Volunteer Spotlight: Carolina Ganan

Carolina Ganan has been a dedicated volunteer at Grace since 2019. Carolina first learned about Grace as a Junior at the University of Central Florida when she attended Outreach Conference hosted by the UCF College of Medicine. Dr. Marvin Hardy was a guest speaker at the conference and gave a heartwarming presentation that sparked an interest in Carolina. His passion and enthusiasm made her determined to get involved with Grace. “I knew that Grace was missing in my journey to become a physician,” Carolina said.

 She first started volunteering at the front desk, and soon after, she learned about the Gap Year Internship program. As a pre-medical student, she knew that she wanted to grow with an organization professionally and spiritually.

 “Grace taught me the importance flexibility, communication, and most importantly, that it takes a whole team to care for one person,” said Carolina. She learned from Michelle Cash, Grace’s APRN, just how much a provider can do for their patients. She continues to explain, “It is not just about medicine. It is the relationships that you form with your patients. You have to be willing to step in and advocate for your patient; medically and with any social barriers.”  Carolina expressed how demanding her job can be because of the tribulations her patients face, but this inspires her to continue her journey in the medical profession. “I want to be known as a patient’s advocate,” she said.

 One of her favorite aspects of Grace is the teamwork formed among the pediatric care team. “This is something that I have never experienced before,” she said. It became Carolina’s escape from the competitive nature of pre-medical students. It taught her the importance of whole patient care, caring for patients’ physical, social services, mental, and spiritual needs. Grace even provided her with spiritual guidance through several Bible studies and self-discovery.

 Carolina shared that Grace has given her so many unforgettable memories. But the one that stands out the most is when she and another staff member decided to throw a small birthday party for twin patients, one of whom was recently diagnosed with a serious medical illness. They wanted to cheer them up on their special day. This party made her reminisce about her own experience at Shriners Hospital as a child. She remembers how valued she was as a patient, which inspired her to become a doctor when she grew up.

 Carolina recently transitioned from being a Gap Year Intern to serving as an AmeriCorps member in Care Coordination. Carolina’s passion is to become either a pediatrician or a family medicine doctor because of her love for children.

A smile goes a long way

Six-year-old Christian came to Grace Medical Home’s Dental Center for an exam and treatment for tooth decay. The decay on his front teeth appeared so bad that his mother requested we pull them out. Our Dental Center Director, Michelle Lawton, explained to his mom that we try to save every tooth possible because the baby teeth roots guide in the permanent teeth and without them, it is harder to eat. After further explanation and education, his mother agreed to allow us to try and save the teeth.

 When it came time for treatment, Christian was very nervous, but Michelle promised him if he sat still and was brave that once the area was numbed, it wouldn’t hurt at all. Michelle also noticed the Spiderman shoes he was wearing, so she promised him a special surprise for trusting her. He sat like a champ while his front teeth were repaired. 

When they gave him the mirror to see his new smile, he exclaimed that Michelle was his new best friend and he was just so happy not to have black teeth anymore. Michelle presented him with a special electric toothbrush of his own because he said he did not own one. When he opened the bag and saw it was Spiderman, his smile lit up the room.  

As he went to his other appointments at Grace that day, he proudly displayed his new smile for all to see. A smile goes along way.

Volunteer Spotlight: Chris Wasman, Spiritual Care Ambassador

Volunteers play an incredibly vital role in delivering care to our patients. One unique volunteer role is that of Spiritual Care Ambassadors who share the Word of God, pray with patients, and model the love of Christ.

Chris Wasman has been volunteering as a Spiritual Care Ambassador since May 2020. Chris first learned about Grace when his daughter toured as part of the Elevation Scholars program. Then, at the program’s award celebration, Chris met Pastor Mike Aitcheson, a Grace Board member, and learned more.

“I was in the master’s program at Liberty and I was finding it difficult to find a faith-based/counseling opportunity,” said Chris. I had researched chaplain programs and my daughter reminded me about Grace, so I submitted my resume for an internship in Spiritual Care. That same day, Pastor Omar said a prayer that God send him the right people.” They connected quickly and Chris began interning.

“I went home after the first night of serving here and cried at the dinner table when I was telling my family about Grace,” Chris remembered. Some of his memorable patient encounters include “one patient who came here for care on the physical side, until we met and talked about her faith. Her outlook and her heart started to change – she lit up and the pressure came off of her challenge. I have called people on the phone to pray for them. The father of a child with a terminal illness gave me hope even in the midst of his trial.”

“I loved it so much that when my internship finished, I kept showing up to volunteer,” Chris said. “I can’t stop showing up. Nothing about this place is ‘normal.’ I experience a God moment every time I’m here. God ordains and orchestrates these moments that are incredibly powerful for the people who come through here.”

Chris concluded by saying, “I am overwhelmed by this place every day I have been here. People’s lives are being changed here. They are showing up broken and leave changed; they leave with hope. I am humbled that God would pick us to do this gig.”

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Vaccine Clinic Offers Unique Ministry Opportunity

Hebrews 12:15 (“See to it that no one misses the grace of God.”) has been at the heart of Grace’s mission since before we opened. The uncertainty and fear of a global pandemic provided an unusual avenue to put those words into action.

As the COVID-19 vaccines were beginning to roll out, Grace was not on the Department of Health’s radar as a potential community vaccine pop-up site. Our CEO, Stephanie Garris, was adamant about getting the vaccines for our patient population and the community and she pursued her DOH contacts to determine the process of confirming site locations. Stephanie said, “Once we explained who our patients were and how vulnerable they were, Grace was immediately approved to be a Pop-Up COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic site. In fact – our first one was just days after our first conversation.”

The initial clinic occurred the first week all adult Floridians were eligible to get vaccinated and the line for recipients wrapped around our building by 7:30 am.

“Because the clinics were open to all members of our community, it was a great opportunity to minister to those in line and to share Grace’s mission,” said Pastor Omar Cardona, Grace’s Mission Integration Director.

“I just love when I get to interact with patients, no matter the circumstances,” said longtime Spiritual Care Ambassador and mental health counselor, Laurin Cash. “No one likes waiting in line, right? I approached it as ‘what can I do to make waiting in line more comfortable?’ It was fun to be outside and say ‘hi.’ I felt like there were so many people who were weary at first. Once they realized you were there as a friend, their demeanor changed and they opened up. This was a unique vehicle to minister to others.”

Grace was the site for three FEMA COVID-19 Pop-Up Vaccination Clinics where more than 600 people in our community got vaccinated. 

“Grace will continue to seek out opportunities to ensure that no one misses the grace of God,” said Omar.

Welcome New Gap Year Interns!

We recently welcomed a group of 22 Gap Year Interns to the Grace Family. These amazing college graduates are future physicians, PAs, pharmacists and other health-related professionals who will spend the next year in an immersive, clinical internship at Grace.

They will participate in all aspects of patient care working alongside our staff and community specialists to care for the uninsured. Hands-on experience coordinating medications, assisting providers as medical scribes, and managing follow-up patient care will provide invaluable service to Grace while simultaneously giving them clinical experience that may well influence their future medical path. Not only will they get to witness Grace’s mission in action on the medical side of things, they will also gain a vast understanding that Grace is more than medicine. Caring for our patients’ spiritual, mental, dental and social services needs will illustrate how they can become patient advocates in their future practices.

 When asked in a pre-program survey, Chelsea Han, University of Florida grad with a BA in English on the Pre-PA track, responded that she is “super excited for the Lunch & Learns, but also just getting to know my family interns, Grace Staff, and other volunteers who help make fulfilling Grace's mission possible! I have truly never met so many amazing people in the span of 7 hours like I did during Orientation and I think that part made me most excited to have this opportunity to intern with Grace. Additionally, hearing patient stories of how lives have been changed at Grace made me excited to be a small part in fulfilling the mission of Grace as an intern.”

 We also gratefully acknowledge and thank the VoLo Foundation for sponsoring our Gap Year Intern program, enabling us to provide invaluable clinical experience to these amazing future healthcare providers.

Relentless Grace: A Joyous Patient Celebration

Our annual Patient Celebration Service was a triumphant return to normalcy. Even through precautionary masks and social distancing, there was a palpable feeling of much-needed fellowship and celebration of faith.

 W. Marvin Hardy, Mission Director and Pediatric Medical Director, opened the event with the featured verse John 1:16: “Out of his fullness, we have all received grace in place of grace already given.”

Turning the corner after such an arduous year of perseverance, a new hope was fully manifested through song, worship, patient testimonials, and a thoughtful, very personal message about relentless grace by Pastor David Outing.

Following the familiar and beautiful notes of How Great Thou Art and Lord I Lift Your Name on High in both Spanish and English, patient testimonials lifted our spirits and touched our hearts.

“As I came to Grace, Grace came to me. Thank you to all the doctors and staff for taking care of me,” a grateful patient shared. Another patient voiced that “I’ll bless you as big as your heart is,” referring to the impact of Grace’s inclusion of those that needed help the most.

Pastor Outing expressed that there is no certainty to physical healing, or a solution to all pain. There is in fact, a certainty of community and faith, which seemed to be the most fitting message for an evening centered around shared gratitude and grace.

With the words “Se vida eres tu.” (You are life.) still ringing in the air after the worship service, this event was healing and as nourishing as the boxed supper provided to attendees.  

We can’t thank Keator Construction enough for sponsoring this inspirational evening!

Food is Medicine Expands

That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. – Ecclesiastes 3:13

Grace Medical Home understands that holistic health care means doing whatever we can to care for and to support our patients. A healthy diet builds the framework of a healthy lifestyle, yet many of our patients and their families suffer from food insecurity, unable to regularly access healthy food. The challenges of the past year further exacerbated many of their already tenuous situations. “Over 40 percent of people sought food coverage during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Karen Broussard, Chief Community Impact Officer of Second Harvest Food Bank.

Food is Medicine began three years ago in partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank and the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation to provide healthy food boxes to our pediatric patients. Thanks to a generous grant from Orlando Health, Grace Medical Home is expanding as an official closed food pantry through the Second Harvest Food Bank, providing healthy food bags to eligible adult patients at Grace. Food bags include proteins, healthy grains/oats and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Once enrolled in the program, in addition to receiving healthy food, patients will have continuous check-ins with our nutrition and social services teams to provide healthy food tips and additional ongoing support. “Nine families were grateful to benefit from the inaugural run of the drive-through food pick-up. We look forward to growing the program to distribute food weekly,” said Ana Girao, Grace’s Registered Dietitian.

Volunteer groups are needed every other Thursday from 8:30 am - 12 pm to go to Second Harvest Food Bank to shop and bring food back to Grace to sort (4 volunteers) and every other Friday, 8:30 – 12 pm to distribute the food boxes in Grace’s parking lot (8 volunteers.)

To sign up your volunteer group to assist, contact Ana Girao at agirao@gracemedicalhome.org.

Join Us to Discover Grace

Thank you for your dedicated support of Let’s Say Grace throughout the years. With your help, the events raised more than $3,000,000 enabling Grace Medical Home to serve thousands of uninsured patients annually.

 While the event has been successful, Let’s Say Grace will not be returning in 2021. Instead, we are hosting Discover Grace - quarterly, intimate receptions and facility tours for community members. This will allow us to develop deeper, more meaningful relationships with potential donors and partners.  Read more to learn about Discover Grace.

Discover Grace!

Led by our board of directors, this quarterly reception and facility tour provides a personal, up-close view of Grace’s mission in action. While touring the facility, you will meet team members, volunteers and patients and hear firsthand how we see to it no one misses the grace of God. You will also hear about ways to get involved and support the mission. Light refreshments will be available.

 Late afternoon receptions will be held in June, August, October and December.

 We hope you will continue to support Discover Grace. If you are interested in hosting or attending a reception, please contact Lynn Ivanek at lynn@gracemedicalhome.org.

Reading is Fundamental

When Michelle Cash, Grace’s Pediatric APRN, learned one of her pediatric patients, Melani, needed help with her reading, she knew just who to call. As a retired educator with more than 29 years of experience and a love for early education, Gayle Bosscher was the perfect person.  Michelle approached Gayle to see if she would be willing to help. Gayle has been tutoring Melani in reading ever since.

Melani’s family moved to Orange County from Guatemala. “It is really a ‘language thing’ not a ‘reading thing,’ explained Gayle. “Melani is an excellent Spanish reader, but she struggles to read in English. A dual language class is great for some children, but not for someone who needs in-depth English.” 

Gayle continued, “Experiential English isn’t something you can teach. Reading isn’t just the sounds, but also understanding the meaning of the words. Melani is not a little girl who needs to fail; she is just a little girl who hasn’t been taught the basics. She is a bright, happy little girl. I enjoy being with her. She is so sweet to work with.” 

Gayle even rearranged her schedule to stay after her scheduled volunteer shift to tutor Melani weekly. “This is an easy need to fulfill, said Gayle. “I can’t pay their utility bills, but I can speak and read English with a heart and willingness to do it!”

Melani’s mother, Mayli, is committed to providing a solid education for her daughter. She is willing to do what she can to help her succeed including making the weekly drive to Grace from Apopka for the hour-long tutoring session. Mayli shared that Melani gets really happy knowing she is going to Grace to see Ms. Gayle. Emphatically announcing weekly, “Today I have my tutoring. Yes!”

When asked if she likes the time spent with Ms. Gayle, Melani shyly replied, “It’s fun. I like learning.”

“We have seen a big, big improvement (in Melani’s reading skills,)” said Mayli. “She is happier and it gives her confidence to speak the language.”

Her mother encourages her to be brave, to be proud of being in this country and of speaking two languages. “There are so many opportunities,” Mayli shared. “We are blessed to have Grace.”

Grace Recognized with Innovation Award in Community Health from Direct Relief and The Pfizer Foundation

Grace Medical Home recently received a $150,000 grant as part of Direct Relief’s Innovation Awards in Community Health: Addressing Infectious Disease in Underserved Communities, generously funded by The Pfizer Foundation.

This support will enable Grace to increase vaccination initiatives for our adult patients against common inflections like seasonal flu. Additionally, it will help strengthen future vaccine delivery, including the COVID-19 vaccination, to reach our marginalized and vulnerable patient population.

Grace was the only clinic in Florida and one of only 11 clinics recognized nationally to receive this prestigious grant. Grants totaling $2.5 million went to safety-net community healthcare providers to support innovative approaches to infectious disease education, screening, testing, treatment, and care and to provide greater health equity among the country’s most vulnerable communities. Direct Relief managed the application and selection process in consultation with a panel of infectious disease physicians who provided a clinical review. 

 “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing systemic health inequities, resulting in vulnerable patients and their loved ones experiencing even greater hardship,” said Caroline Roan, President, The Pfizer Foundation and Chief Sustainability Officer, Pfizer Inc. “We are proud to support Direct Relief and its network of frontline safety-net clinics across the U.S. to break down barriers to good health in underserved communities and increase access to life-saving infectious disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.”

“These awards are intended in part to allow providers to test and improve new care models and solutions, which is of utmost importance as healthcare is drastically changing due to COVID-19,” said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief President and CEO. “We are humbled by the dedication of these largely unheralded safety-net health providers to improve the lives and health of the people they care for.”