Janice’s Story: “I feel cared for”
Janice lives in Christiansburg with her best friend, Sir George, a fun-loving Shih-Poo. She grew up in rural West Virginia and moved to the New River Valley as a young adult. At 57, she is proud of her life-long work ethic. Most recently, she was employed as a Store Manager for a bigbox retail chain. After a divorce in 2012, she found herself without health insurance.
When cascading health conditions necessitated her finding an affordable medical home, her family doctor suggested that she try the Free Clinic. She was astounded at how wonderfully she was received and quickly became a regular patient. She recalls when the free clinic transitioned to a community health center in 2014. It felt like you were really investing in yourselves—that you wanted to be bigger and better, not just for me but for the entire community.” Janice is excited about the expanded services that will be offered in the new, larger facility.
In 2020, Janice thought she had contracted a virus and called the Community Health Center to discuss this with her doctor. When she arrived for her appointment, the medical team felt something more serious may have been going on—perhaps even a blood clot. Janice drove straight to the emergency department of a local hospital, where she was diagnosed with two blood clots in her lungs. Janice credits the Community Health Center staff with saving her life that day.
Janice also started receiving counseling at the Community Health Center to cope with PTSD stemming from childhood trauma and depression. She received some long-postponed dental care—cleanings, fillings, and a partial denture. She brought the dental staff a box of donuts to celebrate on the day her partial was fitted!
Even though she has health insurance again, Janice continues to receive all of her medical care from the Community Health Center and credits the doctors for giving her a better quality of life.
“They see me as a whole person,” she says. The doctors look at me when I’m talking and don’t hide behind a computer screen. I don’t feel rushed.”