Mobile Medical Van Health

Services: Twelve Years of

Experience!Presented by John Crouch

To the 2010 Urban Health Conference, September 2010

My Personal Background

• Washington University School of Med ‘67

• Internship St. Luke’s (St. Louis) ‘68• US Army Flight Surgeon ’68 - ’70

– Republic of Vietnam ’68 – ’69 – My True Conversion !

Milestones (cont.)• Residency Family Medicine, San

Bernardino California ‘72• Practicing, Teaching, Residency

Director from ‘72 to ‘78• The Call to ORU School of Medicine • The closing of the ORU SOM ‘89• The Beginning of In His Image and later

the Good Samaritan Health Services---1997-8 !

Mile posts along the way

• Washington University Med School: 1967• Internship St. Luke’s, St. Louis ‘67-’68• Drafted: US Army Flight Surgeon• Republic of Vietnam 1968-1969• Flight Surgeon, Ft. Walters, Texas• Residency San Bernardino, California 70-

72 • L’Abri Fellowship, Huemoz, Switzerland !

In His Image• Is a 501-C-3 Religious Non-profit

Corp*• Three specific goals

– To conduct a Christian Family Practice Residency Program

– To support World Wide Medical Missions– To provide health care to the

underserved in our Tulsa community* IRS Non-Profit Status 1991

In His Image International

Missions

Changing Concepts of

Medical Missions

Medical Education: the Future of Medical Missions?

Medical Education Medical Missions

• Conferences • Consultations• Residency Training Programs!

– Macau, China– Almaty, Kazakhstan– Shenyang, China– Kabul, Afghanistan – Aswan, Egypt---the newest one March

2009

In His IMAGE: Disaster Relief

Rwandan Massacre

Indonesian Tsunami

Pakistan Earthquake

Myanmar Hurricane

China Earthquake

Personnel and Resources

Be Ready Always!

Long Term Missionaries

Domestic Missions

• “And who is my neighbor?”

• “…The one who had mercy on him.”

•Luke 10:29, 37• Go to the people

• Live with the people• Learn from the people• Love the people

•Pastor Wayne Gordon, Lawndale Community Church

What is the problem?

• The numbers– 40,000,000 Americans uninsured?

• The Cost – Who knows?– Multiple Billions per year– Taking care of problems after they

are advanced!– The human cost – on families

Who are the uninsured?

• Working• Poor, close to the

poverty line• Children (life long

impact)• Diverse ethnicity• Majority are U.S. citizens• Consequences

– Poor access to health care

– Higher morbidity and mortality

Community Downstream Factors!

• Use Emergency Rooms as Primary Care– Hospital Gridlock– Trauma Response– ER on divert– Hospital Financial Burden

•Increase staffing increases cost•Cost shifting increases cost for those with insurance

High percentage of Uninsured

Community & Neighborhood Clinics

• Sponsored by a whole variety of organizations

• Different times and different emphases

• Are doing some very good work that helps to plug some of the gaps in health care

What is the Real Problem?

• The “Humpty Dumpty” dilemma– Poverty– Disease– Broken Families– Hopeless Young People– Abortion– Crime and Drugs

America’s Only Hope by Dr. Anthony Evans

What is the Real Problem?

• Every societal problem has multiple causes– From our perspective, this includes

Spiritual dimension– If that is not recognized and

addressed - never solve problem !!

Why Medical Ministry to Poor

is Valuable but Not Primary

• Surveys show medical needs are not number one priority for the underserved population; usually no higher than 5 or 6

• However, when people are sick – it (temporarily) becomes number one!

What is the Answer?

• Philosophically– Start a program with a wholistic agenda– Christian Compassion

• Personal - Individual• Challenging - Based on agape principle• Spiritual - power to change

• Practically - how do you do that?

Philosophical Basis• Literature search, books

•America’s Only Hope - Dr. Anthony Evans•Beyond Charity - Dr. John Perkins•Renewing American Compassion – Dr.

Marvin Olasky

• Other resources•CMDA - Domestic Mission Commission•CCHF

– Nuts & Bolts

•Jericho Road Foundation

• Partners - especially the Church !!

Friendship Church

Philosophical Basis

• It must be excellent

• It must be rooted in prayer

• It must demonstrate the supernatural

Philosophical Basis

•It respects God as the giver and taker of life

•It occasionally confronts “the system” representing what God stands for

•Its staff must be servants of God

Different Ways to do Medical Ministry with the

Underserved•“Clinics without Walls”•Church-based clinic•Community-based clinic

staffed with volunteers•Volunteer in “Government

Agency Free Clinics”•Set up your own

Good Samaritan Health Services

Began in 1998 Early days in housing complex Cornerstone Assistance Network

(CAN): Partnering Churches together for

integrated compassion ministries Medical arm of CAN

Cornerstone Assistance Network

of Tulsa• The Tulsa Cornerstone Assistance

Network was formed to help churches– Unite the church for prayer and planning– Identify and link resources– Coordinate relational ministry

development– Establish partnerships with care

providers

Needs Assessment!• What are the Needs in YOUR

community?• How do you find a way to meet

those needs? (Hint: Mobilize “the Church”!)

• Resist the temptation to see the glass as ONLY half empty! Do a Gifts, Talents, and Abilities Assessment Survey also!

Empowerment of People

by Grace• Part I– Don’t do a needs assessment without

finding out about gifts, talents, and abilities !!

• Part II– Helping people see and use their gifts

and talents !! The church needs to be activated to do this !! Remember the Book, “Renewing American Compassion” by Olasky

Good Samaritan Health Services

• Application for medical van Mobile medical clinics Expansion from 3 sites → now 11 sites

→ soon to include new mobile unit! 501 (c) 3 nonprofit religious

organization, GSHS (Good Samaritan Health Services)

Compassionate Health Care Emphasis on Spiritual Care

Our First Van

GSHS Mission We are committed to

improving medical services for the underserved

by collaborating with the church and other community partners to provide excellent

Christ-like wholistic healthcare.

Vision StatementTo ensure that quality healthcare that addresses the whole person is

brought within reach to all underserved persons within our

community.

Project Goals• Improve Access to health services:

primary care, patient education, preventative medicine (immunizations), and eventually prenatal care.

• Demonstrate wholistic healthcare• Mobilize Christians to serve

What Kind of Care?

– Broad based primary care• Regular acute care problems• Childcare - immunizations• Chronic disease management• Assisting with meds with available samples• Building a “clinic without walls” with

potential specialty referrals

– Evaluate and meet broader non-medical needs of the patient/family

Practical Issues• Medications

– Formulary– Cooperation– Donations vs. purchase

• Referrals– Mobile partners– Clinic without walls

• Protocols

Practical Issues

•Scheduling•Triage/patient load•Equipment•Maintenance of van and

equipment

Mobile Medical Units

Practical Issues• Staff----basic staff who are paid staff• Volunteers:

– Docs•Malpractice

– Nurses– Prayer partners– Intake workers

• Site selection/ownership• Community partners

Practical Issues• Fundraising• Ministry

– Whole Person Lay Counseling Ministry (Pilot)

– CHE (Pilot)– Community Health Workers

• Chart storage/EMR

Exciting!!• Well women’s clinics• Non-mydriatic retinal camera for

screening diabetics and others• CHE• Soon to be Prenatal Clinic• Replication of “the Tulsa Model”

Mobile Van Ministry• Need a champion(s)!!• Partners in the Community: Churches!

Medical / Funding Partners!• Selection of Sites: Zip code • Banquets or Gala and Tours• MOBILE MEDICAL MINISTRIES,

International!!!! $ 100,000 Challenge Grant!

The Five Giants!

Conflicts: Man with God, Man vs ManCorrupt LeadershipPovertyDisease Ignorance

The contemporary Goliaths in our world today!!

PEACE Process• Promote Reconciliation• Equip Servant Leaders• Assist the Poor• Care for the Sick• Educate the Next Generation

» Rick Warren» Saddleback Church

PEACE Process• Promote Reconciliation• Equip Servant Leaders• Assist the Poor• Care for the Sick• Educate the Next Generation

» Rick Warren» Saddleback Church

Contact Information

Good Samaritan Health Services Michelle ScottAdministrative Assistant mscott@inhisimage.org or mscott@goodsamaritanhealth.org

(918) 493-7884 x2