About VPN

The Volunteer Physicians Network (VPN) is a web-based referral network that allows for the lower income, uninsured patients of Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, Garden City Community Clinic and Terry Reilly Health Services-Boise, access to specialty physicians, labs, and hospitals. Since each clinic provides primary health care it is necessary to have a system that provides a continuity of care to patients.

Prior to VPN, clinics scrambled to find volunteer specialists who would not charge them to meet their patients’ medical needs. Additionally, some doctors experienced charity burnout by being the “charity doc” everybody called upon. VPN spreads out the opportunity to many more doctors, providing stable availability while also allowing the physician to control the parameters of the services they donate.

The 2004-2006 federally funded Healthy Communities Access Program gave VPN its start and has been funded with Genesis’ help ever since in collaboration with other partners. Genesis recruits and manages the over 300 available monthly appointments.