wfn.org | United Methodist, Episcopal initiatives enhance AIDS ministries

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

July 20, 1999	Contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-28-71BP{379}

NOTE:  A photo is available for use with this story.

By United Methodist News Service

A United Methodist church in Houston with a history of providing health care
has combined one of its outreach ministries with an Episcopal community
services organization to enhance HIV and AIDS care in the city.

The Bering Community Service Foundation, a ministry of Bering Memorial
United Methodist Church, and Omega House combined resources earlier this
year to create Bering Omega Community Services (BOCS) to become a stronger
force in assisting people dealing with the challenges and pressures of HIV
and AIDS.

Eleanor Munger and Michael Shuff founded Omega House in 1986 to care for
dying AIDS patients. The house was created after Munger, who was then a
76-year AIDS charity hospital volunteer, witnessed patients beyond medical
help being discharged from the hospital. These patients were often
financially destitute and had no place to turn and no one to care for them.
Munger envisioned a home with sunlit gardens, where patients, regardless of
their ability to pay, could die with dignity in a caring atmosphere.

A year after Omega House opened, Bering Memorial United Methodist Church
formed Bering Community Service Foundation to help people manage their HIV
infections, physically and emotionally. The church has a history of
organizing care. In 1859, the congregation formed care teams to assist
Houston's yellow fever victims and responded to the polio epidemic in the
mid-1900s. 

Union of the faith-driven agencies has made the management of HIV possible
for many individuals. The agency assists more than 1,800 people annually. 

Bering Omega Community Services has been helping individuals like Michael,
who has multiple problems and is in a wheelchair. 

When Michael came to the adult daycare facility, not only was he dealing
with HIV but also with the problems associated with surviving a stroke. He
is sometimes confused and needs help in taking his medication. A gunshot had
severed his spinal cord and catherization is required. Because the home he
shares with his wife is not wheelchair-accessible, he lives with his elderly
mother who cannot provide the care he needs. His wife bathes and dresses him
each day before she reports to work at 6 a.m. Later, the BOCS Care Center
van transports him for physical therapy, full nursing care and a chance to
socialize with other adult daycare clients. 

Then there are people like Alex, who benefits from in-home health care.
BOCS' trained Sentry Program volunteers visit the homebound, relieving their
isolation and freeing caregivers to shop, attend church or just take a
break.

Alex has no caregiver. Throughout his first 18 months in the Sentry Program,
his health was erratic. His contact with Sentry volunteers was essential.
Though not trained nurses, the Sentry teams provide basic assistance with
walking, eating, preparing meals and light housekeeping. Now, Alex's health
is improved and he is taking college courses, traveling and has a part-time
job working at home.

The BOCS Dental Clinic recently underwent a $535,000 renovation, enlarging
the facility to accommodate up to 70 patients daily. A future satellite
clinic is being planned with collaboration with the WAM Foundation AIDS
ministry project of Windsor Village United Methodist Church, to serve the
residents of south and southwest Houston.

Bering Omega Community Services also provides dentistry, support groups,
financial assistance, advocacy and hospice.

In addition to the individuals that receive assistance from BOCS, nearly 450
trained volunteers assist a small crew of full- and part-time employees.
More than half the funding comes from private donations and the rest from
government support. All the services provided are free to clients.
# # #
The above article was adapted from a release by Sue-Ellen Davison, a Bering
Omega volunteer and free-lance writer in Houston.

______________
United Methodist News Service
http://www.umc.org/umns/
newsdesk@umcom.umc.org
(615)742-5472