“Volunteering at the CCC has allowed me to continue my career in a very meaningful and satisfying way.”
September 13th, 2024
“Originally my plans for retirement focused almost exclusively on travel. Volunteering at the CCC has changed that.”
Dr. Frank Moyer wasted no time when he retired from practice with Novant at Maplewood Family Practice on New Year’s Eve of 2022. He immediately applied to volunteer at the CCC, and his first day was 2/27/2023.
“I’ve been a family doctor since 1978. It was my ambition before I started medical school. Seeing, talking to, and treating patients of all ages has been a calling to me for years. I’ve really enjoyed and found great satisfaction in being a family doctor.”
Dr. Moyer went to medical school and did his residency at Bowman-Gray (now Wake Forest University School of Medicine) and worked for a year on the faculty before serving for 5 years as a Family Doctor in the Navy. He taught residents for eleven years and practiced in Virginia before returning to Winston-Salem in 1998. He spent over 24 years at Maplewood Family Practice where he practiced and precepted medical students.
Working at the CCC has provided a new and unexpected opportunity to continue his career as Dr. Moyer always wanted to.
“It was immediately apparent that the patients needed help and that the entire staff was absolutely dedicated to giving them the best care and doing it in a very cheerful manner. It is very uplifting to practice in this environment. As a bonus, I also get to precept medical students at the CCC. Each time I volunteer, I spend my time doing everything I’ve ever wanted to do as a physician. I go home excited and eager to return. This was unexpected, and I’m so very grateful for this experience. I’ve been given a chance to continue as a physician and teacher, serving the community which has done so much for me. It’s thrilling to be a part of this wonderful organization. It’s an honor being allowed to work here and contribute as a physician.
“Recently I saw an unscheduled pediatric patient at the CCC. She was new to the clinic and had Juvenile Diabetes. I had a student with me and through the interpreter we learned she’d just come to the area from the Dominican Republic, she was 11 and was almost out of insulin. Her grandmother was with her and understood the dietary guidelines for a diabetic. Six months earlier in the D.R., the girl had nearly died of DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis) with a blood sugar of 900+ which put her in a comatose state. Post-discharge she had obtained an implanted glucose sensor and monitor and kept amazingly good records of her blood glucose. Despite her exemplary efforts, she was being overdosed with insulin and having frequent bouts of altered consciousness due to low blood glucose. In over an hour, we were able to pare down her insulin injections to twice daily, congratulate her on her good record keeping, reinforce her grandmother’s excellent advice about diet, renew her prescription, set up an appointment with our Diabetes Educator, and welcome her to the U.S. and to good care at the CCC. All this happened while teaching a medical student. What a unique, multifaceted experience.
“Volunteering at the CCC has allowed me to continue my career in a very meaningful and satisfying way. Everyone should have access to healthcare. Everyone. And everyone who can’t pay for it has access to the CCC. This covers a large population in our community, and we are a better community for serving this population through the CCC.
“Originally my plans for retirement focused almost exclusively on travel. Volunteering at the CCC has changed that. Hopefully I’ll be spending more time around the clinic and less time on the road in the future. It’s nice to have a chance to give back and you get back so much more. It’s been a pleasure meeting and working with everyone at the CCC. I’m honored to be a part of it.”