Dr. Laurie Green

Pairing Physicians with Clinics in Underserved Areas

Alexander Yi, a cardiologist in Boston and a MAVEN volunteer physician for the past two years, has been working with the Lynn Community Health Center in Lynn, Mass., to conduct telehealth consultations with patients on issues such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

“A nurse practitioner from the clinic is the primary care provider who facilitates visits with patients while I provide a remote video consultation,” Yi says. “By bringing cardiology directly to the clinic, we can treat patients who may have difficulty traveling long distances to receive specialty care due to financial constraints or mobility issues.”

Debra Cohen, a semiretired pediatric endocrinologist from Santa Clara, Calif., joined the MAVEN Project two years ago and has been providing remote consultations to young patients with diabetes. She currently volunteers eight to 10 hours each month but hopes to take on more.

“The MAVEN Project is one of the most efficient and well-organized nonprofits I’ve ever worked with,” Cohen says. “From ensuring that volunteer doctors are covered by malpractice insurance, to matching physicians with a clinic, to training us on how to use telemedicine equipment that is compliant with patient protection laws, they make it a seamless process.”

Cohen says she enjoys working with local health clinics to address problems their pediatric patients might be having with blood sugar and diabetes-related complications.

“Prior to learning about the MAVEN Project, the only volunteer work I knew of for physicians was traveling outside the U.S. and serving on a medical mission,” Cohen says. “The MAVEN Project allows physicians to work in their own homes, and they are very flexible about scheduling and working around vacations or other commitments.”

In addition to providing retired physicians with meaningful volunteer opportunities, Green says the MAVEN Project works to create a community for physicians who have retired or downsized their practice.

“Doctors work in large student cohorts as they progress through medical school, and then work with colleagues throughout their career,” Green explains. “Suddenly in retirement, they become isolated and no longer have that interaction with others who share their medical mindset.”

The MAVEN Project recently held appreciation events in San Francisco and Boston for volunteer physicians.

“It was wonderful to see the doctors so engaged with one another,” Green says.