The Board of Directors of Volunteers in Medicine, Chattanooga, Inc. announced that Ashley Wolfe Evans has been named Executive Director. Ms. Evans, who began on March 31, comes to VIM after 12 years at AIM Center, also of Chattanooga.
Board Chair Becky Hall said, “The Board of Directors looks forward to working with Ashley. She will be an effective leader for VIM and is a passionate advocate for the uninsured in our community.”
Ms, Evans succeeds VIM Founder and President Nancy Franks who is retiring from her volunteer position at the end of this month. Ms.
Franks said, “It’s been exciting to work with Ashley. She brings experience, enthusiasm and passion to the mission of VIM.”
Ms. Franks brought the Volunteers in Medicine model to Chattanooga through Ridgedale Baptist Church as a part of their long range planning process in 2003. VIM Chattanooga is based on the model developed by Dr. Jack McConnell of Hilton Head, SC. The clinic is staffed mainly by volunteers and provides medical service at no charge to low income uninsured of Hamilton County. The Chattanooga community rallied around the need and the volunteer model. Committees began work and the result is the ecumenical, community wide Volunteers in Medicine Clinic which opened in 2005. Since opening, the clinic has delivered medical care valued at over $16.3 million at clinic rates or an estimated $65.3 million at ER rates. Ms. Franks said, “It has been a privilege to be a part of this amazing story that has enriched the lives of so many volunteers and patients.”
Before joining VIM, Ms. Evans served as Development Director for the AIM Center and she stated that her work in development, advocacy, and administration make her a natural fit for VIM. She adds, “I am excited to join the team at VIM. The access to care that VIM provides is essential not only to our patients but in reducing Hamilton County taxpayer costs. The misconception that free clinics will have no place post-Affordable Care Act is simply not true. VIM provides a safety net for adults who are not eligible for TennCare due to the ongoing enrollment freeze, and have no income. VIM is financed totally by private gift support and not supplemented by any government funds.”
Ms. Evans is a graduate of the University of Georgia at Athens. She is a 2013 graduate of Leadership Chattanooga, a Trustee on the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute Board, Secretary of the TN Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Region III Policy and Planning Council, and President of the Greater Chattanooga Area Planned Giving Council.