HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (WSAV) – Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) Hilton Head Island clinic is focused not just on treating conditions, but on the wellness of patients.
Doctors believe keeping folks healthy starts with a good diet, and VIM is helping make that happen.
In addition to all its medical equipment, the clinic has a hydroponic garden, producing hundreds of pounds of lettuce, herbs and collard greens to distribute to patients.
By giving out fresh foods for free, the hope is to get people into a pattern of eating well.
“If I can prevent this illness, then that saves a whole lot of work and a whole lot of money for us and our patients moving forward,” said Dr. John Newman, VIM Hilton Head executive director. “Right now, we’re not there yet. Our balance is still unbalanced. I see almost 25,000 visits on illness, but we’re up to 3,000 on wellness and the 3000 wellness visits. That number, hopefully, will keep coming up.”