I am so happy because my whole body changed and my life changed!”
Dunia Martinez could barely contain her enthusiasm regarding her experience with the Wellness Market at the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic on Hilton Head Island.
Martinez, a patient at VIM for 20 years, said she discovered the free clinic through friends. She has seen a general practice doctor, a dentist, and a gynecologist, and has had her mammograms at VIM. Her husband and 6-year-old daughter are patients as well.
During an appointment last year, Martinez’ doctor said her sugar levels and cholesterol numbers were too high. He suspected she might have diabetes.
“No one in my family had that,” said Martinez, the sixth sister of 13.
Next, Martinez saw a nutritionist at the Wellness Market, who taught her about the high sugar content in the foods and soft drinks she and her family were consuming. The nutritionist suggested ways for her to incorporate more fresh vegetables and greens into the meals she made for her family. The nutritionist also introduced Martinez to the Wellness Market pantry, where fresh vegetables and greens were available at no charge.
“I changed my life through my diet,” Martinez said with obvious pride. “I used to be a size 16, and now I’m size 8. Now my clothes are too big and I need new ones! My family and I eat more salads and drink lots of water instead of sodas.”
Exercise also played a part in Martinez’ wellness journey. She takes advantage of the free membership at Island Recreation Center available to patients. The program is a partnership with Island Rec that includes use of the fitness center, swimming pool, fitness classes, and a 30-minute session with a personal trainer.
The Wellness Market opened in May 2022. Like the VIM medical clinic, the center is staffed by retired health care professionals – in this case nutritionists and dietitians – who give of their time as volunteers. Volunteers also include nurses, pharmacists, physicians, physical therapists, teachers, and lay volunteers who have an interest in wellness.
“VIM’s Wellness Market complements the clinic’s medical services by empowering patients to take an active role in their health,” said Diane Wilson, a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and Wellness Market coordinator. “Wellness and nutrition coaching reinforces the information patients receive from their providers, hopefully leading to better adherence, outcomes, and prevention of preventable health conditions.”
Wilson said that each week, Monday through Friday, about 15 volunteers provide coaching for patients on healthy food choices, exercise, and how those two elements contribute to managing and preventing such conditions such diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
“We have conversations with patients about their wellness goals,” Wilson said.
For those who choose to embrace a healthier lifestyle, their results encourage them to continue and to tell their friends.
“When they see a difference in their weight and in their labs – such as cholesterol and A1C – they realize the benefits of their hard work,” Wilson said. “They are eager to share that with their family and friends. They are excited about it!”
That appreciation of positive outcomes for patients has a significant ripple effect, Wilson said. “It can affect generations, so their children are less likely to have future issues with hypertension and diabetes,” she said. “By addressing food insecurity with the offering of healthy foods, some of which are grown here at VIM, and promoting healthy lifestyle habits, we hope that patients will be less likely to require frequent clinic visits.”
Wilson said the coaches encourage their clientele to eat more vegetables, more whole grains and lean protein, and consume more fiber and more greens. Patients can learn more about how to read nutrition labels on food products.
“We offer resources like recipes and tips for incorporating nutritious foods into daily life. We work with patients to set achievable goals, such as eating more vegetables, cooking at home, or walking daily, which leads to accountability,” Wilson said. “During follow-ups we provide support and encouragement, helping to make adjustments along the way.”
In 2024, Wilson said, there were close to 2,000 visits to the Wellness Market in which healthy food and wellness coaching were provided.
Wilson said healthy non-perishable items in the market are donated by the Deep Well Project, another island nonprofit that addresses food insecurity. Fresh produce is purchased by VIM through grants and donations.
Having the Wellness Center and its market available to her has been life-changing, Martinez said, because “If you are healthy, you’re good for your family.”
The FARM-acy
Included in offerings at the market is a steady supply of fresh greens – including several varieties of lettuce, spinach, herbs such as cilantro and basil, and other greens. These are grown at VIM’s FARM-acy, just next door to the Wellness Center, in what previously was an unused office. Food can’t get any fresher than that!
There is a soothing hum in the climate- and light-controlled space where 16 towering hydroponic pods continue to produce herbs and greens in a systematic 28-day rotation from seedlings to mature plants. On one side of the room, a dozen trays of seedlings in various stages of maturity sit under grow-lights on a shelf.
Each tower comprises eight interlocking vertical panels that each hold 36 cylindrical “pots,” perched at an angle for ease of planting seedlings, tending young plants, and harvesting them when mature.
The plants are tended by volunteer master gardeners who donate their time and expertise to ensure proper watering, light, and temperatures.
When mature plants are harvested, volunteers put them into plastic bags that are labeled and taken next door to the market, where they will be distributed to any patients who want them. In 2024, more than 30,000 bags of fresh greens were given to patient families and the community. Greens are also shared weekly with Deep Well for its pantry, and with the Sandalwood Community Food Pantry.
In addition to the hydroponic produce, the grounds around the Wellness Market serve as herb gardens. Volunteers grow and tend the perennial rosemary, parsley, oregano, and mint plants.
As if that weren’t enough fresh food, a banana tree planted years ago on the premises is still producing, even in winter. “We recently harvested some, and they were delicious!” Wilson said.
A recent addition to the on-site gardening efforts is Heritage Farms in Sea Pines, which is now sponsoring garden plots for VIM volunteers to grow more food. The plot is currently growing onions.
But that’s not all! Next door to the VIM campus, where construction has begun on an additional parking lot, an abundance of plantings will soon appear. This will not be a typical parking lot.
Dr. John Newman, executive director of VIM, has a vision to build what he once called “the coolest parking lot on the island.” In an interview in 2022, Dr. Newman said, “I’m going to build an orchard where we can park cars.”
The land was donated to VIM via a land lease from the Town of Hilton Head Island. It will have 65 parking spaces and be filled with fruit and nut trees, as well as herb and produce gardens alongside the walkways. A water feature is planned, making the orchard a beautiful place to park, walk, pick some food, and maybe even meditate.
Medical Clinic
What began 32 years ago as the vision of one man, the late Dr. Jack McConnell, to serve his neighbors by treating their acute medical issues is now a robust center of health and wellness. From a dedicated group of a few retired general practice doctors and nurses, the volunteer brigade has expanded to 100 physicians who provide care in 26 specialties.
In addition to general practitioners, the specialties include cardiology, dentistry, nephrology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, endocrinology, orthopedics, rheumatology, podiatry, and general surgery, among others.
Mental health care is an important offering at VIM. Professionals offer therapy and counseling on-site or via telehealth visits.
VIM’s dental clinic looks like a regular dental office, with individual reclining chairs in separate cubicles, hygienists, and a supervising dentist. Patients can come for regular cleanings, X-rays, fillings, and most other dental work that a typical dental office provides.
Currently there are 15 active volunteer dentists who provide periodontics, pediatric dentistry, and oral surgery. Extractions, dentures, and emergency care are also available.
A recent addition might be unexpected in a free clinic. A new high-tech radiology lab features the latest equipment for taking X-rays and sending the images to the physicians who ordered them. As well, a radiologist is on hand to read the images.
Also on-site is a full-service pharmacy, staffed by volunteer pharmacists, to fill prescriptions almost as soon as a physician writes them. For those patients with continuing monthly prescriptions, a convenient walk-up window is available.
The Physicians
The backbone of care at VIM is the 100 physicians who donate their time, whether weekly or seasonally. While most of the volunteer physicians are locals, and some live elsewhere and come to the island to visit.
“Some of our physicians come here on vacation and donate their time with us,” said Kim Likins, director of development for VIM. “Several of those who come regularly each year plan to retire here.”
“Doctors don’t always do well in retirement,” said Dr. Newman, a general surgeon. At VIM, however, it’s a different story. Many retired physicians still want to continue their life’s work in helping others. VIM offers them a place to serve.
The longest-serving physician is Dr. Barry Hellman, who helped Dr. Jack start the clinic. A cardiologist who has worked at the clinic for 32 years, Dr. Hellman continues to see patients two days a week.
Another long-timer is former cardiac thoracic surgeon Dr. Albert Palatchi, 95 years young, who continues to volunteer two days a week – one day as a general surgeon and one day as an interpreter.
HISTORY OF VIM
Volunteers in Medicine was founded in 1993 by Dr. Jack McConnell, a physician who had retired to Hilton Head Island.
Guided by his faith and inspired by a hitchhiker named James, Dr. Jack felt a need to help those island residents and workers in need. In their brief conversation about his wife’s pregnancy, James told Dr. Jack that he nor any of his friends had access to doctors or health care.
Dr. Jack was concerned about those who were dedicated workers, many at full-time jobs, who couldn’t get the care they needed because they didn’t have health insurance. Eventually, he conceived the notion of finding other retired doctors and nurses to serve as volunteers to help their neighbors in need get the care previously unavailable to them.
As Dr. Jack’s idea caught on, one by one, retired physicians joined the cause. Nurses answered the call as well. The dream became a working nonprofit organization.
Not only did health care professionals sign up to help, but many other volunteers as well – some of whom were patients. Volunteers answered the phone, greeted patients, painted walls, fixed the plumbing, took care of the landscaping, wrote grants, and helped communicate the nonprofit’s message.
Today, 32 years later, VIM provides health care in 26 specialties, as well as wellness and nutrition counseling, mental health visits, and an on-site pharmacy. Not only do the physicians treat disease, they also promote prevention and encourage wellness.
Patient care is offered free of charge to the uninsured and underinsured who work or live in our community and meet certain income requirements.
While the clinic has grown by leaps and bounds from its humble beginnings, the most important of Dr. Jack’s practices is honored every day: Dignity for every person who walks through the doors.
“Every patient is always greeted, and a translator is available if needed,” said Likins on a recent tour of the clinic. “From the moment they arrive until they leave, each one is treated with dignity.”
