Luci Kovacevic, MD and Lisa Kovacevic, FNP
Volunteer providers are like gold to the Clinic. Without volunteers, the Clinic would be unable to offer services to the residents of Lane County. Our volunteer providers come from all backgrounds. Some are retired while others are still active in the community. Husband and wife, Luci Kovacevic, MD and Lisa Kovacevic, Family Nurse Practitioner are two of our wonderful providers.
They have been volunteering with the Clinic since October 2007 while maintaining their own active practices and taking care of their young daughter.
Luci is a full time physician treating injured workers in the Occupational Health Department at Cascade Health Solutions, and Lisa has a part time practice in Eugene. Prior to relocating to Eugene, Luci and Lisa volunteered at a free-clinic in West Virginia. The motivation to feel connected to their community drove them to offer their services to the Clinic. Says Lisa, “I missed that opportunity to feel like I was really giving back to the community.” Upon hearing about Volunteers In Medicine, they decided to connect to the residents of Lane County by becoming volunteer providers. Now they volunteer on their days off and during Clinic evening hours.
Volunteering with the Clinic is highly rewarding for both of them. Both Luci and Lisa have found great satisfaction in helping those without insurance. Luci stated, “I get great satisfaction from treating diabetes and hypertension so mothers and fathers can stay healthy and take care of their kids.” Lisa agreed with Luci about the satisfaction that comes from treating patients with diabetes. She said, “I have found that the ones (patients) that stand out the most are the diabetic patients that I’ve been able to help reestablish a medication regimen so that they can get their blood sugars controlled. Their lives and health are a mess if they can’t get their diabetic medications.”
Luci explained that before he volunteered with the Clinic, he thought that clinics like ours were focused on the homeless and disabled. “After volunteering, I discovered that the people I was seeing are actually the working poor who are struggling to survive,” explained Luci. Having grown up in a working-class family, he knows how hard it is to make ends meet and how easy it is to fall between the cracks.
Lisa said, “VIM clinic is an amazing service in the community that is not matched by many community organizations. Its need is
apparent and its role is vital!” Luci and Lisa embody the vision of the Clinic by offering a healing hand to touch our patients lives with love. We are so thankful for all of our providers and the wonderful services they bring to the Clinic.
To find out how you can make a difference in the lives of our patients, contact DeLeesa Meashintubby at 541-686-3797 or dmeashintubby@vim-clinic.org.