25 in ’25: Marilyn Metzler nurses the underinsured back to health

Marilyn Metzler spends most of her time at CrossOver Ministries standing at the nurses’ station, putting out fires and helping patients receive care.

CrossOver, a Christian non-profit healthcare clinic, provides help to uninsured, underinsured and Medicaid patients regardless of their religion. To help all those patients are a lot of volunteers — last year, the headcount was over 500.

Some of these volunteers may be unfamiliar with retrieving X-rays or ultrasounds, or struggle to find a medical instrument. When they need help, Metzler is there. She greets everyone with a smile and is eager to help.

“It’s a very rewarding place to be,” Metzler said. “Not a day goes by that somebody doesn’t hug me. Patients are grateful for care.”

She’s been a fixture of the clinic for nearly 30 years and now watches over it wearing her cyan scrubs, wearing a “Nursing Coordinator” nametag.

“Marilyn is very loved by patients; she’s also very loved by our volunteers,” said Jackie Griggs, CrossOver’s director of development.

Metzler’s zeal for helping others began in Alabama, where she grew up on her parents’ farm. Her father was a pastor, and their family would frequently share produce with their neighbors. Metzler jokes that she’s always been a nurse — when she was a young girl, her father encouraged her to pursue nursing because of her innate desire to nurture.

“To follow Jesus is to serve humanity,” Metzler said.“A way to live out your faith is to serve other people, and not out of duty or obligation, but because you’re grateful and you’ve had a lot given to you.”

After receiving the education and certifications necessary to become a registered nurse, Metzler spent three years in the Horn of Africa as part of a mission trip. There, she saw firsthand how poverty and a lack of health education harmed the local community — babies would drink dirty water, and would soon after die of cholera.

“I just really want to make a difference for folks to empower them through education,” Metzler said.

Upon returning to the States, Metzler knew she wanted to be involved with an organization that helped people who didn’t have the same resources or education she did.

That’s when she came upon CrossOver’s Lay Health Promoters — an initiative to provide health and wellness education to those who couldn’t have accessed it otherwise. The program was the reason Metzler moved to Richmond, and she directed it for 22 years.

“A huge part of many of my years … with CrossOver were spent in the community, really grassroots, helping to empower people to make good health choices for themselves,” Metzler said.

Many people who she taught would go on to teach others, resulting in a ripple of healthier, more knowledgeable Richmonders.

Since her time directing Lay Health Promoters ended in 2018, Metzler has taken on the mantle of CrossOver’s nursing coordinator — she’s the one who makes sure the nurses have the resources they need to do their jobs. Still, she makes the time to teach her patients the basics of healthy living.

“One of the things that Marilyn does,” Griggs said, “is she educates and empowers, and I just see that as so much a part of her story of caring for the community.”

But no two of Metzler’s days look the same. 

Most volunteers have experience working in the healthcare industry, either past or present. Some are also medical students wanting experience. 

Every four hours, CrossOver changes the kind of care it provides. Primary care is always offered, but volunteers who specialize in different areas of medicine cycle through. One day, CrossOver may have a gynecologist ready to help, while another may offer a neurologist. Whenever in-house specialists aren’t able to address a patient’s need, CrossOver provides referrals.

Helping uninsured or underinsured patients isn’t CrossOver’s only draw — many volunteers are bilingual and translate for Spanish speakers. All signs in the office are also written in both languages.

“We’re grateful for volunteer efforts, and they really are the heroes,” Metzler said. “I love what I do and I’m blessed to do what I get to do every day.”

The clinic is on the building’s second floor, and the first floor houses a community pharmacy plus dental and vision clinics. Providing all those services under one roof helps people who struggle to find a ride, Metzler said.

“The comprehensiveness is so unique, especially when there are huge transportation barriers,” Metzler said. “It’s huge for people.”

CrossOver can provide these services through philanthropy, billing Medicaid for the patients it insures and grants. Most of its equipment is donated from hospitals, people or other clinics that no longer need it. 

With many people’s health insurance at risk with federal changes, CrossOver anticipates that its services will be needed now more than ever. Its Henrico location — where Metzler spends her time — already struggles to schedule all the patients who need care. Even though CrossOver will never turn someone away, it may struggle to find a near-term appointment. 

After a long fundraising process, Griggs said CrossOver is looking to expand its footprint and offerings by constructing a maternal child clinic. Currently, the clinic serves everyone 3 years old and up (it’s currently in the midst of back-to-school vaccine season). With the expansion, CrossOver will welcome all ages.

CrossOver is currently completing the permitting process with Henrico County and is looking to start up construction in September.

This won’t be the first major change Metzler has seen CrossOver undergo. She’s been around for the arrival of computers at the facility and is helping manage the ever-increasing demand for the clinic’s services.

“Everybody deserves healthcare,” Metzler said. “That’s how we are going to make our communities healthier and safer and certainly better.”