INTRODUCTION TO INTRODUCTION TO SHORT-TERM SHORT-TERM HEALTHCARE HEALTHCARE

MISSIONSMISSIONS

Michael Soderling, MD

Peter Yorgin, MD

Objectives

1. Get ready, Set, Go, Finish

2. Review why Best Practices are needed.

3. Explore the world of short-term healthcare missions – how can we do it well?

4. Discuss some of the most controversial issues regarding Best Practices

GET READY: Biblical basis for short-term healthcare missions

• Healing– Is mentioned at least 85 occasions in the Gospels.– Jesus’ response to John the Baptist

• Luke 7:22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

• New Testament Church– Acts 5:16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around

Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.

– PaulActs 14:9Acts 28:8

• So if we follow in the footsteps of Jesus and the saints…

GET READY: Going in Advance

• First, determine if your partnership with another Christian organization is a good fit– Partner must have a healthcare function so

that there can be follow-up on patients– Similar perspective on the basics of the faith– Good pattern of communications– Transparency regarding financial issues– Think and Pray “Would this be a good long-

term partnership?”

GET READY: Going in Advance

• Evaluate needs and resources that are available• Logistics preparation• Determine what God wants us collectively to do

and how we worship together• Determine the mode of healing

– Physical– Spiritual– Emotional

• Determine major mode of interaction – Education– Healing though direct care

GET READY: Going in Advance

• Think in terms of ministering with/to six different groups– The people in need– Your partner– The Church– The governmental leaders– The local healthcare professionals– Other parachurch or Christian NGO

organizations

GET READY: Preparation

• Prayerfully consider whether God is calling you to serve in this area.– Double confirmation

• People immediately say – “Given your past, I understand why God is calling you to this area of the world.”

– Prophecy

GET READY: Team members

• Honestly consider what skills are needed for the team.

• Go heavy on people who are strong Christians, willing to give up their own will to serve the Lord.

• Look for what God provides– Not many physicians?

• Good! You can do a lot with community health screening.• Vaccine program

GET READY: Team members

• Look for what God provides– Too many specialty physicians?

• Consider CME seminars or teaching village doctors

– Pre-med, pre-nursing students• Community education

– Carnival of Health– Community water purification– Diabetes education

– Too many dentists?• God is smiling down on you!

GET READY: Website

• Determine if a website can be of help to the team– Mission information– Team application– Team folder– Team tasks– Team report

G

Get Ready!

• Team Selection– Motivation– Faith issues

• Religious affiliation• Homogeneity in the team can be an asset.

– Red flags?• Health?• Psychosocial?

– Financing– Best fit

• Skills• Servant’s heart

Set!

• Team meetings– Weekly for 6 weeks– Weekend– Team bonding– Time for prayer– Education

• SFINC• About the region and people.• Team structure• Expectations

Set!

• Supplies– Medications

• WHO Model Lists of Essential Medications– http://www.who.int/medicines/publications/essentialmedicines/e

n/

– Buy them there– Buy them here– Team medications

• See List on Lecture area

– Educational Supplies• Presentations• Plays/Skits• Demonstration equipment

Set!

• Supplies– Printer

• Ministry of pictures

– Gifts for missionary hosts– Determine if you want to deposit financial

support into host accounts• Companies like: http://www.xe.com/fx/

– Set aside money for the church to purchase Bibles?

Set!

GO! Three plays

• In each of the cases you are people (Some who are Christians – some not) who are hosting this team.

• At the Team Leader’s Home• The team is entering the country• At the Day Clinic at a local Church• Think about your perceptions

– Before– During – After

script

• Peter: Greetings, Come on in

• Peter: I am just packing medications

• Mike: I bet those people are going to be real grateful for you doctors. And they get Jesus too.

• Peter: Yeah, they don’t have hardly anything. We sure can give them a these American medications.

script

• Mike: Speaking of medications, my wife and I asked our friends if they had some left-over medications in their medicine cabinets. We got a collection together for you. Hands bag to Peter.

• Peter: Thanks, we really need medications. You know the team has to pay for all of their stuff, so there isn’t extra money available to buy medications.

script

• Mike: I sure wish I was going, but I am just a pastor. Where you are going they don’t need people like me. But I can pray for you…

• Peter: You know, I just hope that God provides traveling mercies for the team and helps us to get all of this stuff into the country.

Comments

Take-home points

• Leave the Savior complex at home• Seek God’s will. • Here is what I do regarding medications

– No expired medications or medications from peoples medicine cabinets

– Medications in country– Allow partner to purchase or provide

medications– Provide medications relevant to medical

problems that people really have in

Take home points

• Pastors can be an essential part of the team– Interacting with the mission partner– Teaching and learning from local pastors– Evangelism– Helping the pastor discipling new people who

have come to Christ

• Churches that help support healthcare mission teams are a real blessing!

script

• Peter: Come on everybody, let’s get together as a group here. (group gathers – starts off real quiet) We need to be careful in customs. We have paid an inside guy to help us get through customs. He will “help” us with any of the customs officers that give us trouble about the medical equipment that we will be bringing in. Just ask for “ “ if there is a problem. Now remember four bags per person.

script

• Group member: Should we be praying?• Peter: Yes, pray for God’s provision in

getting the team trough customs and immigration. (Brief prayer)

• Mike: Passport, please.• Mike: What is in the bag? • Peter: Just some clothes and some team

medications. We are here serving the people with our medical skills.

script

• Mike: Do you have a letter from our government approving your work in our country?

• Peter: We got an invitation from a group of like-minded people who are working in a remote village outside of the capital city.

• Mike: Do you have a letter from our government approving your work in our country?

• Peter: No• Mike: Open your bag please.

Comments

script

• Group member: Dr, what happened after they detained you at the airport? Did our Partner Grace Incorporated get you out?

• Peter: I’d rather not talk about it. You know that God provides in these situations.

• Peter: It looks like you have done a great job setting up the clinic.

script

• Group member: Actually the church did all of the work. They were really happy to see us. I just wish that we had a dentist.

• Peter: How is Andy holding up? • Group member: Good, I guess• Peter: Who would have ever guessed that

a Neonatologist could do such a great job taking care of 90 year old women! Thank you Jesus!

script

• Peter: Well now that I am here, I guess that we can really get down to work.

• Sees a patient in a few seconds. Hands a script to lady.

• Group member: Hands baggie with medications to lady.

• Peter: Hey, Jim I am so glad that you are here. (quietly) Thank so much for getting me out of that little customs tangle.

script

• Mike: Tells him how this incident with the government will affect their ministry in this creative access country.

Comments

These situations would be funny if they were not true. Most of these stories are my early experiences

with short-term mission.

GO!

• In Clinics we now look for:– Long term relationships – no Laos this month,

Guatemala the next– The opportunity to be part of the local Christian

doctors plans– A way to invite the local doctors – this gives them the

chance to know Christ.– The chance to be consultants – taking a careful

history of what the people are already being treated with.

– A chance to pray with each person– Opportunities to screen people for hypertension,

diabetes and obesity (the list changes depending on location.

GO!

• When teaching, we look for:– Large groups of village doctors (rural primary care

doctors and nurses)– Every chance we get to get people participating in

education– Chances to go to churches to provide health

education about a topic important to the community– Opportunities to host Carnivals of Health, which help

children learn basic health tips (Thanks to Lori and Chris Bajkiewicz)

Go! Surgery

• Surgical teams can be a great blessing– Only perform procedures that you do at home– Plan to do less than you normally do at home

• Translation• Education takes time

– Share your knowledge with other physicians• Cochlear implant project

– Great chance for surgical CME – sharing new knowledge

Go!

• Remember that we are task oriented culture

• We think about what we will do

• Many cultures are more relational than ours– Think about tea-time– Keep coming back and keep in contact

Look for opportunities to touch people!

Finish!

• Important to Debrief the team– Share memories of what God did, who is he

his, etc.– Talk about what will be missed, what won’t– What shall we tell our friends, our church?– Start the process of thinking what next?

• Advocacy for the ministry partner?• Return trip? • Gather resources for the next team?• Keep in contact with a friend?

Finish

• If you have had a medical clinic and hundreds of people come to Christ– Consider a discipling and teaching team to go

and help the church.– Example:

• Nochislan, Mexico April 2009– 70 member church– Over 380 people made professions of faith– Who in the church is ready to disciple that number of

people.

Finish!

• Never forget to communicate with your partner– What were the blessings of having a team– What were the challenges– How can we do this better together next time?

Remember: God’s work should be done God’s way