Hello VOSHers!
Here are some updates on a few of our recent local eye care clinics. We encourage you to participate in these clinics–they are right in your neighborhood and generally only last a day. You’ll be happy you did!
The Sarah’s Circle clinic held on April 12, 2025 was a great success. It was hosted in their beautiful new building where they provide permanent supportive housing to women experiencing homelessness. We had 21 volunteers who served 44 women. We made 39 pairs of prescription eyewear and 10 referrals for ongoing eye care needs. We had partners from Tapestry 360 and County Care providing healthcare resources to patients. Dr. Jeni Kohn, Dr. Andrew Kohn, Dr. Faye Gamboa and myself along with ICO students and VOSH-IL volunteers helped make it all possible.
The Gale Academy / Family Matters Clinic held on January 11, 2025 served so many people: we saw 95 patients – 48% of who spoke a language besides English. Our community partner, Ann Hinterman, the director of community engagement at Family Matters, told us: “Everybody I spoke with shared their gratitude for the event: patients were grateful to all of the doctors and volunteers, volunteers were grateful to be part of the event, doctors and optometry students were grateful to patients for coming…it seemed that everyone was really happy to be there. Miraculously for an event this large, I didn’t handle a single complaint about any element. Not one!”
Some stories to share:
- One patient has been legally blind since birth. He came with his sister, who shared that he has been extremely reluctant to seek medical care of any sort, and hasn’t been to an eye doctor in more than 10 years. She was able to convince him to come to the Vision Clinic, where he received a new prescription for the first time in a decade. She is optimistic that this could open the door for him allowing her to make other medical appointments for him, including exploring eligibility for SSDI.
- Feedback shared by a patient, “I want to thank you all again. The eye doctor diagnosed me with ocular migraines and this was such a relief. I was terrified I was losing my vision. I have started treatment with my neurologist and am hoping I will have vision in my left eye again soon (it is currently a mess). “
Thank you, as always, for your dedicated service.
Kelly Scherer, O.D.
President, VOSH-Illinois
