Paul Joseph Derden, M.D.
Crossroads Medical Mission
P.O. Box 16852
Bristol, VA 24209-6852

Phone: 276-466-1600
Fax: 276-466-2800
Email: pderden@chartertn.net
Web: info@crossroadsmedicalmission.org

Paul Derden, M.D. is a board-certified family physician in practice with Crossroads Medical Mission, a mobile clinic based at State Street United Methodist Church in Bristol, Virginia. Crossroads Medical Mission cares for people who have limited access to medical care because of geographical or economic barriers. The clinic travels to more than a dozen communities in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee.

Dr. Derden partners with another board-certified family physician, Tim Schwob, M.D. The physicians are supported by Missions Director Rex Boggs, a certified radiology technologist who coordinates community partnerships and acts as medical assistant.

A native of Tacoma, Washington, Dr. Derden was born on July 13, 1956. He is married to Jaymie Devage Derden, a registered nurse, dedicated church and civic worker, and mother of two children, Jonathan (b. 7-22-85) and Bethany (b. 11-4-88). Mrs. Derden serves on the school board in Bristol and organizes Sunday school classes for elementary children at State Street United Methodist Church. Apart from medicine, Dr. Derden is interested in music composition, web site creation, reading, and woodworking.

Dr. Derden attended Trinity University in San Antonio Texas between 1974 and 1978. He enrolled in medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio in 1978 and took a M.D. degree in May 1982. Moving from Texas to Tennessee, Dr. Derden completed three years of residency training with Family Physicians of Bristol, an affiliate of East Tennessee State University's Quillen College of Medicine.

Upon completion of his residency training, Dr. Derden joined the faculty of the Department of Family Medicine at ETSU as an Assistant Professor. From 1990 to 1995, he was staff physician with Bristol Emergency Physicians. Between 1995 and 1998, Dr. Derden was a staff physician with John Deere Medical Group in Kingsport, Tennessee. In 1998, he began working at Colonial Heights Quick Care near Kingsport and remained there as staff physician until 2001. In 2002, Dr. Derden started his work with Crossroads Medical Mission. He moonlights in the emergency room at Wellmont Bristol Regional Hospital 21-33 hours a week.

The Crossroads mobile clinic has two patient exam rooms, a small dispensary, and a waived medical laboratory. Community partners - churches, food pantries, community centers, etc. - at each location provide waiting rooms, volunteer support, electrical hookup, and parking space. Crossroads offers these services:

· Screenings: screenings for common problems, such as diabetes, hypertension, breast and prostate disease
· Primary Care: evaluation and treatment of routine medical problems, and initiation of therapy
· Minor surgery: biopsies, cryotherapy, laceration repair, mole removal, incision and drainage of abscesses, wound debridement, nail removal, and other minor procedures
· Urgent care: acute illnesses and injuries, including wound care and splint application
· Patient education: participation in one's own health care through discussion and informational materials
· Community health education: providing information about outreach programs and other available services
· Onboard Lab: glucose, urinalysis, strep screens, and urine pregnancy testing
· Outside Labs: all outside labs on uninsured patients are done by MEDex Laboratories at no charge
· Referrals: referrals to community health centers, health departments, and other providers of care

Crossroads does not bill for patient care, but the organization does accept donations from patients and other parties. About 85% of the patients who visit Crossroads physicians are uninsured. No one is denied care because of inability to pay. Crossroads is a Christian mission, but no patient is required to participate in religious activities in order to receive assistance.

Depending upon the location, the number of patients seen per day ranges from 15 to 30, with an average of 22. Actual time devoted to patient care ranges from 6 to 9 hours a day, depending upon driving time, the number of patients who present for care and the number of volunteers who support the physicians. The physicians do everything themselves: they interview and examine patients, draw blood, spin down and prep specimens, do EKGs, dispense medicine, and make follow up phone calls to patients. They provide comprehensive care to every patient and the average visit takes about 15 to 30 minutes. Rotation involves 2 or 3 days a week.

Dr. Derden says that working with Crossroads is professionally redeeming for him. Having worked for years under pressure to generate income for corporations, Dr. Derden grew disillusioned with the health care system. He "could have easily walked away from the practice of medicine and never looked back, never regretted" the decision to leave his chosen profession. Now, he is free to deliver quality preventative and urgent care to people in need regardless of their ability to pay, and he can render care in a Christian environment with the hope that some unbelievers will ultimately be converted, believers will be invigorated, and local churches and communities will be strengthened.

Dr. Derden is on the medical staff at Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center (377 beds) in Bristol.

Residents who rotate with Crossroads Medical Mission may stay in reasonably priced bed and breakfasts (3 in Bristol) or motels (22 in Bristol). GMEC can attempt to secure furnished apartments or houses for residents, but we can offer no guarantees because short-term rentals are hard to find in rural areas. Usually, though, we are fortunate enough to identify excellent accommodations for residents and their families.

For information about population health, economics, and demographics in Southwest Virginia, see the GMEC web site at www.uvawise.edu/gmec.