC. “There’s a great feeling you get about volunteering with People’s. The patients are so appreciative. The staff is friendly, helpful, and fun to work with. The doctors are collegial and appreciative. It’s an all-around feel-good experience.”
PCC’s patients have special challenges, since they are uninsured or underinsured and often also have difficulty with access. Since he began volunteering, Dr. Rodgers has found innovative ways to assist our patients with the challenges they face.
“One of things that would happen when I first started was that I’d see a patient and tell them that they need an ultrasound of their heart, called an ‘echo’. The patients would only show up about a third of the time because of their own constraints (work, transportation challenges, etc.). The ability to take time off for a doctor’s appointment is something that many people take for granted, but many PCC patients would risk losing their jobs if they missed work. Therefore, many patients would miss their echo appointments rather than miss work.”
“In order to make things easier for the patients, we started providing echos right there and then at PCC,” says Dr. Rodgers. “When I volunteer, I come with an echo tech and a portable machine, and we do 3-4 echos each time I come. We get results immediately and go over them with the patient at the same appointment.”
Cardiology is the perfect specialty for Dr. Rodgers because it has everything he loves doing. “I think that the physiology and anatomy of the heart and circulation are really fascinating. As a cardiologist, you get to be involved in trying to figure things out with anatomy and physiology every day. I also enjoy doing my own imaging and procedures in addition to treating people.”
Many times cardiology patients are able to make enormous strides in improving their health with proper care and treatment. “A great thing about cardiology is that it’s one of those specialties where you get to take care of people who are desperately ill and then help them to even get back to work. I love that I get to help people so profoundly,” says Dr. Rodgers. “I love cardiology and I never get tired of it.”
Heart disease comes in many forms, and Dr. Rodgers’ passion is prevention. Diagnosing a patient and treating them at an early stage is key. Dr. Rodgers played an instrumental role in the founding of the Championship Hearts Foundation, which provides free heart screenings for Texas high school students.
“We did 4,000 screenings last year. What we’re doing is we’re trying to identify young athletes who have heart conditions that would put them at high risk for sudden cardiac arrest. These high-risk conditions exist in about 1 in 200 students. Championship Hearts does big screening events throughout the year. The schedule is listed on the Chapmionship Hearts website, and they’re free!”
Dr. Rodgers’ philosophy about volunteerism is this: “At the end of our lives, we’re going to be judged not by what we took from society, but by what we gave back.” (Quoted from his favorite politician, Arnold Schwarzenegger.) Thank you, Dr. Rodgers, for sharing your expertise, passion, and volunteer spirit with People’s Community Clinic.
A Mother-Daughter Immunizations Team: Louise and Rose Ann Reeser
Mother and daughter Louise and Rose Ann Reeser know the importance of giving back to their community. For the past three years, they have volunteered at People’s Community Clinic as a team, sending out reminder cards to patients that are due for their next immunizations. Not only does volunteering together give them the opportunity for some quality mother-daughter time, but it is a rewarding experience that directly helps PCC’s patients.
“I really enjoy volunteering with mom, since it gives us a chance to chat,” says Rose Ann, as she and her mom, Louise, share a smile. “In addition, the work we do is very fulfilling, especially since we get to see how our efforts help to keep kids immunized.”
A recent audit of PCC’s Immunizations program showed that 98% of 2-year-old patients were up to date on all their immunizations. This impressive success rate is due to the hard work of the many members of PCC’s Health Promotion team and the dedication of Immunizations volunteers. Georgia Armstrong, RN, heads up PCC’s Immunizations department, and shares the success of the program with her volunteers.
“Seeing that 98% completion rate is very rewarding for us as volunteers, and Georgia is always eager to share those statistics with us,” Rose Ann says. “It’s impressive that PCC is able to have such a high completion rate, especially when it’s not always easy for parents to bring their kids in for their vaccines due to challenges with work schedules and transportation. By sending out reminder cards to patients, we feel like we are making a big difference.”
Recently, the Reesers sponsored the production of some new reminder cards that were custom-made for PCC’s Immunizations program. Using these new cards has helped them to streamline the process and send out more reminders faster. “We’re all caught up! Having the new cards has really helped,” says Louise.
Both mother and daughter are retired, and spend their time volunteering at People’s Community Clinic and several other organizations in the Austin area. In 1992 Louise, a retired Illinois nurse, followed her daughter Rose Ann to Texas, who had come here in the ‘60s for college and law school and decided to stay. Both have been living in Austin for several years and are active members of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin.
“I volunteer at PCC because we lack an adequate healthcare system in this country, and I want to help in any way that I can,” says Rose Ann. “People’s Community Clinic does a great job with limited resources, and I am glad to be a part of that.”
“The volunteer work we do here is demonstratively useful,” Louise adds. “When we volunteer, we get to see the kids that come for their immunizations and know that we are playing a part in keeping them healthy. For us, that is a big reward.”
Center for Adolescent Health Volunteer: Zach Jeanes
Aspiring medical school student and doctoral candidate at the University of Texas in the Neuropharmacology program, Zach Jeanes came to People’s Community Clinic in March 2011 looking for a way to feel more connected to the Austin community. Specifically, Zach wanted to learn more about the ways in which healthcare is provided in our community, especially to people who are underserved or uninsured.
“That’s why I chose PCC rather than another clinic. I felt that PCC’s philosophy was needed in our community and also in line with what I hope to do in the future.” At UT, Zach works in a lab that studies the effects of alcohol on the brain and what causes people become alcoholics. “The idea is that if we can learn the cause, we can then develop treatment to reverse the process and help a person recover.” Zach hopes to one day combine what he has learned in graduate school with what he will learn in medical school in order to help people. “In my lifetime, I hope to be able to help educate or help treat people who need treatment but either can’t get it or don’t think it’s valuable.”
As a volunteer at PCC, Zach has been able to get a taste of the ways in which he can help people in need. He is part of a group of volunteers working on a project for PCC’s Center for Adolescent Health. Members of this volunteer group help PCC’s medical staff by streamlining supplemental information that can be handed out to patients and their parents during their visits. This information covers a variety of topics pertaining to adolescent health, like nutrition, mental health, sexual development, and family planning. The volunteers sort these handouts by category and age group, make them as bilingual as possible (English-Spanish), and save them all electronically for easy access by medical staff.
“The idea of this project is to supplement what the provider tells the patients and their parents during the visit. The provider talks to a patient in a clinical setting, and in case the patient has any questions later, the provider can give him or her more information in the form of a handout that’s easily accessible,” Zach says. Providers can print the handouts right from their computer in the exam room, hand them to the patients as they are leaving, and verbally explain what’s in the handouts and why it is important. This way, adolescents aren’t left to wonder about unanswered questions and to start forming their own assumptions.
Adolescence is a transitional time, which can be scary. Zach believes that the more information one has, the less scary life can be. “The main goal of our project is to help adolescents be more proactive in their healthcare so that later in life they are more proactive. If they can start early on, they are more likely to understand that they need to participate in their own health.”
Zach says that his favorite part about volunteering at PCC has been learning about all the ways that he can help in our community. “My favorite part is seeing this whole other world of people who need assistance, and realizing that I can help. It has made me feel more connected to where I live than I did previously, and more in touch with what’s really going on. I feel that I’ve gained a lot of perspective.”
Zach sees a definite correlation between his volunteer work with People’s Community Clinic and his goals for the future. “Volunteering at PCC has helped me to see a lot of opportunities to spread knowledge and use my abilities to help someone get better.” Thanks to Zach, and to all the volunteers with the Center for Adolescent Health, for helping our providers to better serve our young patients!
Volunteer Specialist: Endocrinologist Peter Emerson, M.D.
Peter Emerson, MD has volunteered his time and talents as an endocrinologist since moving to Austin about 2 years ago. When asked what brought him to People’s Community Clinic, he answered that he was looking to volunteer in a place where he could address the needs of patients who don’t have insurance. People that are uninsured or underinsured often have difficulty accessing medical care. Our uninsured and underinsured patients receive high quality primary care at PCC, but would have difficulty accessing specialty care like endocrinology without our volunteer specialists.
“I thought it would be something fun to do,” says Dr. Emerson. “I really enjoy helping patients, but I was pleasantly surprised at how rewarding it is to help the doctors as well.” When he’s not seeing patients at the clinic, Dr. Emerson often takes phone calls from PCC providers with questions on topics like thyroid cancer, pituitary tumors, thyroid nodules, and diabetes. He is even able to use the resources he has at his practice, Texas Diabetes and Endocrinology, to assist PCC providers with endocrinology questions, like whether a thyroid nodule is cancerous, and how to determine if a biopsy is necessary. “It’s a great feeling to be able to help patients by helping their doctors deliver the care they need.”
Dr. Emerson first knew that he wanted to become an endocrinologist when he was in college, volunteering at a diabetes camp for kids with type 1 diabetes. “At first, I thought I’d like to become a pediatric endocrinologist, but I later decided that I’d rather focus on adults.” Dr. Emerson has found endocrinology to be a rewarding career, especially in terms of helping patients with the long-term management of their conditions. “Endocrinology is about prevention. For example, diabetics can prevent emergencies by controlling their sugar levels. People at risk of developing diabetes can prevent this condition with diet and exercise. It is always important to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
Dr. Emerson is the proud father of twin newborns, and has recently decided to leave PCC after his 2 years of service. “We feel so fortunate to have had Dr. Emerson volunteering his time and energy at People’s,” says Louis Appel, MD, PCC’s Chief Medical Officer. “Our volunteer specialists make a huge difference in the lives of our patients. I can’t thank them enough for their generosity.”
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin
People’s Community Clinic relies on volunteers to help keep the clinic running on a daily basis. Since 2006, PCC has partnered with the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin (FUUCA), which has adopted the clinic as an ongoing church-wide social action project. FUUCA has sent volunteers to PCC to help with numerous projects and events over the years, enthusiastically supporting our mission in any way that they can.
“Social justice work is an important part of our church values, which makes PCC an important project for us,” says Sheri Overton, who has been organizing the FUUCA volunteer group since the beginning. PCC is just one of the many social action projects the church undertakes, and we are fortunate to have such an energetic and dedicated group of volunteers on our side. In addition to raising funds for PCC through their monthly special offering, FUUCA members have volunteered at numerous PCC events, including immunization fairs for school children and our annual fundraising luncheon. They come to the clinic individually and in groups to work in Medical Records, Immunizations, Storytime, and Health Education.
Francie Green has taken a leading role in organizing the FUUCA Health Education volunteers. Her official volunteer title is “Health Education Materials Coordinator,” or as some of the FUUCA volunteers in the group playfully put it, the “Head Honcho.” Francie and members of the “copy team” devote several hours every month to compiling and photocopying educational materials for patient distribution. Francie, Sheri, and a team of volunteers come for a “Health Education Work Day” once every month to collate and organize all these materials, saving PCC’s Medical Assistants about 10-15 hours of work per week.
The educational materials compiled by the volunteers include teaching materials for parents about child development, nutrition, and safety issues. Everything comes in an English version and a Spanish version, and the materials are tailored to suit the needs of every age level in pediatrics and adolescent health. Starting at 9 years of age, these educational packets are also designed to be gender-specific. In addition to the pediatric educational materials, the Health Education volunteers put together family planning packets, which include condoms and information about contraception in English and Spanish. The FUUCA volunteers manage all of these materials, which enables staff to devote more time to patient care.
FUUCA volunteers have made a positive impact throughout the clinic. A FUUCA volunteer works in Medical Records, ensuring that patient records are correctly organized and available to Clinic providers. A mother-daughter team from FUUCA works in Immunizations, sending out reminder cards to patients about their appointments. Groups from FUUCA have volunteered at PCC’s annual fundraising luncheon setting up, cleaning up, and counting donations. FUUCA members have collected in-kind donations for PCC, shopped for PCC’s Cooking Classes, and led training sessions for PCC’s Reach Out and Read Storytime program. People’s Community Clinic is fortunate to have such dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers from the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin. Thank you!
Strength in Numbers: Clinic Volunteer Sheri Overton
Clinic Volunteer Sheri Overton knows firsthand that there is strength in numbers. Sheri has contributed much to the Clinic by volunteering regularly since 2006, but perhaps her greatest contribution is that she motivates so many fellow First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin's (FUUCA) members to become involved with PCC alongside her. When FUUCA chose People's Community Clinic as a church-wide social action project, Sheri signed on to promote and coordinate the project.
The partnership between FUUCA and the Clinic is a perfect fit for church members because of the church's emphasis on social change, service in action and inclusiveness. At last count, at least seventy-five church members have volunteered time with People's since the partnership began in 2006. Many more have contributed financially through the church's "Split-the-Plate" donation program that supports area non-profit organizations. Church members have contributed thousands of crucial dollars to PCC through this program.
FUUCA members like Sheri are involved in a wide variety of Clinic efforts. They prepare hundreds of prenatal and family planning education packets for patients each month. They have staffed the Back-to-School immunization clinic and volunteered for fundraising events. They have gathered baby supplies for new mothers, and have donated items to our Season for Caring efforts. FUUCA member involvement includes young people, too: youth involved with the Church's Campfire Club regularly collect used children's books for the Clinic's waiting room.
This diversity of opportunities is intentional: Sheri works closely with clinic staff to find volunteer activities requiring varying skills and types of involvement so people with diverse schedules and interests can contribute as they would like. Many opportunities are group activities - even the most repetitive task can be made fun and fulfilling through conversation and company with others.
In her organizing role, Sheri ensures church members know about upcoming volunteer needs through their monthly newsletter, Sunday service bulletins, and email messages. She also makes sure members feel welcomed and encouraged to join in.
Sheri is motivated to find ways everyone can serve. Sheri says, "People want to help-it feeds your soul-but they have to do it within the constraints of the many demands on their own lives. Part of my job is finding a wide variety of opportunities to help PCC so that our members can find their own way of helping that matches their talents and other demands on their lives." Sometimes that means Sheri looks for tasks that can be done sitting down in order to accommodate a church member with difficulty standing. Other times she ensures that a Spanish speaking volunteer is put in a direct-service position where their skill will be most put to use.
Sheri was drawn to the work of People's Community Clinic because of its service to those in our community for whom the healthcare system does not work. She and her adult son are both disabled with muscular dystrophy, and Sheri has spent many years advocating for the health and educational services her son needs. Something she's learned from that experience is that "our health care system just doesn't work for people with the most need or with fewer resources...when I learned that PCC provided services to those for whom the system was essentially broken, I thought it might be a good fit for me..."
Having retired as a professor of special education in Oklahoma, Sheri's flexible schedule allows her to do several things she loves: traveling to visit family and friends, and camping throughout the U.S. She moved to Wimberly from Oklahoma four years ago and enjoys birding and gardening at her country home.
PCC is thrilled to have energetic, committed volunteers like Sheri. Sheri's capacity-building approach to service has several special benefits to the clinic. Volunteers in groups can tackle some of the more daunting but critical tasks that Clinic staff are hard-pressed to find time to accomplish while enjoying one another's company. Dozens of people are now supporting People's Community Clinic where before there was one. Thank you, Sheri, for your service and for motivating and organizing others to become involved with People's Community Clinic.
Volunteer Appreciation
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and we wanted to take this opportunity to show our appreciation for the clinic’s many volunteers.
At People’s Community Clinic, we rely heavily on our volunteers for support every day. From our Specialist Providers to our Special Event volunteers, from our Health Education volunteers to our Storytime readers and everything in between, volunteers make a huge difference to PCC's patients and staff. People's Community Clinic would not be the same without these dedicated individuals.
In 1970, People’s Community Clinic was founded by a small group of volunteer doctors and nurses who saw a pressing need in the community for high-quality, affordable healthcare. Since then, PCC has grown – now employing over 100 people – but the spirit of volunteerism lives on in the dedicated group of people that give of their time and talents to help us further our mission of improving the health of Central Texans.
Volunteers work in multiple areas of the clinic and contribute in many different ways. We have volunteers who lead Storytime in the waiting room, promoting early childhood literacy among our young patients and keeping them entertained while they wait for their appointments. We also have volunteers that assist staff with administrative tasks. PCC’s Development team relies on volunteers to assist with managing donor information and putting on fundraising events. We have volunteers who send out reminder cards to patients when they are due for immunizations, and volunteers who assist staff at community outreach events. Health Education volunteers make sure that our medical staff always has educational materials at the ready to give to patients on many topics – all sorted for them based on age, gender, and subject matter. Our Center for Adolescent Health relies on volunteers to design and produce tools and educational materials for some of our most vulnerable patients. In addition, the volunteer GOALS Advisory Council works with staff to share resources, establish networking systems, and discuss best practices for the GOALS Program. These volunteers ensure that the GOALS Program continues to effectively and meaningfully engage families and local organizations so that patients receive the services and supports they need to be successful.
Last, but certainly not least, People’s Community Clinic is supported by a strong and committed volunteer Board of Directors. They, along with several volunteer advisory committees, guide PCC staff in making challenging decisions and planning for our future. The recently formed PCC Foundation also consists entirely of volunteers who actively solicit funds for the clinic and implement new and existing fundraising strategies. Each of our volunteers fills an important role at the clinic, and we are grateful for each and every one of them.