On a recent rainy Thursday evening in Snohomish, I had the pleasure of meeting several new PSCC volunteers. Most didn’t know one another, but that didn’t last long. As they came in, they immediately introduced themselves. We began the evening with prayer; then volunteers headed off to their place of service: nurses and doctors to the mobile clinic, receptionists and floaters to the reception area, and spiritual care volunteers to be with patients.

Throughout the evening between caring for patients, the volunteers talked. Snohomish Community Church provided dinner for the volunteers, so as time allowed, they came, two or three at a time, to eat and share their stories. They learned about each other: where they worked; where their kids went to school, where they worshipped; and more. They laughed at silly jokes and shared favorite places in the community. They were making new friends…and loving one other.

These volunteers are the Body of Christ, from several different churches, coming together to serve their low-income uninsured neighbors.

Jesus said, “Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34-35, The Message

As one of our friends, we invite you to join us for this special fundraising event filled with food, fun, and fellowship.  You’ll get to tour our new mobile clinic and hear directly from patients whose lives have been changed, as well as hear our vision for working together to bring hope and health to our neighbors in desperate need of compassionate health care.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Appetizers and Mobile Clinic Tours at 6:30 p.m., Dessert and Program at 7:15 p.m.

Northshore Baptist Church, 10301 NE 145^th Street in Bothell/Kirkland

RSVP by February 16 to hannah.blomberg@gmail.com

Recently, Puget Sound Christian Clinic was invited to take our mobile clinic to First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue.  They are beginning “Deeper Impact,” a new program encouraging members to intentionally develop relationships with the needy through service in order to impact the community.

We attended a meeting where Atul Tandon (formerly of World Vision and now with United Way) talked with the group about the differences between serving the poor in an affluent urban society and serving in a more economically disadvantaged community. One difference is the increased complexity in serving the poor in an affluent urban setting like Seattle.

As an example, he shared that his 19-year-old son went on a short-term mission trip to a small rural village in India, where he was given scrubs and a scalpel to help with minor surgical procedures. It goes without saying that if his son were to volunteer at Puget Sound Christian Clinic, this would not happen! To do surgery here, you need training, a license, liability insurance, etc.

I deal with the complexities of American healthcare every day as we expand into new communities. PSCC operates in an urban environment with more financial resources than we’d find in a third world country. This is great in many ways, but, it means we deal with much more bureaucracy and red tape than Atul’s son did in India.

As we work towards bringing hope and health to low-income uninsured people in several Puget Sound communities, we’ve talked with lawyers, insurance agents, pastors and church administrators, negotiating agreements to use space in several churches and nonprofits and provide health care together.  Everyone wants to do this, but each individual is responsible for safeguarding his/her own organization’s assets.

We called city licensing departments in several different communities to ensure we are meeting all legal and licensing requirements in each community.

Our patients often need ancillary services, medications and specialty care beyond what we at PSCC can provide.  We advocate for them, approaching hospital administrators, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others to ask for their support in caring for the low-income uninsured population.  Generally, they are willing to help.  Yet, they need to care for patients within financial constraints, regulations, and their own policies and procedures.  We work together to find ways to help patients get the care they need within those constraints.

We’ve written and re-written PSCC policies and procedures so that our many volunteers know what we can and cannot do and how to do it.  Those policies and procedures also help provide consistent care for our patients.

We’ve consulted computer experts in order to get internet connectivity on our mobile clinic.  We’ve adopted more polices to ensure we are HIPAA compliant. 

There’s more…yes, this is complex!

It’s also a team effort.  We are grateful for the many people and organizations who participate with us in providing health care to low-income uninsured people.

Working through the complexities is also absolutely necessary.  More importantly, it is just and right.  In our society, having all these components in place ensures we provide quality, compassionate health care.  It is one more way that we communicate to our patients that they are valued, loved, and protected.

So, we press on, knowing that God is glorified in the end, as patients receive good health care, love, and respect at PSCC.

What do you think? What differences do you see in serving here in Seattle compared to other environments?

God loves each one of us deeply.  He persistently and ardently pursues relationships with those He loves.  At the clinic, we get to be a part of that, as He loves patients through us.  Each time I think of Mr. Pang* and Lily*, I’m delighted again by God’s passionate love for us.

Mr. Pang, an elderly Chinese gentleman, came to the clinic for health care. He didn’t speak English, so he brought his daughter Lily along to translate for him.  Lily was a college student, but spoke minimal English. Communication was challenging; however, Lily and our volunteers persevered and health needs were met.

After Mr. Pang saw the doctor, our spiritual care volunteer, Suzanne*, offered to pray with him.  Lily translated while Suzanne prayed.  In the middle of the prayer Lily stopped Suzanne.  She had so many questions!  Lily needed to know who Jesus is and whether God really loved her and her father.  Suzanne answered the questions as well as she could, but it was clear that Lily did not understand.

Finally, just as Mr. Pang was leaving, the receptionist scheduled a follow up visit for him.

A week later, Mr. Pang and Lily returned.  They checked in with the receptionists and settled in to wait their turn to see the doctor.  Only moments later, a middle-aged couple arrived for their medical check-up.  They also checked in and sat next to Mr. Pang and Lily.  Within minutes, these four discovered they had something in common—they spoke the same language!  God had brought to our door, and to Lily and Mr. Pang, missionaries to China who were home on furlough.  He brought just the right people at just the right time—to answer Lily’s questions.

The new friends spent the next two hours together, conversing excitedly in Mandarin.  We do not know what they talked about…but Lily must have been intrigued by what she heard.  Within a few weeks, she was meeting regularly with one of our spiritual care volunteers to read the Bible together.

Lily has moved on to other places now, and we no longer see her.  But, we’ll meet again someday…when she left, she knew who Jesus is and claimed Him as Friend and Savior.

God loves us passionately!  Where have you seen that love, or been a part of showing that love to others?

*Names changed to provide privacy

The second Snohomish pilot was great!  Nine patients received health care, and all were so appreciative. All volunteer positions were staffed, and internet connectivity was almost perfect.  Even the printer and fax machine worked!  Thank you to all who volunteered, prayed, and gave.  Your contributions are making a difference in the lives of so many!

Unfortunately, we were not able to see Anthony because the schedule was full, but we were able to refer him to another clinic.

Next pilot:  January 27 in Snohomish. 

Next volunteer training:  Jubilee Reach in Bellevue at 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. on January 29.

We’d love to have you serve with us…contact Hillary at hillaryt@pschristianclinic.org.

This week we’re making final preparations for our second pilot clinic in Snohomish.  Volunteers are ready, the mobile clinic is stocked, and changes in our technology have been made.  Hopefully, the technology changes mean internet connectivity is improved.  We’ll find out tomorrow.  Thank you, Carl, Tycen, and Kevin, for all your work. 

With all these pieces in place, we’re ready to provide primary health care to Snohomish individuals and families who otherwise would go without.

And, just in time!  Our patient schedule for this pilot is full.  Patient Anthony (not his real name) called just this afternoon.  He hopes to get an appointment soon, maybe even tomorrow if there’s a cancellation.  For years, his chronic condition has been controlled through periodic injections.  But he lost his health insurance recently.  He can no longer afford the injections.  Now he’s in so much pain he hasn’t left home for two months. 

Thanks to committed volunteers and friends, several Snohomish people in similar situations will receive health care this week. We’re already scheduling patients for the January 27 pilot.

Would you like to serve with us?  We’d love to hear your ideas or welcome you as a volunteer, or both!

Snohomish Volunteers

 Have you noticed all the stuff that can divide us?  You and I may come from different racial/ethnic backgrounds or have divergent political views.  Perhaps I have greater (or lesser) financial resources than you.  Or maybe you have more education than me.  The list goes on…

Diversity can create walls between me and you…between me and my neighbors.  Perhaps between you and your neighbors, too.

Sadly, we see this even within the Body of Christ, in spite of the fact that we are to be known by our love for one another.   Jesus said, “Let me give you a new command:  Love one another.  In the same way I loved you, you love one another.  This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”  (John 13:34-35, The Message).

So what unites us? . . . . the Good News of Jesus Christ! Since Puget Sound Christian Clinic began in 2003, our mission has been to show Christ to the community around us by loving one another as we serve those who do not have access to health care.  The PSCC mobile clinic is a tool that God is using to build unity within the Body of Christ. It is so exciting!

Take Snohomish, for example.  In December 2009, I met with several pastors of churches in that community. They respected each other and enjoyed being together.  In fact, as I’ve come to know them, I would describe them as friends who love Christ, love one another and enjoy working together to meet needs within their community.  Their desire to serve meshed with our vision for the mobile clinic. They worked tirelessly to bring the mobile clinic to that community, though it has not been easy.

Sometimes we needed help understanding each other’s language, background and history. The Snohomish steering committee talked through the PSCC statement of faith, the PSCC volunteer application, and how to care for patients spiritually.  Our varying viewpoints were presented with compassion and kindness and we listened to one another with respect.  Even that has sometimes been a challenge, at least for me.  It is only as I ask God to help me hear the real concerns that I understand.  Then I hear the desire expressed by each person to follow Christ. Even in the midst of interacting, it’s clear that we each love volunteers who will serve and patients who will be served.  Thus far, we have found favorable solutions.

Today we are only a few weeks away from beginning weekly mobile clinic operations in Snohomish. Fifty volunteers from several Snohomish churches look forward to serving together.  As we begin, Christian believers from diverse backgrounds, but with common purpose and vision, will love and serve patients from varying backgrounds.  Through service in the love of Christ, we will all grow, together.

Recently, a volunteer shared his story.  He decided to serve at the clinic because he wanted to have an impact in peoples’ lives. He saw PSCC making a difference, meeting health needs in the community.  He said, “I never expected the life that would be changed most would be my own.”

At PSCC, God is bringing volunteers and patients together and teaching us to love one another.  As we embrace people who are different, our lives will be enriched in ways we do not yet fully understand.  God will transform lives.  He will help us rip down walls that divide. The apostle Paul calls this the work of the Gospel, the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

How have you experienced dividing walls?   Do you have thoughts on how we can participate with God in loving one another, and removing the barriers?

Great News!  We recently received a grant from the Stewardship Foundation.  This funding allows PSCC to increase the hours of our Volunteer Program Manager to full-time.  Effective January 1, Hillary will become our first full-time employee.  For those of you who have volunteered to serve at PSCC, but have not heard from Hillary, these increased hours should help.  She often has as many as 60 volunteer applications on her desk.

Even with the increased hours, it’s going to take her awhile to catch up!  If you’d like to help process volunteer applications, we’d love to hear from you.

“O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things.”  Isaiah 25:1

As 2010 comes to an end, we at Puget Sound Christian Clinic want to share with you the marvelous things God has done this year through you, our faithful supporters and volunteers.

Patients’ lives have changed!  You may remember Carlos, a patient who received a new prosthetic leg after years of pain, because his old leg was worn out. Just a few weeks before Christmas, he came into the clinic with his daughter.  She excitedly shared that her daddy could play with her now!  Thanks to you, Carlos is able to more fully participate in life.  And there are so many more whose lives have changed.

And so many more marvelous works of God to share…

As we sought to follow God by expanding through a mobile medical clinic, He provided a beautiful 40 foot vehicle, ten years old with 17,000 miles, for only $25,000.  With retrofitting and needed maintenance, the total cost was $50,000.

God brought us Hillary, volunteer program manager, and Susan, nurse manager, to join our staff at just the right time as the amount of work to be done increased rapidly.

He brought together seven churches and forty volunteers in Snohomish to participate with us in providing free health care for those in need in that community.  Volunteers are trained, one pilot clinic has been held, and two more are scheduled.  Weekly mobile clinics are scheduled to begin in February 2011.

In Bellevue, God united Jubilee Reach, Hebron Community Health Clinic, PSCC, and local churches to provide free health care to low-income uninsured individuals and families in that area.  Pilots are scheduled and weekly operations will begin in February 2011.

In Shoreline, the Rainer Valley, the Snoqualmie Valley, and Bothell/Kirkland, churches are making plans and working together to bring the mobile clinic to their communities.

God provided resources!  He called individuals and families, churches, businesses, services organizations and foundations to provide all that is needed for this major expansion at PSCC:  expertise, funds, medical supplies and equipment, and volunteers.  You have given so generously of yourselves, and prayed so faithfully.

All these marvelous works of God are important because it means that in 2011, as we work together, we will bring hope and healing to patients like Carlos throughout Puget Sound.

With so much to be done, we’d love to hear your ideas on how to show the love of Christ to those we serve.

On a recent Saturday, Hebron Community Health Center and PSCC hosted the first pilot clinic at Jubilee Reach. It was a great day, as volunteers from Hebron served eleven patients. Jubilee Reach was busy giving gifts to many of their client families, as well. If you’d like to serve patients at Jubilee Reach, it’s time to submit a volunteer application! Volunteer training is scheduled for January 22 and February 5. Information about volunteer opportunities on the mobile clinic is available here.