The Anatomy of a Mission - Global Health Initiatives

VOLUME 3, SPRING 2011
IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH MEDICAL MISSIONS
R S
A
Y E
The Anatomy of a Mission
On the fifth anniversary of Centura Health’s medical mission program,
we take a look at the daily operations, staff and volunteers of GHI.
Director’s note:
This issue of Amazing
Journeys will take you
behind-the-scenes to see
the operational side of
the program. From its
humble beginnings in
2006, the medical
mission program has
developed into a welloiled machine with
approximately a dozen
trips a year to far-reaching destinations across
the globe. Operating on
a shoe-string budget with
minimal staff, GHI relies
on carefully nurtured
collaborative relationships, the generosity
of volunteers, donated
supplies and funds.
the past two decades
since earning a master’s
degree in International
Relations from Johns
Hopkins University.
Two of three Hodgson
children were born
overseas while Greg was
general manager for
Adventist World Radio.
This relatively quiet,
devout, unassuming
man speaks several
languages and possesses
a solid grasp of global
affairs. We sit down over
a cup of chai, a favorite
THE FIRST GHI TEAM WAS SMALL: TWO PHYSICIANS, ONE NURSE, AND THREE ASSISTANTS.
THE TEAM TRAVELLED IN JANUARY 2006 TO RWANDA AND WORKED AT BOTH MUGONERO AND beverage Greg acquired
KIBAGORA HOSPITALS. (LEFT TO RIGHT: GREG HODGSON, JEFF WAGNAAR, DAVID AND WENDY a taste for during his
SCHNEIDER, NANCY AND DAVID RAPHAEL)
years of living and
traveling abroad, to talk
to slow down a man who spends
about how GHI came into existence,
A man on a mission: A conversation approximately 100 days a year circling
the program’s successes and challenges,
with GHI director, Greg Hodgson
the globe from the Amazon River Basin
and his vision for the next five years.
to the Himalayas and back. You could
BY ANNEMARIE KEMP, EDITOR
To begin, it’s difficult to separate the
say that Greg has been on the road for
It’s a snow day for most of the schools
man from the mission. Centura’s medical
in Colorado the morning I catch up
mission program was born in
with Greg Hodgson, the founder
2005 when Greg approached the
and director of Centura’s Global
Adventist leadership at Centura
Health Initiatives, but a little
Health about implementing a
cold weather isn’t going
volunteer program much along
Continued on page 2
TT A
A BB LL EE O
O FF CC O
ON
N TT EE N
N TT SS
1
> An Anatomy
of a Mission
Changing lives
over five years
of service
2
> Greg’s
Jungle
Notes
4
> Real
4-10
Stories
Three volunteers tell their
experiences
> Frequent
Flyer
Awards
More is good
5
> Missions By
the Numbers
Generous people,
amazing gifts
9
> Partners
Together,
we succeed
12
> Upcoming
Trips
Lifetime
memories
Anatomy of a Mission
Jungle notes
It is hard to believe that GHI is already five years
old. Even though I haven’t been on all the medical
mission trips over these past few years, I have
been on many. And I have some amazing memories. The most amazing thing, though, is to see
how medical professionals from Centura Health
are able to travel half-way around the world and
provide the same care and compassion as given
to patients here in Colorado. True, some of the
technology we have at home is missing, but the
commitment to practicing good medicine is just
as evident in the jungles of Peru and Belize, the
mountains of Nepal, or the hilly shores of Rwanda.
One of the keys to the success of GHI over these
past five years has been the participation and
commitment of more than 100 physicians. These
doctors, surgeons and anesthesiologists are my
heroes. I am unable to do what they do, but even
so I can gain some
personal reward by the
simple act of helping to
facilitate their efforts.
I would like to list all of
the physicians who have
given of their time,
talent and treasure to
make GHI a success.
Due to the lack of
THIS PAST DECEMBER,
space, though, I will
DR. CAROLE CHRISTENSEN
RECEIVED THE 2010
mention one for now.
Dr. Carole Christensen has HUMANITARIAN AWARD FROM
JOHN SACKETT, CEO OF AVISTA
been to Peru, Rwanda,
ADVENTIST HOSPITAL.
and just last month to
Nepal. She has been to more GHI sites than any
other physician so far. I’ve gotten to know Carole,
her husband Dan and daughter Kelly on these
trips, and they are an amazing family!
Thanks to all of you who have participated in a
GHI project. You are perfect examples of what
I have shared in some of our reflections…”living
generously and graciously toward others, the way
God lives toward us.”
Greg Hodgson
Director, Global Health Initiatives
www.centuraglobalhealth.org
2
Continued from page 1
the lines of what Boulder Community Hospital was doing.
His feeling was, if a stand-alone community-based hospital
could create a successful medical mission program, than
why not a much larger,
faith-based system? The
first trip, to Rwanda, took
place in January 2006,
with only five volunteers.
Today, the trips average
closer to 20. Greg has
been on more than half
of those trips.
PRIOR TO CENTURA HEALTH, GREG WAS
VP FOR OPERATIONS & ENGINEERING
AT ADVENTIST WORLD RADIO.
The operational side
of GHI is driven by a
single-minded vision and
straightforward
goals: To fulfill
Centura Health’s
mission of
extending the
healing ministry
of Christ and
to do so in a
systematic,
standards-based,
quality-driven
TIMES HAVE CHANGED…GREG NOW LEADS MEDICAL TEAMS TO COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. and efficient
manner. Greg
would admit that you probably won’t find that statement
written down anywhere; being the only full-time staff for
the program, not much of his time is devoted to filling out
reports. While he has since enlisted a part-time person to
take over all the trip logistics, up until last year Greg handled every detail of the program from recruiting volunteers,
purchasing plane tickets, booking hotels and tours, and
leading the groups in country. And that’s only part of the
overall mission program operations. There are collaborative
relationships to be built, funders to solicit, government officials to impress, sites to recruit, grant proposals to be written,
and meetings to attend.
One of the keys to the success of the GHI program is its
collaborative relationship with local hospitals and physicians
in each of the four countries the program currently travels
to. Using a local hospital as the “central hub” for program
delivery has allowed GHI to do more than offer episodic
surgical or medical services; it’s provided a link to a local
community that over time has provided the opportunity
to add education, training and outreach to the program’s
offerings. Since 2008, in addition to volunteer physicians,
nurses and other medical staff, the program has been in
close collaboration with the University of Colorado’s Health
Science Center. Including medical students from CU has
added another important dimension to the program. Greg
has also cast a large web of collaborative organizations and
friends of the program, an
impressive list of non-governmental organizations,
local nonprofits, and policy
makers that help to extend
GHI’s reach and impact.
the mission program has definitely been a high point. When GHI
began, Greg had a goal of 10
percent employee participation
in the medical mission trips, and
he’s come pretty close to that
goal. He would like to see broadThe program is not wither participation from within the
out its challenges, howevCentura system, particularly
er. The biggest obstacle to
from hospitals and staff outside
success and growth is, as
Metro Denver. But he’s already
with most things, money.
impressed with the level of parEach of the trips relies on
ticipation and interest, especially
the willingness and ability TRAINING LOCAL HEALTHCARE WORKERS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF GHI
among
past trip participants.
EFFORTS. DRS. RAPHAEL AND SCHNEIDER MEET WITH THE FACULTY AT THE
of the volunteers to pay
Repeat volunteers are common
MEDICAL SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA.
their way, despite a modin the medical mission program.
est stipend offered by
Greg attributes some of that to the pure joy of practicing
Adventist Health System (AHS) to offset trip expenses for
medicine, without all the hassles of billing, paperwork, and
some of their employees. In addition to the volunteers, supbureaucracy that accompanies the system here. Participating
plies are a challenge. Again, the sponsors of Centura Health
in the medical mission program allows the volunteers to get
provide in-kind donations, as do a number of vendors and
back to the passion for service – and in many cases, to recruit
nonprofit organizations such as Project C.U.R.E. in Denver.
friends and family to be part of that experience.
But the cost and need always seem to outweigh the supply.
Greg’s salary is paid by Centura Health, and AHS kicks in for
When asked about the next five years, Greg’s reply is readily
scholarships. But without volunteers, the program would be
available, and like him, pretty straightforward: He’d like to
dead in the
see associate participation, especially among non-medical
water. So Greg
volunteers (such as biomed) continue to grow. Education for
continues to
local doctors and practitioners in-country is also high on the
spend a fair
list. And he’d like GHI to continue to grow the capacity of
amount of his
local hospitals through continued donations of equipment
time recruiting
and supplies, training and capital projects.
and cultivating
The time for our interview has come to an end; Greg is off to
medical voluna series of meetings before leaving for another trip to Nepal
teers for future
at the end of the week. As we say goodbye, he thanks me –
trips.
something he never forgets to do – for my time. And what
GHI TEAM MEMBERS AND EMPLOYEES AT LA LOMA
LUZ HOSPITAL MEET WITH THE US AMBASSADOR TO
Another chalI want to tell him, as I so often have felt since we first met,
BELIZE, VINAI THUMMALAPALLY (WHITE SHIRT, CENTER).
lenge is pace –
is that it should be me thanking him, because my experience
while Greg’s
with GHI has
ambitious goals for establishing local community health
changed my
initiatives is shared by many of the volunteers and partners
life. As I strugaffiliated with the program, getting local community leaders
gle to find the
on board and educational outreach and training efforts
right words,
moving has proven to be harder than anticipated. Peru is in
Greg’s already
the lead among the mission locations; in 2010, GHI hired a
making his way
local coordinator, Jimmy Barera, to handle many of the daily
out the door,
operational and trip-related details in-country, freeing up
collar turned
Greg’s time to focus on building up the program in other
up against the
capacities. But cultural and organizational differences don’t
wind, briefcase
always make creating the type of “second tier” programs
in hand, off
the strategic plan calls for possible; there’s a lot of “Plan B”
to face the
thinking involved in creating a long-lasting, impactful pronext set of
gram in a developing country. Despite the challenges, the
challenges and GHI TEAMS HAVE ALSO HELPED IN MODEST BUILDING
overall feeling is that the GHI program has enjoyed relative
opportunities. PROJECTS AT PARTNER HOSPITALS. THIS BUILDING IS
DESTINED TO BECOME A PHYSICAL THERAPY FACILITY
success during its first five years. Employee participation in
AT SCHEER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL IN NEPAL.
3
3
STORIES FROM REAL PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Making a list, checking it twice:
supplying a medical mission trip
BY ANNEMARIE KEMP, EDITOR
“Retired” RN Lynda Kithil was perfectly
content gardening, spending time with
her family, and traveling for pleasure.
That was until August of 2007, when
she was recruited to participate as an OR
nurse on a medical mission trip to Peru.
Now happily “un-retired” and volunteering her time as the surgical services coordinator for GHI,
Lynda will be the first to tell you that the initial trip brought
a lot of unexpected challenges. “It’s like we had no
collective memory of how to
plan for a surgical program,”
she says, brown eyes flashing.
“It wasn’t the first medical
mission trip to Peru – not
even the first OB/GYN trip.
But no one seemed to know
what supplies were needed,
what supplies were available,
or where to find them.”
Along the way, Lynda has collected a wonderful group of
friends and experiences in addition to developing a strategy
for supplying the medical mission program. Her list is
specific to each type of surgery being performed and to the
availability of supplies and resources at the hospital in each
country. Part of her mission is also to prepare each volunteer medical team for what to expect – as well as to try and
prepare them for the unexpected, a likely experience when
delivering medical care in the developing world. “We strive
to keep the operating conditions as close to familiar as
possible, given the reality of each situation,” Lynda explains.
“Medical mission trips can be a daunting thing for firsttimers; we do our best to make each situation as favorable
as we can in an unfamiliar environment.”
That environment can include
less-than-sterile conditions, a
lack of basic supplies, unreliable
electricity and outdated and
broken equipment. “One thing
most people don’t understand
about medical mission programs is that we are not a
place for cast-off supplies and
materials,” Lynda explains.
“Everything we take is new,
sterile, and meets a high standard
of care. We strive to be as
Lynda returned from that first
close
to the same standard of
LYNDA KITHIL IS PREPPING A PATIENT IN LA LOMA LUZ HOSPITAL.
trip determined to come
care
there
as we do at home.
up with a much more organized system for future medical teams. Since then, she’s been That’s the starting point, not some out-of-reach goal.”
on eight additional trips: twice to Peru, Rwanda, Belize and
three times to Nepal. She’ll be returning to Peru for the
third time this April, Rwanda in August and Nepal later in
the fall.
The same can’t always be said for the equipment and
supplies the volunteers encounter when arriving at the local
hospital. Achieving the goal of improving the local hospital
Frequent Flyer Awards
DR. BARB ANTUNA Emergency
Medicine, Littleton Adventist Hospital
Belize 3X, Peru 1X
4
DR. ERIC BASCUNAN
Porter Adventist Hospital
Peru 5X
Special thanks go to those individuals who have
ELLEN BUCHANNAN RN,
Littleton Adventist Hospital
Peru 2X, Rwanda 1X, Belize 1X
BLAKE BUCHANNAN
Peru 1X, Rwanda 1X)
environment has meant investing in
their capital needs and working closely
with the administration abroad to
upgrade local facilities. For example,
in order to provide clean linens at
Mugonero Hospital in Rwanda, GHI has
raised the money necessary to build
and equip a new laundry facility. GHI
has partnered with Project C.U.R.E. to
supply Mugonero Hospital, Clinica Ana
Stahl in Peru and La Loma Luz Hospital
in Belize. Project C.U.R.E. is a nonprofit
organization founded in Denver in the
late 1980s that solicits and delivers
medical equipment and supplies to
hospitals and clinics all over the developing world. Hundreds of thousands of
dollars worth of donated equipment
has been shipped via container to each
country. And Centura Health helps
backfill with supplies not donated by or
to the volunteer surgeons by generous
vendors, such as Ethicon, when the
necessary surgical supplies and materials are not readily available.
Centura Global Heath
Initiatives: By the Numbers
• Countries served: Peru, Belize,
Nepal, Rwanda and Vietnam*
• Total number of trips: 45
• Total number of volunteers: 865
• Total volunteer hours: 39,000
NEPAL STATS
Population
• Value of volunteer hours**:
29.8M
Life Expenctancy
67.5
Years Education (Adults)
Income (yearly)
3.2
$427
GHI Partner Hospital:
Scheer Memorial Hospital
Hospital Location: Banepa
$1,493,145
• Miles covered: 245,163 miles
– Denver to Mugonero, Rwanda:
9,320 miles x 10 trips =
93,200 miles
– Denver to Iquitos, Peru: 3,580
miles x 23 = 82,340 miles
– Denver to Kathmandu, Nepal:
7,781 miles x 7 = 54,467 miles
– Denver to Belize City, Belize:
1,830 miles x 4 = 7,320 miles
While her organizational skills and knowledge of the OR were of great value
to GHI, it’s her love of the local people and the other volunteers that keep
Lynda engaged as a vital member of the GHI program. “I had one experience
with an OB/GYN team where the patients were under spinal [anesthesia] and
awake during surgery,” Lynda remembers.“They would hold our hands and be
crying out of happiness and relief to finally have their medical problems fixed.
Their gratitude and getting to see the surprise in the local staff’s faces that
you’ve actually returned; that’s what keeps me coming back.”
– Denver to Hanoi, Vietnam:
7,836 miles x 1 = 7,836 miles
• 40’ shipping containers of medical
supplies sent overseas: 3
• Value of donated medical
equipment: $1.5 million
• Patients served: 20,000+
• Snakebites: 0
• Cases of gastrointestinal distress:
made numerous trips with GHI projects:
Too many to mention
• Number of people rudely pushed
by a silverback gorilla: 1 (and she
lived to tell about it!)
*Vietnam program is independent of GHI.
**Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National
Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates,
May 2009; Independent Sector, Value of
Volunteer Time, 2009.
DR. CAROLE CHRISTENSEN
OB/GYN, Avista Adventist Hospital
Nepal 1X, Peru 1X, Rwanda 1X
DR. DAVID EHRENBERGER CMO,
Avista Adventist Hospital, Son Matt, and
LYNN EHRENBERGER RN
Peru 4X
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STORIES FROM REAL PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Fitting all the pieces together:
the job of trip coordinator
BY ANNEMARIE KEMP, EDITOR
Jan Lovelady is blown away. A midnight flight through
Dulles, connecting to Ethiopian Airlines, landing in Kigali
(capital city in Rwanda), is almost sold out. A comparable
Delta flight is over $3,000. And don’t even talk to her
about Brussels Air. There are no more gorilla permits for
the month of August. And did she mention that everyone
seems to be booking a trip to Machu Picchu this year for
the 100th anniversary of Hiram Bingham’s discovery?
A day in the life of Jan Lovelady, travel coordinator for
GHI, is, in her own words, “a lot like putting together
a jigsaw puzzle without knowing the picture on the box.”
For almost two years, Jan has managed the logistics for
approximately 10 international medical mission trips
annually. Each trip has anywhere from fewer than a
dozen to upwards of 50 volunteers, so if you do the
math, Jan is handling hundreds of travel arrangements
each year ... not bad for a woman with 17 years of IT
experience under her belt.
JAN LOVELADY IS GRINDING FLOUR IN RWANDA.
Jan first learned about GHI when she traveled with Rotary
Club of Denver Southeast to Rwanda in 2009. Meeting
Greg and getting to know more about the depth of the
program’s work in that country, Jan felt a desire to get
more involved. Within a few months of her return, she
received a call from Greg offering her a part-time position.
Since then, Jan has traveled to Rwanda for a second time,
Nepal, Belize and is planning a second trip to Peru this
spring. She’s also chairperson of the International Service
Frequent Flyer Awards
Special thanks go to those individuals who have
JAN LOVELADY
Travel Coordinate, GHI
Belize 1X, Nepal, 1X, Peru 1X,
Rwanda 2X
DR. STEVE JOHS
General Surgeon,
Avista Adventist Hospital
Peru 2X, Belize 2X
LYNDA KITHIL RN, GHI Surgical
Services Coordinator
Belize 2X, Nepal 3X, Peru 2X, Rwanda 2X
RICHARD KITHIL Nepal 2X
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DAVID MEZA Financial Counselor,
Avista Adventist Hospital
Peru 4X
Committee for her Rotary group, which sponsored a young Rwandan man,
Marcel Mutuyeyesu, to fly to Denver to receive eye surgery in 2010 and has
contributed significant time and financial resources to clean water projects at
Mugonero Hospital, the local orphanage and an Amazonian village in Peru.
One of the unique characteristics of the GHI program is how it combines the
volunteer “work” experience with an opportunity to visit exotic locations in
each of the mission countries. These add-on excursions are typically scheduled
at the end of the medical mission portion of the trip, so that participants who
choose not to participate can head home while the remaining travelers depart
for their “vacation.” The logic is, if spending a week providing no-cost surgical
services and community health and outreach doesn’t convince someone to join
a medical mission, perhaps the lure of Machu Picchu, the magic of getting
close to a silverback gorilla, climbing the Himalayas or scuba diving in Belize
will. The excursions are “a once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity that create significant
appeal to many potential volunteers. But these excursions can also create their
own set of challenges, as the recent experience planning the August trip to
Rwanda demonstrates.
Jan’s role in supporting the medical mission program has expanded along with
her understanding of the scope and depth of the program. With Greg so often
on the road, she will send out and receive application materials for the various
trips, collect necessary documentation, including visas and passports, schedule
orientation and “packing parties” for the trip participants and prepare travel
packets for the trip leaders.
RWANDA STATS
Population
10.3M
Life Expenctancy
51.1
Years Education (adults) 3.3
Income (yearly)
$510
GHI Partner Hospital:
Mugonero Hospital
Hospital Location: Ngoma
When asked what her favorite part of the medical mission program is, Jan has
a ready answer. “I can’t operate; I don’t have skill as a medical professional, but
I can get the people who have those skills there. And that is very gratifying.”
made numerous trips with GHI projects:
LYNN NICOLAY RN and
DR. DON NICOLAY
General surgeon
Peru 3X, Rwanda 1X
DR. DAVID RAPHAEL
OZ MULLER HR Director,
Porter Adventist Hospital
Peru 6X
Anesthesiologist, Avista
Adventist Hospital, and
NANCY RAPHAEL RN
Rwanda 3X, Nepal 1X
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STORIES FROM REAL PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
No regrets
Like many medical mission trip participants, Scott was
drawn to the adventure of it all – the opportunity to be of
service
to others, to touch the lives of people who really
One man’s experience leading medical
need help, and a willingness to go with the flow, knowing
mission teams
full well that there’s a lot you can’t plan for. “If you thrive
BY ANNEMARIE KEMP, EDITOR
on adventure,” says
We haven’t left Denver
Scott, “this is the trip
International Airport and
for you. If you have a
already Scott Miller, M.S.,
lot of control issues –
P.T., director of rehabilitation
can’t be flexible or
at Parker Adventist Hospital,
have a hard time givis already coming up with
ing up control – then
Plan B. It seems that the
you may have a diffiairline no longer allows a
cult time. No matter
second piece of luggage –
how well you prepare
in this case, bags full to the
or how much time you
brim with necessary surgical
spend on coordination
supplies and donated materiand logistics, the realials – to fly for free. The
ty is there’s a lot you
assembled group of mission
can’t plan for – from
trip participants looks at each
what you eat, to travel
other helplessly; obviously,
schedules, to other
SCOTT MILLER TAKES BLOOD PRESSURES AT A COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC IN PERU.
we can’t travel without those
arrangements.”
supplies. Scott calmly walks
Despite the challenges, Scott thrives on serving as a trip
to the front of the check-in line and offers up his credit
leader for GHI. There are many things about the program
card. Whatever it takes, he’ll see to it that this group of volthat he likes, but the biggest draw is the knowledge that
unteers will make it to their intended destination in Peru
he is helping people who literally have no other access to
with everything they need to be successful. It turns out that
medical care. While the population served by each of the
Scott’s calm demeanor and ability to think on his feet will
mission trips varies slightly due to demographic differences
serve him well in the capacity of trip leader for GHI.
in each location and different healthcare needs, one thing
Scott’s desire to be involved with medical mission work
that unites all the patients served by GHI is their socioecodates well before his employment with Centura Health. So
nomic status. In each country, the volunteers treat patients
when the opportunity to be trained as a mission trip leader
that are too poor even by local standards to be able to
presented itself, he jumped at the chance, knowing that it
afford medical treatment. When you consider that the per
would require some sacrifice of time and resources to do so. capita annual income in Nepal is $427 in cash; in Peru and
Frequent Flyer Awards
Special thanks go to those individuals who have
ROLANDO SALINAS
TODD RAPP Plant Operations,
Porter Adventist Hospital
Rwanda 7X
8
Centura Health
Peru 6X, Belize 1X
RICHIE REXACH (TRAPO)
Peru 3X
STEVE SCHOPPER (SPANNER)
Peru 3X, Belize 1X
Collaborative partners, supporters
and friends of GHI:
Belize, one in three people live below
the poverty line; and in Rwanda,
over 90 percent of the population is
engaged in subsistence farming, it
becomes very clear that the program
is serving patients who are living on
the extreme edge of poverty.
One thing that gets Scott excited
about his future involvement with GHI
is the opportunity to work with local
medical practitioners to bring them
up-to-date in treatment protocols and
patient care. During his first trip to
Peru, Scott met with local physiotherapists (what physical therapists in Peru
are called) to have a discussion about
how patient care is delivered in the
United States and what types of
training the local practitioners would
be interested in receiving. “They’re
clearly hungry for more advanced
education,” says Scott. The goal is to
present a three to four day continuing
education program in Iquitos in 2012.
PERU STATS
Population
2.95M
Life Expenctancy
73.7
Years Education (Adults) 9.6
Income (yearly)
$4,365
GHI Partner Hospital:
Clinica Ana Stahl
Hospital Location: Iquitos
Which again brings up the topic of ongoing education, collaboration and training of local doctors, a constant theme of the medical mission program. There’s
a strong desire to do more than deliver episodic surgical services and community health by many of the mission trip participants, a goal shared by program
director, Greg Hodgson. “We need to know that we’ve delivered enough in the
way of training, of services, of materials to serve the local doctors and patients
to make a lasting impact the other 51 weeks of the year,” says Scott. “It needs to
be more than a drop in the bucket.”
When asked what he would tell a potential volunteer, Scott’s answer is, “Take
a risk; you’ll have no regrets. The patients and families – who are so grateful,
so appreciative, so full of joy – that’s the take-away; that’s the gift.”
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made numerous trips with GHI projects:
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MARIBETH TRUJILLO RN,
Littleton Adventist Hospital, and
JOHN TRUJILLO
Peru 4X
JEFF WAGNAAR Physical Medicine,
Avista Adventist Hospital
Rwanda 5X
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ADRA
Adventist Health System (AHS)
Belize Ministry of Health
Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI)
Clinton Foundation, Peru
Crocs
DB Peru
Duvall Family Foundation
Eden Secondary School, Belize
Engineers Without Borders,
CU Boulder
Esa Memorial School, Nepal
Ethicon
Explorama Lodges / CONAPAC, Peru
Global Dental Relief
Greenlee Family Foundation
Hilmas & Associates, LLC
Intercambio de Communidades
KBDI (Channel 12)
L’Esperance Childrens’ Village, Rwanda
LifeSource Adventist Fellowship
Lila Films, Inc.
Louis and Harold Price Foundation
MAP International
National Lightning Safety Institute
Nepal Ministry of Health
Newday Christian SDA Church
OZ Architecture
Peruvian Ministry of Health
Project C.U.R.E.
Rilima Orthopaedic Hospital for
Children, Rwanda
Rotary Club of SE Denver
Rwanda Ministry of Health
Smith & Nephew
Stryker Corporation
Synthes
Tibet's Restaurant
United States Agency for International
Development (USAID)
University of Colorado Health Sciences
Center
University of Denver Josef Korbel
School of International Studies
University of Rwanda Medical School
Versacare, Inc.
Vision Concepts
Webster Investment Advisors, Inc.
9
STORIES FROM REAL PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Finding the right words for
a life-changing experience
BY ANNEMARIE KEMP, EDITOR
The job of a translator is to accurately reproduce a person’s
words from one language to another, back and forth, over
and over again, helping to facilitate conversation.
But sometimes, feelings and experiences don’t require
any translation.
At least, that’s how Rolando Salinas, former Centura
employee and frequent GHI volunteer translator, sees it.
Born and raised in Guatemala until the age of five, Rolando
has been a native speaker of Spanish and learned English
at a very early age, making him the perfect translator.
He switches between both languages effortlessly and
sometimes uses words or phrases from one or the other,
depending on the point he is making, because it better
suits the picture he’s trying to paint of a person or situation.
But he has found more often than not that people can communicate easily with each other without words, when the
situation is right. And he’s found himself in just that type of
situation, serving as a translator for the GHI trips for the last
several years. Rolando joined the medical mission program
as a translator for both Peru and Belize. He’s traveled with
the program on seven different occasions and needs little
persuading when an opportunity to go on one of the trips
arises. “The first time [I went on a medical mission trip to
ROLANDO SPEAKS WITH A PERUVIAN PATIENT.
Peru] I felt like I went home. Since I was a child, whenever
anyone asked me, ‘Where is home?’ my response was
always, ‘Wherever I wake up.’ But not anymore.”
Like many mission trip participants, Rolando is quite taken
with the local people he’s encountered during his travels.
Despite what many would consider “deplorable” living
conditions in the Amazon River villages, with little access
to clean water, suitable shelter, and a high incidence of
treatable illness, the people of the Amazon region of
Peru are, in his words, a “joyful, beautiful lot.” “I had this
Frequent Flyer Awards
RICK WALL Plant Operations,
Porter Adventist Hospital, and
JOY WALL RN
Rwanda 5X
10
Special thanks go to those individuals who
have made numerous trips with GHI projects:
LINDA YOULIOUS RN,
BONNIE WEBBER RN
Belize 1X, Nepal 1X,
Peru 1X, Rwanda 1X
Avista Adventist Hospital
Belize 1X, Nepal 1X,
Peru 1X, Rwanda 1X
experience on my first trip. We had this 68-year-old woman show up at our clinic
in the village. She was all dressed up, but I could see her hands were all rough and
painful-looking. It turns out she had severe carpal tunnel [syndrome]. And she knew
she could never go to Lima to have surgery. We gave her Ibuprofen; we felt helpless.
But even though she knew she could never get well, she gave me this hug full of
love, grace and gratitude. You can’t have that kind of experience here.”
One of Rolando’s goals since returning from that first trip is to recruit other nonmedical volunteers. “Every group I’ve ever traveled with, every time, everyone has
been touched in some profound way. I think to get away from daily life, where we
might become desensitized to what we see, or complacent about the needs people
have – this is a chance to be affected, to see people in a whole different light.”
BELIZE STATS
Population
320,000
Life Expenctancy
76.9
Years Education (Adults) 9.2
Income (yearly)
$8,200
GHI Partner Hospital:
La Lome Luz Hospital
Hospital Location: San Ignacio
But beyond the personal experiences of the volunteers, the impact of the GHI
program has been noticeable. Rolando believes that the delivery of healthcare
in Iquitos, where Clinica Ana Stahl is located, has improved as a result of GHI’s
presence there. Like others involved with the program, he’d like to see that impact
extend to the villages and the overall education and delivery of services to villagers
away from the city.
Rolando’s advice to anyone interested in making a medical mission trip is simple: He
says, “Show up with a mindset of letting go of judgment of others, with a mindset
of service, of doing for others with absolutely no expectation of anything in return.”
“If you can do that,” he says, “you will broaden your worldview and be open to the
blessings you receive from the experience…whatever that means for you.”
A sentiment that truly requires no translation.
You can help.
Thank you for your generous donation to Centura Global Health Initiatives. Every gift counts!
Please check the project you would like to contribute to:
NAME
Nepal: Women’s Health Initiative
ADDRESS
❑
Peru: Gift of Sight Fund
CITY
STATE
❑
$600/patient
$300/patient
❑
❑
Other $______
Other $______
ZIP
Rwanda: “Step in a New Direction” Fund to treat “clubfoot”
DAY PHONE
❑
EMAIL
OR
A gift made to Global Health Initiatives makes a wonderful present for any
occasion, any time of year. Please notify the following person(s) of my gift:
Please make your check payable to Centura Global Health Initiatives.
Mail to: Centura Global Health Initiatives, 7995 East Prentice Avenue,
Suite 204, Greenwood Village, CO 80111.
NAME
Or charge my credit card:
ADDRESS
❑
CITY
STATE
ZIP
Improving lives through medical missions
Please contact Rick Laub:
Email: richardlaub@centura.org
Phone: 303.715.7605
Or go to the Web: www.centuraglobalhealth.org
$1,500/patient
❑
❑
Other $______
You decide where my donation is best needed. $______
MC
❑
Visa
❑
Amex
❑
Discover
ACCT NUMBER
EXPIRATION DATE
SIGNATURE
Live a mission. Change a life. Change yourself.
11
MISSIONS & COMMUNITY HEALTH
Smiles erase the miles
CNA Peter Nicoloff receives
“treatment” from a future
local physician in Peru.
Contact Information
Greg Hodgson, Director, Global Health Initiatives
Phone: 303-661-4138
Email: greghodgson@centura.org
www.centuraglobalhealth.org
To make a donation
Rick Laub, Development Officer
Cell: 720-560-4764
Office: 303-715-7605
Email: richardlaub@centura.org
2011/2012 Global Health Initiative Projects
DATE
LOCATION
PROJECT
JUNE 10-20, 2011
Peru
Avista Group
Orthopedic Surgery Team
Community Health Team, Family Trip
JULY 29 - AUG. 8, 2011
Peru
Littleton Group
GYN Surgery Team
Community Health Team, Family Trip
AUG. 3-15, 2011
Rwanda
Orthopedic Surgery Team
Community Health Team, Family Trip
OCT. 7-17, 2011
Peru
Porter Group
Cataract Surgery Team
Community Health Team
NOV. 2-13, 2011
Nepal
GYN Surgery Team
Community Health Team
NOV. 6-13, 2011
Belize
General Surgery Team
Community Health Team
JAN. 4-16, 2012
Rwanda
Orthopedic Surgery Team
FEB. 8-20, 2012
Nepal
GYN Surgery Team
Community Health Team
APRIL 13-20, 2012
Peru
Avista Group
Orthopedic Surgery Team
Community Health Team
JUNE 8-18, 2012
Peru
Littleton Group
General and GYN Surgery Teams
Community Health Team, Family Trip
JULY 27-AUG. 6, 2012
Peru
Porter Group
Cataract and Orthopedic Surgery Teams
Community Health Team, Family Trip
Newsletter questions and comments
This newsletter is a publication of Centura Global Health Initiatives, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Anne Kemp, Editor
Phone: 303-775-7324 or email: annekemp@comcast.net
To unsubscribe, please call Rhonda Cooperman at 303-715-7607.
7995 E. Prentice Ave., Suite 204, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Live the mission. Change a life. Change yourself.