11/23/2020
Giving thanks might look different this year, but one thing hasn't changed: how grateful we are for our partners across the Carolinas. Today's features Cape Fear Clinic in . We asked President & CEO John Devaney to share some thoughts about the organization. Here's what he had to say:
TLLF: How have your patients shown resilience in the face of the pandemic?
John: Surprisingly, I think our patients are showing great resiliency during the pandemic because they are already forced to deal with adversity in their lives all the time. Our patients are overwhelmingly poor and have to navigate systems that often are not designed to serve them with great accessibility and ease, so that has prepared many of them for the new challenges brought about by COVID-19.
The greatest challenge for them has been in terms of maintaining income as many of them work in the restaurant, retail, and hospitality industries, all of which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Our patients can teach us how to handle the challenges we are all now facing.
TLLF: What do you wish more people knew about Cape Fear Clinic?
John: Cape Fear Clinic has been providing care to our community for almost 30 years, and we have developed programs and service delivery models that are best practice for any healthcare service. Our patients receive care that rivals or exceeds that found in the largest private practice models, and we are truly a medical home (with the PCMH recognition from the National Center for Quality Assurance, something almost unheard of in the free clinic world).
We have created innovative programming (like using Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners to cure patients of Hepatitis C and institute groundbreaking vaccination programs) and we do it on a shoe-string budget.
TLLF: What gives you/your team hope, despite the challenges of this year?
John: Knowing that the work we do enables our patients to live longer and more productive lives regardless of the challenges our community—and entire country—faces during these trying times, reaffirms our commitment to our mission and to our patients. Every day our patients teach us to be hopeful and optimistic for the future and what it brings despite the challenges of today.
