Meet AFC’s New CEO!

We’re excited to introduce our new President and CEO, Lesley Daigle!

Lesley is both a nurse and a lawyer by training, as well as a long-time Arlingtonian. She has spent the last decade at Virginia Hospital Center, where she managed compliance, focusing on the health and safety of patient care. Lesley has served in multiple roles at VHC with significant leadership responsibilities, including at the Outpatient Clinic, which serves patients very much like ours.

Join us in welcoming Lesley to the AFC Family!

As I reflect on my eight years of leadership at Arlington Free Clinic, I am filled with gratitude for all of those in our community who have come together to make our work possible over the past 30 years.

The founders of this clinic were true pioneers. They saw a need in the community and took action to fill it. Their work has made a real difference in the lives of so many people, and I am proud to have been part of their legacy.

First and foremost, I want to thank our volunteers. Your dedication is truly inspiring. Every day, I marvel at the work that you do. Without you, we could not provide the care that our patients need. You are the heart and soul of this clinic, and I am so grateful for your ongoing commitment to our mission.

I also want to thank our staff. You are all incredibly talented and compassionate professionals who work tirelessly to provide our patients with the best possible care. We made it through the pandemic together and have emerged stronger than ever! I am so proud of the work that you do, and I am grateful for your partnership.

Our community partnerships fill me with optimism for our future. Our critical partnership with VHC Health makes us the envy of our free clinic colleagues across the country. We could not do our work without the care and support provided by this outstanding community-based health system. Our partners in Arlington County government, including public health, social services, technology services, and more, work every day to help our patients meet their most basic needs. And the leaders of Arlington’s safety net organizations are now my heroes. They work tirelessly to bring life-changing services like food, shelter, and safety to our neighbors.

Our donors are essential to our work. Year after year, your financial support allows us to provide our patients with access to healthcare and to expand our services to meet the needs of our community. Thank you for your generosity.

Finally, I want to thank our patients. You are the reason that we do this work. Your stories of hope, strength, and resilience inspire us every day. Thank you for trusting us with your health.

Thank you again for everything. I wish you all the best in the years to come.

Arlington Free Clinic is a truly comprehensive healthcare home where patients receive all they need to get and stay healthy, be that dental or behavioral healthcare, hearing screenings or physical therapy. At AFC, it’s not uncommon for a patient being seen for a medical complaint to not only leave with a prescription, but also a referral for supplemental groceries or housing assistance — or that colonoscopy they’re due for.

At the core of AFC’s model is a strong and well-integrated primary care program, without which we could never sustain such a deep level of services. Patients seen by our dentists, for example, also must have been seen in primary care in the past year. This allows us to ensure that patients in our dental chairs, the majority of whom require deep cleanings (that can dislodge bacteria and be risky for those with cardiac conditions) or dental procedures (where there’s a risk for bleeding in patients on blood thinners) are medically stable to receive oral healthcare.

At AFC, our primary care team — 23 volunteer providers and a staff nurse practitioner — holistically approaches each patient’s healthcare in such a way that past issues (e.g., a high blood pressure reading at their last appointment) and present needs (e.g., preventive health measures such as vaccines and colonoscopies) are being routinely assessed and addressed. Staff nurses and medical assistants play a key role in our model. Their work preparing patient charts in advance of each appointment helps flag important information for the provider and maximizes our ability to deliver care that goes beyond simply addressing the need that brought the patient in.

About 12 years ago, we added a staff family nurse practitioner with the idea that through this position, we would be able to offer timely access to care for acute needs. Over time, this role has evolved to be the template for our whole primary care model and gives us the ability to pilot new practices — like oral health histories and behavioral health screenings in primary care — that have the potential to transform care delivery clinic-wide. Our nurse practitioner also follows patients with episodic issues like an uncontrolled chronic disease and manages healthcare long-term for those who have extremely low health literacy and very complex needs. Good primary care is important for everyone, but the foundational role it plays at AFC cannot be overstated.

Under Nancy White’s leadership of Arlington Free Clinic, the organization has added new programs such as dental and social services; weathered a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic; and taken the voices of AFC patients to important tables within the local safety-net and county government. Her strong and dynamic leadership has catapulted the organization to new heights. So, when Nancy shared with me last winter that she intends to retire by the end of the year, I quickly alerted the board to their important duty of finding a new leader to fill her shoes.

The board formed a committee led by member Pepper Binner who carefully considered the characteristics and qualifications that would be important in the organization’s next leader and reached out to nearly 70 stakeholders to get their input.

After a thoughtful and deliberate search, I am excited to introduce you to Lesley Daigle. Lesley is both a nurse and a lawyer by training, and a long-time Arlingtonian. She has spent the last decade at Virginia Hospital Center, where she has served in multiple roles with significant leadership responsibilities, including at the Outpatient Clinic, which serves patients very much like ours. She is a warm and charismatic leader with an outstanding reputation and a clear passion for AFC’s mission.

As you may know, next year brings AFC’s 30th Anniversary. And as we transition AFC’s leadership, moving into AFC’s next decade of care, there will truly be a lot to celebrate!