I've been a proud board member of Our Health for the last 2 years. I'm always amazed at what they accomplish with a small, but mighty, staff. The mission of Our Health is needed now more than ever. With non-profit organizations feeling the strain of high costs, and a possible decrease in federal funding, the Our Health team is able to provide a variety of resources. By providing affordable office space, training and technical support, grant writing assistance, and the volunteer action center, Our Health is a partner in helping organizations meet their client needs. With a focus on collaboration and cooperation between non-profits, we can all work together to improve the health and well-being of our neighbors and our community.
Previous Stories
I first became aware of Our Health several years ago while participating in a Community Leadership Program. I remember being so impressed by the organization's commitment to their partner agencies and the health outcomes within our community. In 2023 I was honored to join Our Health as a Board Member and be able to work with the amazing staff to further our mission. Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and I can't say enough about the kindness and caring being exhibited by Our Health every day.
We give to Our Health because every dollar is magnified! Our Health provides subsidized office and clinical space to on-campus partners; assistance with IT, accounting, and volunteer recruitment; training for management staff; and use of conference facilities for more than 90 partner health and social service agencies. On campus agency executive directors don’t have to worry about maintenance, cutting the grass or plowing the snow. They can focus on providing services to their patients and clients.
Personal Observation
Alan B. McKay, PhD.
I was late for a meeting on the Shenandoah University campus and it was getting even later as I waited impatiently for the light at Loudoun and Cork Street to change. It was dark, cold, and raining lightly. It was then that I observed a troubling event. Along the sidewalk was a growing line of people, some with crying children, waiting for their turn to enter an old fire station leased to the Free Medical Clinic. I am a trained health professional. It was particularly troubling to see so many destitute people waiting patiently for a fading chance to see volunteer physicians, nurses, and other health professionals who provided basic healthcare services in an old, cramped firehouse.
The next day, I consulted with a colleague with more knowledge of the local community. I found out that they were soon to be without a building to house the clinic and were desperately searching for another location that was large enough, and, more importantly, inexpensive enough to house their staff and equipment. It was also important for it to be located in the downtown area because many of its clients lived there.
Coincidently I was invited by Valley Health System to participate in a community health needs task force that was formed to consider how to better meet the health care needs of the community.
Our Health was the result of those efforts. It was created to address three (3) significant challenges that all of the volunteer organizations in Winchester and the surrounding community experienced.
1. Finding affordable, well-maintained office space compatible with their different missions.
2. Co-location with other volunteer organizations that had similar missions, but with different approaches. Health is a multi-dimensional issue (e.g. nutrition, medical and mental services) and organizations approach it with different perspectives and strategies.
3. Assistance with basic organizational activities such as grant writing, human relations, vetting of volunteers, scheduling, and, most importantly, communicating their mission and passion more effectively in a digital age (e.g. web page design and search engine optimization).
Over the years since I became a supporter and eventually a board member I have seen a remarkable transformation of the volunteer partner agencies as a direct result of Our Health. They cooperate better, they have a beautiful, well-maintained campus that provides them with Class-A office space at below-market rates, and, most importantly they are part of a coordinated care delivery system that other similarly sized communities envy.
Our Health has accomplished much, but meeting shifting patient and volunteer demographics means the agencies must also change and adapt. Our Health has and will continue to assist them with meeting these challenges for the benefit of those in the community who desperately need their help.
Our Health provides a centralized campus in our community where people can access a variety of important services, such as medical care and employment services, from Our Health's nonprofit partner agencies. The campus is convenient and well-maintained.
Our Health is a regional health and human services nonprofit organization. The creation of the Our Health Kendall Community Campus in a once-blighted area of downtown historic Winchester, Virginia enables multiple social service organizations to be co-located. As an Our Health board member for the past 4 years, I have seen firsthand the benefits that co-location provides to the clients of Our Health’s campus partners. The campus is conveniently located on a City bus route and adjacent to a parking garage, providing maximum convenience for people who need services from multiple providers, as well as those with transportation issues.
Our Health is a pillar of the Northern Shenandoah Valley community. This organization brings together over 90 nonprofit organizations under one mission--to support our residents and promote a healthier community. The Kendall Community Campus is a one-stop-shop for community members to access services for their most basic needs--healthcare, dental care, employment, literacy, education, etc. A centralized location of services removes barriers to access such as transportation, geographical location, and time. Our Health is truly a model for other localities to learn from. The passion of the Our Health staff and board is evident in all of their interactions with partners and clients, and it shines through in the incredible work that they do. It is a pleasure and a privilege to serve the Our Health mission.
Our Health is a crucial organization in our community overseeing the health and well being of not just its community partner nonprofits but the community and its citizens as a whole. The limited staff commit their heart and soul to the organization and accomplish to much with very little. Keep up the amazing work Our Health!
I have been a board member with Our Health since it began its planning phase in 1996. What motivated me then was watching women and children sitting in the freezing rain waiting for the free medical clinic to open. Those seeking help in a time of crisis should not have to humiliate themselves to receive it. During the next decade, Our Health redeveloped 70,000 square feet of office space in a neglected part of downtown Winchester to house non-profits in a clean, modern, and dignified, setting. It helped organize more than 90 non-profits, along with local government and state agencies, into a social safety network that provides multiple services to more than 100,000 client cases per year. In addition, the Our Health campus has become a redevelopment anchor that has spurred a huge amount of financial commitment to bettering what had been a depressed area. At present, we have a waiting list of agencies and non-profits who want to join us. In doing this, we provided the people I saw in the freezing rain, two priceless gifts: hope and dignity.