Four things you should know about justice in healthcare

Have you ever thought about being a missionary doctor? If you have, odds are good you’ve quickly jumped from thinking about being a missionary doctor to asking these common questions.  In this post, I want to give you details on the role of the missionary doctor. I’ll cover four of the most common questions from what a missionary doctor is, what a missionary doctor does, we’ll look at some missionary doctors who are currently serving, I’ll cover how missionary doctors make a living, and what’s often required to become a missionary doctor.  Question 1: What is a missionary doctor?  According to Reach Beyond, a Global Missions Health Conference exhibitor, a missionary doctor is: Someone who has earned their medical degree and can practice medicine.  The ability and desire to live and work overseas Sensitivity to cross-cultural issues A willingness to work with local partners A tolerance for uncertainty Imagination to see and explore opportunities that may arise A desire to mentor and coach other medical professionals The ability and desire to raise missionary support and/or be self-funded A commitment to serving long-term in the mission field A willingness to learn the local language Question 2: What does a missionary doctor look like? Missionary doctors can look very different. You might find them living anywhere in the world. They may live and work anywhere from a jungle clinic to a state-of-the-art facility in the middle east. The missionary doctor may be a male or female and from any country. In short, if you have the skills, education, and experience—you can be a missionary doctor! Question 3: Who are some missionaries currently serving? There are many missionary doctors serving all over the globe. I’ve highlighted a few of them below.  Dr. Tim and Kathy Rice: You can read about Dr. Tim Rice and Nurse educator Kathy Rice about their hospital and service in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tim is the medical director of Vanga Evangelical Hospital and continues to serve as a doctor on the faculty of the School of Medicine at Saint Louis University. Kathy directs the nursing school as a registered nurse and educator. The Rice's aim to train the next generation of Congolese doctors, nurses, and health administrators in Christ-centered, whole-person care, empowering them to use the limited resources available to restore life and health across the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dr. Jon Yoder: Dr. Jon Yoder is the resident doctor at a hospital in Mattru Jong, Sierra Leone.  The hospital belongs to the national church of Sierra Leone which is a United Brethren global mission. Sierra Leone lies on the west side of Africa on the Atlantic Ocean. The average life expectancy is 45 years old. It is most known to Americans for the tragic war in the 1990s, blood diamonds, and most recently for the now resolved Ebola crisis. Every person has his or her story of how they survived during these tragic times. Many people fled the country and some went into hiding. However, Sierra Leone is now at peace and well. You can read more about Sierra Leone and Dr. Yoder. Kiersten Hutchinson: Kiersten Hutchinson has served at Karanda for the past 18 years, not as a missionary doctor, but as a physician assistant with TEAM. She describes her journey from short-term trips, to reluctance and doubt, to full-time missionary work. In addition to stories of missionary doctors, I wanted to point out Karanda Mission Hospital: Karanda Mission Hospital was established in 1961 to meet the needs of mission stations in the Zambezi River valley which were established as churches and then, as the abundant health care challenges were seen, small dispensaries/clinics were developed along with churches and finally schools. To help the clinics, the hospital was built. Karanda is in a remote area of Northern Zimbabwe nearest to Mount Darwin. Its location is approximately 124 miles from Harare, the Capital of Zimbabwe. Question 4: How do missionary doctors earn a living? Missionary doctors may earn a living in a variety of ways. For example, some doctors are paid by the hospitals they are working for. Others may have to raise all of their own support from friends, family, or sending organizations. Most will do a combination of support raising and salary from the hospital in which they serve. Additionally, some mission organizations will do their own fundraising, and doctors may only have to cover a portion of their living expenses. There are many variations to earning a living and you can find something that works for you and your needs.  Question 5: What is required to become a missionary? In most cases, becoming a missionary means you’ll have to meet some basic qualifications, such as age, education, experience, and/or faith-based requirements. Next, you’ll want to reach out to members of your community about mission work and about how you can do some independent research of your own. After finding the right fit, it's all about completing the application process, any training involved and continuing to point to God with your skills, experience, and life. I hope this post has been helpful for you in answering some of the most common questions surrounding becoming a missionary doctor. 

Does being a medical missionary mean you have to go overseas? Is serving in the United States any different than just living your normal life in America? In this post, we want to cover all things related to medical mission trips in the USA. I want to give you three areas where you can serve and some options for you to consider as you think about your role. My hope is that you will be encouraged and challenged to serve and use your skills in the US. Here are several areas where you can serve in medical mission trips in the USA: #1 Rural hospitals and clinics For one example, see Dayspring Health Center in Appalachia where GMHC speaker and resource contributor, Geogy Thomas serves. God started to impress upon Geogy the plight of the rural poor and the disparities of the healthcare system in America. That took him to a rural clinic on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. In 1952, times were tough in rural Appalachian communities due to the closing of many of the local coal mines. Medical services were meager at best. The story of Dayspring began in this setting. The United Mine Workers Association and the American Medical Association worked with local community leaders to address the lack of adequate health care.  The first full-time physician began seeing patients in August 1954, charging $2 a visit. Today, patients are still being seen in this underserved area, where the staff promotes full health—physical, spiritual, mental, and economic—of the communities they serve. #2 Urban clinics One example of an urban clinic is Christ Community Health Services, where healthcare staff are filling the physical, spiritual, emotional needs of the underserved, the uninsured, and the homeless in the Memphis, Tennessee region. Christ Community strategically entered Memphis communities over 25 years ago that had become deficient in resources and services. Many of the neighborhood residents lacked access to healthcare resulting in manageable health issues going untreated and undiagnosed. Christ Community is standing in the gap, delivering quality healthcare and spiritual healing to those in their community who need it most. When patients enter the doors of Christ Community, they feel the love and hope for their lives and their healing. Patients who enter the doors of Christ Community are treated with dignity and respect, along with spiritual healing and the opportunity to experience God’s love in prayer. #3 Faith-based clinics One example is Lawndale Christian Health Center, where the mission is to show and share the love of Jesus by promoting wellness and providing quality, affordable healthcare for an under-resourced community in the Chicago area. The median income in Lawndale is $22,383 and the clinic was started because members of a local church had virtually no access to healthcare in their area.  Members of the church and neighborhood began to hold meetings to discuss ways they could meet the needs of their own community. At the top of their list was a desire to address the lack of affordable, quality healthcare services in North Lawndale and on the West Side of Chicago.  The church was able to buy a building, a small clinic, and a full-size basketball court for the community to enjoy. Today, that dream has expanded to over 100 medical providers across six clinic locations. The organizational values of Lawndale are an extension of the Christian Community Development philosophy, embodied by the “3 R’s”: Relocation, Reconciliation, and Redistribution: Relocation is a focus on ‘living among’ in order to clearly understand the issues that face a community. Reconciliation is the value at the heart of the Christian Gospel and includes both a reconciled relationship with God and with each other. Redistribution happens when resources are fairly and justly distributed among a community facing injustice. Additional options for service in the USA. The Center for Disease Control has statistics in infant and maternal mortality by race in the US. In 2018, infant mortality rates by race and ethnicity were as follows: Non-Hispanic black: 10.8 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 9.4 American Indian/Alaska Native: 8.2 Hispanic: 4.9 Non-Hispanic white: 4.6 Asian: 3.6 The U.S. has an official maternal mortality rate of 17.4 deaths per 100,000 births in 2018. Wide racial and ethnic gaps exist between non-Hispanic black (37.3 deaths per 100,000 live births), non-Hispanic white (14.9), and Hispanic (11.8) women. Now, according to Healthy People 2020, health disparities, such as infant and maternal mortality, are health differences that are closely linked with social, economic, or environmental disadvantage.  The social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health. Resources that enhance the quality of life can have a significant influence on population health outcomes.  Examples of these resources include safe and affordable housing, access to education, public safety, availability of healthy foods, local emergency/health services, and environments free of life-threatening toxins. There are many options to serve in the US. Noting the statistics above, the US is in desperate need of loving, compassionate healthcare providers. Join a community like Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF), where about half of the people who make up the CCHF community work in secular settings—community health clinics, universities, residency programs, and so on. They are there because of a conviction that this is where they are meant to serve Christ’s mission to bring healing and comfort to the poor, and to represent His kingdom in word and deed. The other half of the CCHF community work in faith-based clinics that strive to provide distinctively Christian care. Each clinic has a unique idea about what it means to deliver Christian care, but everyone strives to be authentic to their calling in Christ. Lastly, for a few more ideas on how you can serve in the U.S., if you are considering a residency program, consider a faith-based program such as In His Image Family Medicine Residency, where they focus on the underserved, Via Christi Family Medicine Residency, where they train doctors to effectively serve the poorest and most underserved people of this world., or Cahaba Family Medicine Residency Program, which has both an urban and rural track. My hope in reading this post is that you note that being a medical missionary doesn’t mean you have to go overseas. You can serve in medical missions in the USA as well. There are so many needs for your skills and giftings, so consider how God might be calling you to serve in the United States on His mission. The above options and ideas will help you get started in knowing where some of the greatest needs are.