From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org


Methodist Healthcare advancing United Methodist mission


From "NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>
Date Mon, 15 Mar 2004 14:20:49 -0600

March 15, 2004	 News media contact: Linda Green 7 (615)742-5470 7 Nashville,
Tenn. 7 E-mail: newsdesk@umcom.org 7 ALL-AF-AA-I {106}

NOTE: The following may be used as a sidebar to UMNS story #105. Photographs,
video, audio and a related story, UMNS #107, are available at
http://umns.umc.org.

By Linda Green*

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UMNS) - Methodist Healthcare is committed to its connection
with the United Methodist Church and to the denomination's mission, according
to its top official.

That commitment to mission led the hospital system into a partnership with
Africa University and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to help health
care providers respond to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases across
Zimbabwe and eventually, the rest of Africa. The United Methodist-related
university is based in Mutare, Zimbabwe.

"We are trying to do what we can to help the church carry out its priorities,
and this is certainly one of them for the broader church," said Gary Shorb,
president and chief executive of Methodist Healthcare.

"The church came to us with an opportunity to become more connected through
Africa University," he said. "We embrace that commitment and are working with
Africa University leadership to determine their needs. We recognized that St.
Jude could be a partner in this connectional effort in helping the
university's health care mission come to fruition."

Africa University was a logical choice for a partnership "because it is
related to the United Methodist Church and (because of) the emphasis the
church places on the institution," Shorb said.

Methodist Healthcare and St. Jude have been in a partnership since 1991,
following the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries' call for the
church to become involved in Russia after the country became democratic.
Methodist Healthcare, St. Jude and Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center have
trained 33 pediatric oncologists from Russia.

"Our partnership with Africa University began from an interest in what St.
Jude was doing in their research in AIDS," said the Rev. Elvernice "Sonny"
Davis, a chaplain who heads Methodist Healthcare's Health and Welfare
Ministry unit. "It is a blessing for all of us. Our goal is to be a medical
training resource to Africa University on the continent of Africa." 

Africa University has students from many different countries, Davis noted.
That, combined with the university and hospital's shared United Methodist
ties, makes the partnership "a beautiful marriage with many possibilities."

Numerous Methodist Healthcare systems operate across the United States, but
Shorb said all are separate organizations, though they are connected to the
United Methodist Church. The Africa University Health Science Partnership
involves the Methodist Healthcare System in Memphis, comprising eight
hospitals and subsidiaries.

The bottom line is to increase health care first at Africa University and in
Zimbabwe, Shorb said. "You have to start with small successes - that has been
our history and our philosophy," he said. 

"We are trying to improve the quality of life for people in Zimbabwe," he
said. As a major provider of care to the poor in Tennessee, Methodist
Healthcare demonstrates its commitment to mission locally, and through its
outreach efforts, spreads mission abroad, he said. 

Not only are the students and people of Zimbabwe being impacted by such a
program but the students return to their home countries and share the
training received from Africa University, Davis said. "I see Africa
University as a nucleus to assist and impact the problems for the whole
continent of Africa.

"I cannot foresee the extent of the possibilities when you bring together one
of the largest children's research hospitals in the United States and one of
the largest health care systems in the United States with one of the most
unique and growing universities in Africa," Davis said. "Only God knows the
possibilities if we let him use us as resources in this." 

A United Methodist minister for 45 years - including serving as an Army
chaplain and church pastor - Davis said the partnership is especially
meaningful to him.

"This is real for me," he said. The hospital system serves as the "the
medical arm of our churches, and through our churches and in our churches, we
are doing great things."

"This is a ministry for us and a real important part of what we are all
about," Shorb said. "We are about providing health care in a manner that is
consistent with the teachings of the United Methodist Church and the Social
Principles of the church, and ... providing health care to anybody who comes
through our doors." The hospital system is "ensuring that we are doing all we
can to outreach other parts of the world," he said.

The partnership has been a learning experience for Shorb and others. "What
we've learned is that the problems are very similar no matter where you are
in the world," Shorb said. "There are commonalties that we all can learn
about."

What Shorb learned personally "is once you do train people who are well
motivated, they can make a difference, even if they do not have the
resources. The knowledge is important, and with that knowledge, people can
generally find access to resources that we have not even thought about."

As the need arises, he sees the partnership being broadened.

Methodist Healthcare in Memphis has already been successful in getting other
Methodist Healthcare systems involved. Methodist Houston has provided
support, and conversations are being held with the Clarion health care
system. Shorb hopes other Methodist health care providers will join the
initiative with financial and other assistance.

Having a son in the Peace Corps in Africa allows Shorb to see this
partnership as a ministry of equipping people to enhance their quality of
life. He sees the linkage between Methodist Healthcare, Africa University and
St. Jude as ongoing. 

"I see us broadening the interaction, with the number of our people going
over there increasing and increasing the number of professionals coming back
here," Shorb said. The hospital system is also interested in supporting
brick-and-mortar development as well as intellectual talent at the
university. "We feel ... like a mother entity in this effort, and we feel a
sense of caring and commitment to this effort," he said.

Davis foresees broadening the hospital system's horizons with not just the
utilization of distance-learning programs but by sending physicians, nurses
and other care providers to Africa University.
 
"I am thankful that this opportunity came to us," Shorb said. "It is the
exact kind of opportunity ... we need to be involved in. Resources, no matter
how large you are, are something that is a consideration, and you have to set
priorities.  For me, this really is a high priority because of the great work
being done.

"As a follower of John Wesley, we see the world as our parish.	Wesley truly
believed that the sense of community has to extend well beyond the community
we have right (here) in Memphis."

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer in Nashville, Tenn.

 
 

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org


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