Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine (LVIM) is a volunteer-run medical clinic that provides free quality medical care to the working uninsured of Polk County.
LVIM began as a dream of various community leaders and organizations in 1999. Led primarily by Watson Clinic physicians and the Watson Clinic Foundation, Lakeland came together to find ways to meet the healthcare challenges that resulted in the dreams becoming a reality in the old John Cox Grammar School on Lakeland Hills Boulevard. LVIM is now an independent nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Directors.
Patients receive doctors’ visits, lab diagnostics lab tests, ultrasound scan and x-rays. More extensive diagnostics, such as CT’s and MRI’s, are also available through a network of participating ancillary providers who volunteer their facilities, staff and professional time at no charge to LVIM or the patients. Additionally, LVIM operates a full service pharmacy filling approximately 25,000 prescriptions a year. The Prescription Assistance Program within LVIM secures almost $2.8 million of brand name prescriptions for patients at no charge.
In ten years, LVIM has provided the following:
- Over 30,000 patient visits
- Over 250,000 prescriptions filled
- Over 16,000 radiology exams
- Over 90,000 lab tests
- Over 3,500 screening mammograms
- Over 16,500 patients enrolled
- Over 3,000 volunteers gave their time
- Over 400 doctors, dentists and ARNP’S gave their time
