Welcome to the UPC Medical Ministry Resource Page!

UPDATE for March 2007

For more information about the Ministry of Healing, go to the main MOH website

Next Meeting : April 2007 - TBA

Current Updates from UPC Members serving in medical ministry:

Kijabe Hospital - Kenya - Need: Dentists, Family Physicians, OB-GYN, Internal Medicine

Drs.  Elizabeth Hutchinson, Mary Weirusz and Mike Tuggy will be heading to Kijabe in July-August of 2007- each for 1 month.  We will be helping cover their inpatient services for the months of July and August.  There is need for computer programmer (database development) and medical finance expertise to work with the hospital's administrative support.

Other current opportunities :  Kijabe regularly welcome additional family physicians and so does Tenwek Hospital in Eastern Kenya.   PT/OT, nurse educators to assist in RN training (especially in ICU and NICU care), pediatricians, OB/GYN physicians also needed throughout the year.

Haiti - Trip in March of  2007, with the  VanderPols going again with the team.  Please keep them in pray in March as they travel to and from the remove village of Terre Blanche

Terre Blanche Report - January 07

Last year,  Beth Dammarell, and Ray and Sandra VanderPol, went with the Haiti Foundation to work with a team working to see patients and assist in a developing a permanent clinic at Terre Blanche.

India:

There is another opportunity to go with Grace Covenant Church's team in NE India.  Start planning now!  The work involves outpatient clinical medicine in a small rural village.  Contact is Gayle Reiber.

We will have an update from Haiti at our next meeting in April.

 

*** Katrina Relief Opportunities*** - contact Jaci Smith at UPC for details

Local Ministry Opportunities:

Haller Lake Clinic - Sponsored by North Seattle Alliance Church and Living Faith Community Church.

Parish Nurse Program - very active group supporting the UPC community, check with Ken Lehmann for announcements and details.

Medical Mentoring within the UPC congregation

Overseas Ministry Opportunities:

We have partnered with 3 overseas sites which we believe are strategic sites where God is working and were we can have a significant long term impact and relationship.  Our goal is to help you find a place to minister with the gifts that God has given you, and to coordinate your ministry with others at UPC so that we can have the most impact for Christ that we can.  By developing these relationships, we will be able to encourage, serve, train and equip these medical mission sites to their fullest potential.  The sites at this time are:

1.  Emmanuel Hospital System - India

    Current Needs:  Needs List from EHA

    Time commitments: 2 weeks to 1 month for short term.   Longer commitments of 3-12+ months would be welcome.

2.  Kijabe Hospital - Kenya

    Current Needs:  Pediatric, OB-GYN, Internal Medicine or Family Medicine physicians, PT/OT, nurse educators to assist in RN training (especially in ICU care).  Very busy pathology lab so pathologists or technicians are welcome.

    Time commitments: 2 weeks to 1 month for short term.   Longer commitments of 3-12+ months possible.  Housing available on the compound.

3.  Scientific Technology and Language Institute - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

    Needs: Family Medicine and most medical subspecialties for teaching family medicine residents at the site.

    Time commitments: 2 weeks to 1 month (1 month for the first trip to allow for better orientation).  Full-time long term (1-3 year terms) available.

Medical Mission Assistance Organizations:

These organizations assist in sending volunteers to overseas sites, help coordinate housing and other regulatory issues at the place where you are serving.

1.  Northwest Medical Teams

2.  World Medical Mission

 

FAQ:

How will UPC help facilitate my desire to volunteer for medical missions and ministry?

    We are planning orientation sessions to train you specifically for the site that you want to volunteer.  There will be general training on working across cultures as well specifics based on the work you will be doing by those who have gone before you.  Our first orientation is on June 5th at 3:30 PM at UPC.    Thereafter we will have orientation meetings each quarter to assist those who are getting involved in the ministries mentioned above.

Will UPC be directly sending our volunteers?

Our hope is to use the already proven organizations listed above to help you get to your place of service.  They have skilled professional staffs who can assist with travel, lodging and any regulatory issues that a site may have.    We WILL harness our resources as a church body to provide financial assistance for those volunteers who need help to get to their site.  Our vision is to have those who cannot go now, help those who can so we can all share in the ministry more directly.  Donations to support your travel, etc. are tax-deductable.

What topics will be covered in Orientation?

Travel information, general health info, host country background, common medical illness you will see/treat, working with the local medical personnel, cross-cultural medicine, etc.  We will also eventually have specific orientation for each site so that you can have a jump start on how the system works where you are volunteering.

Why volunteer?

To serve Jesus Christ is every aspect of our lives and use the gifts He has enabled us with to reach those around us with His love and forgiveness.