Victory Health Partners ministers to the needs of the medically underserved in Alabama

Victory Health Partners serves those without health insurance or who face other barriers to affordable care. (contributed)
Thanks to Victory Health Partners, cost is less of a concern for south Alabama’s medically underserved.
Upgrading the X-ray machine at Mobile’s Victory Health Partners (VHP) from film to digital images recently proved vital for one patient.
“Having power access for the X-ray machine has significantly enhanced our pulmonary practice by enabling us to obtain critical imaging that guides our decision-making,” says Dr. Phil Almalouf. The higher-grade and therefore clearer digital imaging allowed Almalouf and his team to identify a small nodule in a patient’s lung that turned out to be cancer. “This early detection allowed for a surgical intervention and resection of a stage 1 lung cancer, resulting in the patient’s complete recovery without the need for chemotherapy or radiation.”
This successful outcome exemplifies the way VHP serves those without health insurance or who face other barriers to affordable care. Too often, the underserved don’t get routine checkups and screenings that may lead to early detection of an illness or other medical issue. VHP was created to help solve this problem. The faith-based nonprofit health care clinic serves the entire Gulf Coast, offering primary care, diagnostic tests, medication assistance, preventative care and specialty care like dental and optometry, plus mental health counseling, at little or no cost. In 2023 alone, VHP had 9,240 patient encounters, facilitated in part by more than 40,000 volunteer hours contributed by retired community members, medical professionals and medical students.
Funding from the Alabama Power Foundation made the life-saving X-ray upgrade possible, and the improved technology provides more than better pictures. “Having the machine onsite means we don’t have to send patients somewhere else to get X-rays,” says VHP Director Kimberly Garrett. “Transportation, childcare, time away from work – these are all issues for our patients, so the more we can do in-house, the better. We restore lives every day; it’s incredible to see.”
To learn more about Victory Health Partners, click here. To learn more about the Alabama Power Foundation and view the latest annual report, please visit powerofgood.com.
This story originally appeared in the Alabama Power Foundation’s 2023 Annual Report.