About the Virginia B. Andes Volunteer Community Clinic
Virginia B. Andes, our benefactor, was an active part of our early Clinic.
The Virginia B. Andes Volunteer Community Clinic is a Florida nonprofit corporation with a current 501 (c)3 tax exempt status. The mission of VBA Clinic is to provide no-cost primary and semi-urgent medical services and prescription medication to our uninsured neighbors in Charlotte County.
Vision
To assure that all Charlotte County residents have access to quality health care.
Mission
To provide no cost volunteer medical, pharmacy and wellness services to the under-served in Charlotte County.
Our History
In 1999, St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy of Charlotte County Inc. was founded by Dr. Thomas F. Ferrara. The pharmacy was an outgrowth of Dr. Ferrara’s volunteer work with Punta Gorda’s Sacred Heart Church conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, of which he was president. Dr. Ferrara saw the nonprofit Community Pharmacy as a necessity in Charlotte County, Florida.
The Pharmacy opened May 17, 2000. Dr. Ferrara served as the volunteer chief administrator and on the Board of Directors until his retirement in 2007. In 2007, St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy restructured and became St. Vincent de Paul Community Health Care, Inc. (SVDP) with a satellite Pharmacy in Englewood, Florida.
Following the success of the Pharmacy, Dr. Mark Asperilla and Dr. David Klein, SVDP Co-Medical Directors, recognized the need for a free medical clinic in Charlotte County due to the increased number of Charlotte residents without medical care and insurance.
After months of planning, Drs. Klein and Asperilla implemented a plan to open a free medical clinic to care specifically for the uninsured, under-insured and working poor in Charlotte County. The objective was not only to provide life-giving care but also to empower patients to actively engage in disease prevention, health education and treatment plans.
Through a partnership with the Volunteers in Medicine Alliance, SVDP Board of Directors, and with the mobilization of significant community resources, Drs. Klein and Asperilla opened the doors of the St. Vincent de Paul Community Health Clinic and Pharmacy in early February 2008.
In October 2009, St. Vincent De Paul Community Health Clinic was renamed Virginia B. Andes Volunteer Community Clinic in honor of a long-time community volunteer who made a generous and significant financial gift and created an endowment to provide our clinic with future capital funds. READ MORE about Virginia B. Andes here.
In addition to the profound impact on saving lives, the VBA Clinic has made a significant impact on the community by minimizing emergency room visits and expenses at the three local hospitals.
Our Founders
Pharmacy
Thomas F. Ferrara, M.D.
In 1999, the formerly-named St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy of Charlotte County Inc. was founded by Dr. Thomas F. Ferrara. The pharmacy was an outgrowth of Dr. Ferrara’s volunteer work with Punta Gorda’s Sacred Heart Church conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, of which he was president.
Dr. Ferrara saw the nonprofit Community Pharmacy as a necessity in Charlotte County Florida. The Pharmacy opened May 17, 2000. Dr. Ferrara served for several years as the volunteer chief administrator and on the Board of Directors until his retirement in 2007. In 2007, St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy restructured and became St. Vincent de Paul Community Health Care, Inc. (SVDP) with a satellite Pharmacy in Englewood Florida.
Clinic
Mark O. Asperilla, M.D.
Mark O. Asperilla, M.D.Infectious Disease Physician, Port Charlotte, Florida. Co-founder of St. Vincent de Paul Community Healthcare, Inc., Physician Volunteer Clinic Services. Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Therapeutic Committee, Fawcett Hospital Board member, Charlotte County Medical Society member, Executive Board member of Bon Secours-St Joseph Hospital, Chairman of the Infection Control Committee for Bon Secours-St. Joseph.
David M. Klein, M.D., F.A.C.S.,
Ophthalmology, Port Charlotte, FL
David M. Klein, M.D., F.A.C.S., Co-founder of St. Vincent de Paul Community Healthcare, Inc., Physician volunteer clinic services. Charlotte County United Way Board member, Charlotte County Homeless Coalition, Advisory Board member. Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Lifetime Board member. Former Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery for HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital, Peace River Medical Center (now Shorepoint Health Port Charlotte), and Charlotte Regional Medical Center (now Shorepoint Health Punta Gorda.)