From the Executive Director

Time for Flu Shots!

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone over six months of age get vaccinated against the flu every year. Influenza is a serious disease and can cause health complications. If you would like a flu shot, call the clinic at 983-8561 or email for an appointment. VTCC has the flu shots for all three age groups: six to thirty-five months of age, four to eighteen years of age and adults. 

In grant news, we are very pleased to receive a $5,000 grant for medical and dental services for children from SVHSupport. SVH Support is a local nonprofit organization partnering with CHRISTUS Health to provide ongoing financial and strategic support for CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. Besides supporting projects at the hospital, SVHSupport provides funding for complementary projects that directly impact the health and wellness of the community -- like Villa Therese Catholic Clinic!

Also, after recently submitting two grants, we will be having site visits from the Santa Fe Community Foundation and SC Ministry Foundation in October. Representatives from these foundations will tour the facilities at VTCC and meet with me and Board members. 

And, I'm happy to announce that Claudia Gallegos is the new dental assistant at the clinic. Claudia is a recent graduate (top of her class!) of the dental assistant program at Santa Fe Community College. She also speaks fluent Spanish. We are so glad to have her on our team!

Recently we had to say goodbye to Karen Manduchi, the dental hygienist who worked a few days a month in the dental clinic. Karen left for a full time position at La Familia Medical Center Dental Clinic. We wish her continued success and appreciate her enthusiasm and dedication for the mission of Villa Therese Catholic Clinic. In next month's newsletter, I hope to report on another new addition to our staff.

There's lots more news in this newsletter, so please keep reading! The staff, Board of Directors and I are all so grateful for your continued support.

Warmly,
Michele

News from the Board of Directors

The Board retreat has been rescheduled to Tuesday, October 11 at the IHM Retreat Center and facilitated by Martin Helldorfer. The retreat will provide an opportunity for the board, staff and volunteers to focus on the clinic's mission, vision and strategic plan development. Margo Ship, LLC, is sponsoring the retreat.

At the September meeting, the Board approved three new members. It extends a warm welcome to: Debra Beeson, J. Román Gallegos, and Emelda Martinez. 

Debra Beeson received her medical degree from the University of New Mexico in 1982 and while taking time off to raise her children, she has completed at least 50 hours of continuing medical education each year. "The mission of the Villa Therese Catholic Clinic resonates in my heart," Dr. Beeson said, "and I am very much looking forward to working with the dedicated members of this board."

J. Román Gallegos is the Information Technology and Systems Manager for Santa Fe Imaging Center and will receive a Masters in Healthcare Administration at the end of 2016. "Because healthcare in the United States is in a state of ever-changing status, there are gaps in the coverage of care," he said. " Villa Therese Catholic Clinic provides our community with a choice for those gaps by providing free health care to those in need."

Emelda Martinez has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and is knowledgeable in maternal child health programs, program development and federal policies and regulations in healthcare. She is honored "to be joining a board that is serving those in need in our local community."

Holiday Raffle and Auction

Save the Date for VTCC's Fundraiser!

Please join us on Friday, December 2, at Hotel Santa Fe for fellowship and a celebration of the clinic's good works, a delicious dinner, a great silent auction and a  chance to win $5,000 in a reverse raffle! Tickets are $150 and includes one chance to win the $5,000 and two dinners at the event if your RSVP is received by Monday, November 21. The evening begins with a cash bar at 6 pm and a silent auction of great items donated by supporters of the clinic. 

If you would like to attend VTCC's biggest fundraiser, email or call the clinic at 983-8561.

Pancake Breakfast Cancelled

The Pancake Breakfast fundraiser scheduled for Sunday, October 9 has been cancelled. Thank you to Council 1707 of the Knights of Columbus for their support of Villa Therese Catholic Clinic's mission. 

Outreach in Santa Fe

Look for the VTCC's Ads on Bus Routes

Volunteer Spotlight on Mary Ray Cate, MD

Healing. Teaching. Creating.

Dr. Mary Ray Cate puts on a white lab coat, checks the patient's records and the notes on the intake sheet completed by Margie Montoya, Villa Therese Clinic's nurse. Dr. Cate reviews the vital statistics like age, weight, height, etc., and the developmental assessment started by Margie. Then Dr. Cate calls in the child and his mother. "¡Hola!" She greets them with her warm, welcoming smile. "¿Cómo estás?"

Making sure that the child feels comfortable and safe, Dr. Cate is thorough during the physical examination. Along with the physical, she takes the opportunity to teach the child and the family about nutrition, health and development. "Health and nutrition education is so important," Dr. Cate said. "I use the appointment time to teach children and families how to make informed decisions about their food and drink choices as well as the importance of exercise and limiting television and screen time." Handouts and pamphlets also help with the instruction. Before the child leaves, there's one more lesson to teach: the importance of reading."We all know how important reading is," Dr. Cate said, "and I bring age-appropriate books into the clinic and give one to each child."  

Since 1992, Dr. Cate has volunteered at VTCC giving well-child and sports physicals and diagnosing ear infections, common colds, sinusitis and other childhood ailments. She graduated from medical school at Michigan State University, and her focus as a physician has been preventive medicine -- teaching people what they need to know to make informed decisions about their health.  After an internship in Canada, she came to New Mexico to practice. Her work has included women's health, memory loss assessments, house calls, nursing home work, health education lectures, and caring for inmates at the Santa Fe County Detention Center.  She has been a family practitioner in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and was instrumental in establishing the first hospice in Santa Fe. 

"Dr. Cate is a terrific person with a very big heart -- a true gem! We are so grateful for her commitment to Villa Therese," Michele Tuohey, executive director, said. "She volunteers almost every Tuesday morning and does so much for patients and the clinic." With Margie and Sue Katz, MD, the clinic's Medical Director, Dr. Cate also led the clinic's updating of a comprehensive patient screening form to record physical, developmental and behavioral assessments and which then becomes part of the patient's records. 

In addition to healing and teaching, Dr. Cate is also an artist. Inspired by her international travels and her life here in the Southwest, her watercolors shown on her website are made into prints, cards and advent calendars. Any profit from the sale of these items goes to organizations working to protect the planet, help those in need, or promote international understanding and peace. 

If you would like to help Dr. Cate in her efforts to encourage reading, please bring new or gently-used children's books to the clinic and she will give them to her patients.