About Us
About Community Health Center
Celebrating 11 years of service to the Butler Community - the Community Health Clinic of Butler County officially has become The Jean B Purvis Community Health Center.
The Community Health Clinic of Butler County was founded by Jean Purvis, the wife of a doctor here in Butler. While on vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Jean saw an ad in the local paper, “Thank you for a day of caring - Volunteers in Medicine”. The ad sparked her curiosity. Jean visited the Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) clinic. There she learned about Dr. Jack McConnell and how he founded the first VIM clinic in the country.
Dr. McConnell found that many people living on Hilton Head Island had no access to health care or to medications. Wondering why no one did anything about the problem, Dr. McConnell quickly realized that HE should be that someone. Dr. McConnell recruited retired doctors, nurses and other volunteers to provide health care services to those in need at no cost. The first Volunteers in Medicine opened on Hilton Head in 1994 and has been a successful model for many other clinics across the country - 88 as of January 2019!
Community Health Center of Butler County (CHC) is happy to be a part of the VIM model! CHC is a Non-Profit, Volunteer-Powered, Community Funded Health Clinic. The philosophy of CHC is to promote a “culture of caring” emphasizing the use of medical and non-medical volunteers, recognizing that healing begins when patients are treated with dignity and respect. As a Volunteers In Medicine clinic, CHC never charges for any services provided by the clinic.
CHC provides primary medical care including basic dental care, behavioral health care and medications to individuals in our community that are uninsured or underinsured – having limited benefits.
The services we provide at CHC are made possible by many, many dedicated volunteers – doctors, nurses, dentists, hygienists, educators, dietitians, social workers, clerical staff, etc. and the generosity of our community and donors. Our goal is to provide primary healthcare services - services that are needed to keep our patients healthy so they can care for their families, continue to work and be productive members of the community.
The majority of our caregivers, both lay and professional are volunteers.
Medical
Medical Director
Dr. Michele Mikolajczak
Director of Clinical Services
Chris Cassioli, FNP-C
Operations Staff
Executive Director
Kimberly Reamer
Dental
Dental Manager
Tina Donofrio
Dental Hygienist
Lauren Dowling, RDH
Pharmacists
Volunteer Pharmacist
Larry Hibbs, Rph
Director of Development
Jim Cunningham
Director of Operations
Linda Thoma
Director of Health and Wellness
Linda Reichart
Administrative Assistant
Terri Edgar
Office Manager
Julie Fitzpatrick
Our Board of Directors
Executive Committee
President
David Konesni, President of Nicholas Enterprise
Vice President
Jim Cunningham, Senior Consultant, GSB Fundraising
Treasurer
Ernie Francestine, North Pittsburgh Telephone, retired
Secretary
Sue Switzer, Registered Nurse and Insurance Executive, retired
Nursing Administrator
Natalie McKay, Assistant Administrator
Concordia Lutheran Ministries
Board Member Emerita
Jean B. Purvis
Founder
Jean Burchinal Purvis
January 28, 1922 - May 31, 2020
Board Members
Dr. William DiCuccio
Physician, Retired
The Reverend James Dollhopf
Lutheran Pastor, Retired
Larry Hibbs, RPh
Pharmacist, Retired
Ruth Purcell
Executive Director
BC3 Education Foundation
Morgan Rizzardi
Associate Director of Admissions
Butler County Community College
Heather Thomas
Vice President,
Senior SBA Business Development Officer
Huntington National Bank
The Reverend Kimberly van Driel
First English Lutheran, Pastor
Ex-Officio Board Members
Judge Marilyn Horan
United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania