Niki M. is a VSP Mobile Clinic Operations Manager.
Participating in the Sacramento Black Expo at the Sacramento Convention Center in February has been a blessing in many ways. Our first day started off just like any other convention, we drove SeeLia into the convention center safely and perfectly angled her in our booth for the festivities to begin. We had the prize wheel a-spinnin’, multiple job opportunities displayed, a gorgeous frame display with both Altair and Marchon sunglasses, an interactive and fun kids table, a table with some of our plan information, and of course, SeeLia set up as a back drop open for exams and tours.
We were able to secure a VSP doctor for the first afternoon. The rest of the time, we handed out VSP Mobile Eyes® gift certificates that VSP pays for to provide qualified people to receive no-cost eye exams and glasses from a local VSP doctor’s office. Usually when we participate in these types of events, we don’t find many people who qualify, but due to the recent changes in Medi-Cal, coupled with the bad economy, many people qualified and were in need of exams and new glasses.
We did eye exams onboard the first day for about three hours and then handed out over 80 gift certificates during the rest of the time. While all patients were remarkably grateful, I personally experienced three patients come to tears in thanks. Coming to tears actually doesn’t even describe it, I should say crying in thanks and praise. Two of the ladies were from a church group and were so amazed that VSP would offer this type of service to people in need. They said they have been contacting people from all over the area to find help and they couldn’t find anyone offering services that didn’t involve some sort of weird catch. Neither one of them had an eye exam for a long time (one was about 5 years and one was over 10 years ago!). So, I think they were both impressed and amazed at VSP’s generosity. So blown away in fact, that both started crying and grabbed me to give me a giant hug and really let me know how important this gift was to them.
All experiences touched me, but the last woman’s story really touched me. Now, my mom always told me that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but it was a little hard with this young woman. She walked in looking like someone I wouldn’t normally think would meet our guidelines. She looked well put together, dressed in khaki’s and a blazer jacket nicely matching. She appeared to be in her late 20’s or early 30’s and was very modest, having a hard time asking for help. When I shared with her the gift certificate program, she dropped her jaw and asked how she could qualify for one. She explained to me that she had lost her job over two years ago and has been having a very hard time finding a new job; she also mentioned that because she is a single woman, without children, she is having a hard time finding anyone who will help her with any type of assistance in the meantime. When I told her that there were no hidden fees and this gift certificate would get her a completely free eye exam and glasses, she couldn’t believe it and started crying right there in the exam room in front of me. I could tell she was embarrassed to cry and she even stepped to the side to hide her face from me and ask for a second to gain her composure.
This last story really hit me hard for numerous reasons. First of all, she wasn’t expecting a free hand out and she was so sweet and kind about the whole thing and in total shock that we would do something like that. Finally, it had also occurred to me how easily the two of us could have been in each other’s situations…
I think we all went home that night feeling very blessed and incredibly grateful for VSP’s generosity….
Very interesting stuff. EPAM – Electroactive Polymer Artificial Muscle, is currently working its way to human implantation (within 5 years). From the article:
Think Safety First
