Connecting Columbia Union Seventh-day Adventists

July 2016

During the two-and-a-half-day Pathway clinic in Beckley, 1,722 people received $6.5 million in free services that included dental procedures, eye exams and medical services such as cardiology, radiology, pediatrics, podiatry, HIV tests and minor surgical procedures, etc. Patients were also offered healthy lifestyle counseling, massages, haircuts and styles, spiritual literature, a vegan lunch and supper, the opportunity to visit the clothing distribution center and prayer with a chaplain.

When Judith Mufuh sat down to watch a video about the Seventh-day Adventist Church for her new job, she had no idea how profoundly it would impact her life. She had recently started working as a chaplain at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Md., and her manager, Dr. Shelvan Arunan, gave her the video to learn more about the faith-based roots of the hospital.

Diana, a Beckley, W.Va., resident, joined the line at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, waiting for dental service. “I’m not afraid of the drill; I’m afraid of the bill,” she says, adding that she hadn’t been to a dentist in six years. "I can't afford dental care."

Five Liberian amputees, who play on an international disabled soccer team that has won three world championships, received prosthetic legs and expert rehabilitation care this spring thanks to Adventist HealthCare Physical Health & Rehabilitation (Adventist HealthCare PH&R).