Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades-VIM

12/18/2025

Neighbors across Central Oregon are opening healthcare premium notices this month and discovering that their health insurance costs are increasing beyond reach. Many will lose coverage altogether in the new year.

That is where VIM Cascades steps in. ⚕️
Our volunteer-led free clinic and charitable pharmacy provide lifesaving medical care and medications for hardworking uninsured adults in our community, so they can see a doctor, get labs and x‑rays, fill prescriptions, and receive specialty and dental care.

We are in the **FINAL** days of our Central Oregon Gives campaign and still need to raise 💰$7,000💰 to care for patients like Daniel, a local arts teacher whose premium is set to skyrocket from $155 to $850 a month next year while he battles a degenerative brain disease. For him—and so many others—losing coverage is a life‑or‑death crisis, but VIM Cascades can be the safety net that keeps them alive, well, and active members of our community.

💸 Will you step up **TODAY** with a gift of $100 or more?
Help us reach our $7,000 goal and make sure no one goes without access to care because they cannot afford coverage. Any donation of $25 or more through Central Oregon Gives also unlocks this week’s incentives: a free basic shake from Mountain Burger and entries into raffles for a Radiant Day Spa gift card and Worthy Brewing gift cards.

🚨 Please donate now 🚨
https://loom.ly/zs3qCHI

Share this post and stand with your neighbors who are one premium notice away from losing access to care. Together, we can turn fear about rising healthcare costs into real, compassionate care for our community.

12/17/2025

Daniel’s life has been dedicated to teaching and inspiring others. His students have gone on to win national awards, scholarships, and confidence thanks to his guidance. But now, Daniel faces his own challenge: staying alive in the face of soaring healthcare costs.

In 2025, he paid $155 a month for health insurance. For 2026, his premium will skyrocket to $850 a month — a 400% increase for the same plan, brought on by the expiration of ACA premium tax credits at the end of this month.

For Daniel, that difference isn’t just numbers on a page, living with an inherited degenerative brain disease requiring treatments and medications just to survive, it means life or death. And across our community, countless others are now forced to make impossible choices: keep their health insurance, or keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

That’s why VIM Cascades is here, and why we need your help now more than ever. Our free clinic and charitable pharmacy provide care for uninsured working adults; from doctor visits and lab work to x-rays, prescriptions, dental and specialty care.

💜 How you can help 💜
Thanks to our volunteer model, just $285 a month covers one patient’s complete care, ensuring they have access to everything they need to stay alive and well when health insurance is out of reach.

Your donation makes that care possible. As more neighbors lose access to affordable coverage, your support helps VIM Cascades stand ready to care for them with dignity and compassion.

Please give today because together, we can turn uncertainty into care, and compassion into action.
Donate here 👉 https://loom.ly/8wsPp7o
..
⚠️ Worried about your own health coverage? ⚠️
Visit www.vim-cascades.org to see if we can help.

12/16/2025

‼️Central Oregon’s Health Hero Org Needs Your Help Before 12/31‼️

VIM Cascades was named a 2025 Health Hero Organization by Deschutes County Public Health Advisory Board for providing free medical care and medications to uninsured, hard-working Central Oregon neighbors. This honor belongs to the volunteers, donors, and patients who make our clinic a place of hope and healing!

This Health Hero award represents thousands of clinic visits, lab tests, and prescriptions provided at no cost to uninsured patients who otherwise would have gone without care. Your support keeps our doors open to neighbors who fall through the cracks of health coverage.

Now, we must sound an alarm and ask for help. 🚨
With ACA premium tax credits expiring at the end of the month, thousands right here in Central Oregon are being priced out of health coverage. We can meet the increasing need, but not without your support.

So far, we’ve raised $1,400 toward our $7,000 Central Oregon Gives goal, and we need your help to close the gap by 12/31/25. Every gift of $25 or more fuels free care for uninsured working adults and unlocks special local thank-you perks through Central Oregon Gives.

Here’s how to join us as a Health Hero today:
🌐 Go to Central Oregon Gives
⚕️ Select “Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades”
💸 Make your gift of $25+ by 12/31

Give here: https://loom.ly/zs3qCHI

Your gift today is how one more neighbor gets the care and medications they need tomorrow. 💚

Please share in the comments what led you to support our free clinic!

12/11/2025

HELP!!! Affordable health care is slipping out of reach for many Central Oregonians, but VIM Cascades is here to keep our low‑income, uninsured neighbors healthy and working. Through Central Oregon Gives, your donation powers this lifeline. Give $100 today to help get us to our goal, knowing your gift means we can fill prescriptions, manage chronic conditions, and keep people healthy and working—strengthening both families and our local economy. Over the past 20 years, VIM Cascades has served more than 16,000 patients and delivered over $212 million in health care value and community benefit, all through volunteers and generous pro-bono partners.​

This week only (Dec 11–17), make your $100 gift to VIM Cascades through Central Oregon Gives and get:
🍺 1 free pint at Cascade Lakes Brewing (Reed Market or Redmond location, $7 value)
🌄 Entry to win a $50 Cascade Lakes Brewing gift card.
🤠 Entry to win a $250 Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge gift card.
🥤 Entry to win a Teacupfuls punch card with 10 free drink coupons.​

But the real incentive is knowing your generosity makes sure your uninsured neighbors can see a doctor before a health issue becomes a crisis. VIM Cascades still needs $6,000 to make it to this year’s Central Oregon Gives goal! Please step up today with a gift of $100 or more and share this post to rally friends and family who believe in the health of our community!

Donate here: https://loom.ly/zs3qCHI

12/11/2025

What does it look like to lead with heart in a healthcare system that’s stretched thin? Our Executive Director, Kat Mastrangelo, sat down with Aaron Switzer, host of The Source Weekly's “Bend Don’t Break” podcast, to share how VIM Cascades is showing up for uninsured neighbors and why this community gives her hope.

Hit play, feel proud to live in Central Oregon, and share with a friend who loves a local feel-good story.
▶️ https://loom.ly/x3cOrBk

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12/10/2025

12/08/2025

Pint 🍺, plant 🪴, plump 👄: your $25+ gift to VIM Cascades through Central Oregon Gives could mean a Silver Moon Brewing pint in your hand, a new plant from Moonfire and Sun Garden Center, a chance at a Makin' it Local gift card, or a cosmetic boost from Snow Dermatology ...one of our very own dedicated volunteers Amy Snow, PA-C!

So treat yo'self this week and help Central Oregon neighbors without insurance see a doctor, fill vital prescriptions, and lead healthier lives with support from our free clinic and charitable pharmacy.

Donate this week, snag the goodies, and help keep our community healthy!
👉 https://loom.ly/zs3qCHI

12/08/2025

Today we say farewell to a true unsung hero of VIM Cascades, our beloved clinic microwave.

Since 2004, this steadfast appliance has served volunteers and staff at the clinic: reheating countless cups of cold coffee, warming hundreds of donated dinners from generous local restaurants, and bringing leftovers back to life.

After more than two decades of faithful service, it finally went kaput last week — farewell old friend, may you rest easy in the great breakroom beyond 💛

Help us give it the sendoff it deserves:
What should its official microwave epitaph be?
Share your best “microwave memorial” caption in the comments!

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12/02/2025

This , your $25+ donation to VIM Cascades can save lives, just like Jennifer’s. Forced to leave her decades-long teaching career due to diabetes and heart complications, Jennifer soon found herself uninsured and overwhelmed by mounting medical bills. She struggled to piece together income while managing her declining health. When an unexpected reaction to one of her medications landed her in the ER, her greatest fear was the unaffordable cost. But her story changed when she found VIM Cascades.

Jennifer came to VIM after seeing our free clinic featured on the news. Quickly enrolled, she was surrounded by dedicated volunteers and pro-bono partners who addressed her complex needs, providing a primary care home, mental health counseling, getting her diabetes under control, and connecting her with a pro-bono cardiac specialist. With medical and emotional support, Jennifer no longer needs insulin for her diabetes and feels empowered to lead a healthier life: “Having encouragement like I’ve received from VIM makes me feel like I can make these difficult changes to improve my health and one day return to teaching.”

Why Your Gift Matters:
⚕️93 cents of every dollar donated supports direct patient care, because VIM’s free clinic model relies on our community of volunteers and pro-bono partners.​
💖 Your support helps thousands of hardworking, uninsured Central Oregonians regain health, hope, and stability.

Donate $25 or more today via The Source Weekly Central Oregon Gives campaign and receive:
☕ A FREE $7 drink at Backporch Coffee Roasters
🧺 Entry into a raffle for a Coffee Lovers Gift Box (Backporch)
🏔️ Entry into a raffle for lift tickets for four at Hoodoo Ski & Recreation Area!

Donate Here 👉 centraloregongives.com/nonprofit/volunteers-in-medicine-clinic-of-the-cascades/ (scroll to bottom of page)

Thank you for believing in the health of our community!


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11/29/2025

Earlier this week we shared Wyatt’s courageous story, a devoted father striving to provide for his family while battling Multiple Sclerosis. You can watch his inspiring video and see the real impact your support brings to families in Central Oregon: https://loom.ly/uvM5QOA

Rising healthcare costs continue to push local families like Wyatt’s into tough situations. That’s why VIM Cascades is committed to serving uninsured people with free, compassionate care and lifesaving medications. At VIM Cascades, 93 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to patient care, maximizing your impact for those who need it most.

This week, when you give $25 or more through Central Oregon Gives (Nov 27–Dec 3), you’ll receive:
☕ 1 FREE drink from Backporch Coffee Roasters (up to $7 value)
🧺 Entry to win a Backporch Coffee Lovers Gift Box (2 bags of coffee & a mug)
🎿 Entry to win lift tickets for 4 to Hoodoo Ski Area​!

Your support means kindness, quality care, and community for families like Wyatt’s. Let’s keep hope alive! Donate today and be a part of these life-changing stories.

👉 Donate here: https://loom.ly/zs3qCHI
(scroll to the bottom of the page)

11/27/2025

Thanksgiving is a time to gather in gratitude, and this year at VIM Cascades, our hearts are especially full. We are deeply thankful for every volunteer, pro-bono partner, and supporter who makes our mission possible. Because of your compassion and commitment, uninsured neighbors find hope in access to quality care; now more than ever.

Your generosity and spirit uplift our clinic in ways words cannot fully capture. Every hour given, every patient served, every donation received is a blessing. Together, we are building a healthier, more resilient community.

You Make a Difference
🤎Volunteers: Your dedication and empathy provides care and hope to those who need it most.
🧡Pro-bono partners: Your expertise and selflessness strengthen our clinic every day.
🤎Supporters: Your faith in our mission ensures we can reach further and help more.

From our VIM Cascades family to yours, thank you for being at the heart of our clinic and the heartbeat of hope in our community.
Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

11/25/2025

VIM Cascades persists because people like you believe everyone deserves access to healthcare.

Every gift ensures hardworking people like Wyatt, a father balancing the challenges of Multiple Sclerosis while providing for his family, receive comprehensive care and lifesaving medications. Since 2004, our clinic has delivered over $212 million in health services to local people in need, powered by a dedicated network of volunteers and pro-bono partners.

The challenge is real: as healthcare costs increase significantly, thousands in Central Oregon risk losing insurance coverage. When disease, illnesses, or injuries occur, they face difficult choices that impact not only their wellbeing but the health of our entire community.

That’s where we come in. VIM Cascades offers a welcoming, free clinic providing quality care to uninsured neighbors; helping prevent costly emergency room visits and reducing strain on our local healthcare systems.

As the new year approaches, we are preparing to serve even more neighbors who need us, and we need your help.

Click the link to give generously and ensure a healthier tomorrow for everyone in Central Oregon.
🔗https://loom.ly/8wsPp7o