Mitchell L. Mutter, MD 

VIM Medical Director

Dr. Mitchell Mutter is described by friends and colleagues as an outstanding professional, mentor, teacher, leader, and humanitarian.   

He attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville on a football scholarship, graduating in 1968. He then moved on to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis to pursue a degree in medicine.

After graduating from UTHSC in 1972, Dr. Mutter served until 1976 as a general medical officer in the U.S. Army at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Andrew Radar Clinic. He went on to complete his internal medicine residency, and cardiology fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He is double board-certified in internal medicine and cardiology.

After completing his service at Walter Reed, became Chief of Cardiology at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia. Dr. Mutter left active military service with the rank of lieutenant colonell, and returned to Knoxville in 1982 to begin private cardiology practice. He also served on the faculty for the UT Health Science Center as associate professor of medicine. In 1992 Dr. Mutter began practicing cardiology in Chattanooga, and he was Chief of Staff at Erlanger Hospital from 2004 to 2007. Since 2012, Dr. Mutter has served as the Medical Director of Special Projects for the Tennessee Department of Health. And also spearhead the state’s pain management task force.

Additionally, Dr. Mutter is the founder of the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti, which has employees in Chattanooga and Haiti. Dr. Mutter has been president of the Tennessee Heart Association, the Hamilton County Medical Society, and  the Hamilton County Medical Foundation. He has also served as president of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, the regulatory and disciplinary board for physicians in Tennessee. Over his distinguished career, Dr. Mutter has worked on research teams as either a principal-, co-, or sub-investigator for more than 25 research studies in the cardiology specialty. 

Dr. Mutter was named the 2007 Outstanding Physician by the Tennessee Medical Association, and also received the Medical Staff Meritorious Service Award from the Tennessee Hospital Association that year. In 2010, he received an “Angel for Children” award from Bethany Christian Services. In 2012 he received the Distinguished Physicians Award from Erlanger Baroness Foundation. And in 2022 recognized as the Champions of Healthcare Lifetime Achievement award recipient.  

Joel Henderson, CFRE

President and CEO

Joel Henderson has spent most of his 30-year career in leadership service for nonprofits and healthcare management. As President and CEO of Volunteers in Medicine Chattanooga, Henderson leads a small staff which works alongside 100 volunteers, that provide $1M pro bono in primary health care and $1M in patient prescription assistance annually. The VIM Chattanooga clinic delivers compassionate care for over 2,000 patient visits each year at no cost to uninsured, financially eligible individuals residing in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia.

Henderson is passionate about helping people for the common good. Over the years he has advocated for the uninsured / underinsured and served on regional and state community health consortiums. Additional board leadership has included Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, PRSA Lookout Chapter and American Cancer Society. He’s also a third generation Rotarian Paul Harris Fellow and active member of the Chattanooga Club.

Henderson is a local graduate from Southern Adventist University (’94) and a believer in continued professional development as an alum of Leadership Orlando (’07), Leadership Chattanooga (’13), and Leadership Cleveland (’17). 

Heather Arnold

Administrative Assistant

Heather joined VIM in August 2023. She has worked in the legal and medical field for the majority of her career. Heather is an entrepreneur as a local small business owner. She has a passion for community and people which drew her to come to work at the VIM clinic. 

Ray Bell, BSN, RN

Nurse Manager

Ray joined the VIM Chattanooga team in Fall 2024. He brings over 20 years of direct nursing and administrative experience into his professional role. Ray received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Chamberlain College of Nursing in Addison, IL. He is passionate about his profession and compassionate for the VIM patients and the care provided.

Bailey Fraebel

Development and Outreach Manager

Bailey joined VIM in the Spring of 2024, however she is not a new face to local community organizations and businesses. She has a passion for helping people and has served in numerous local capacities with demonstrated positive impacts in community engagement, special events, marketing and relationship building. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga with a BS in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. 

Kristen Curtis-Gortney, CPhT

Clinic Manager

Over the past 18 years since joining the VIM staff, Kristen has provided leadership in various capacities for VIM including managing the onsite Dispensary and Patient Prescription Assistance program. She received her Pharmacy Tech training from Chattanooga State Community College and obtained her national certification in 2007.  In May 2025, Kristen was promoted to the position of Interim Clinic Manager.  She has a long commitment and passion to help our patients daily in the clinic. 

Eduardo Montero

Community Health Navigator

Eduardo is a graduate from Georgia Gwinnett College with a BA in Public Health with a focus in patient navigation. 

Besides helping VIM patients connect to crucial resources, he additionally provides the lead role for the clinic in assisting with Spanish interpretation for our patients. 

Eduardo is passionate about advocating access to healthcare for the underserved and uninsured. He brings experience with outreach to vulnerable populations in helping individuals navigate complex health systems by addressing barriers such as transportation and language. 

Monique Rubalcava, MA 

Dispensary Coordinator 

 Monique is a registered and Nationally Certified Medical Assistant and Behavior Technician. Besides leading VIM’s Patient Assistant Program, she additionally provides support in the clinic’s lab and bilingual in Spanish to help us better connect with all our patients. 

Michelle Turner

Front Office and Volunteer Coordinator

Michelle joined VIM in August 2015. She received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She spent 4 years as the Program Director for the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation.