Medical Ministry Meets Technology
The Good News Health Clinic has been seeing patients since 1992 at our on-site clinic through the help of volunteer doctors, nurses and pharmacists. Although we conducted over 2,800 visits in 2020, many of our patients still struggled with keeping their appointments due to the lack of transportation, language barriers, weather complications, travel expenses and various other reasons. Our staff was already actively looking for a solution to this problem when the pandemic hit. This disruption caused many of our volunteer doctors and nurses to choose to stop working at the clinic because of the highly contagious nature of the virus, but we still needed to provide continuity of care for our patients with chronic diseases.
The solution came through a new form of medical technology called Telehealth. This wonderful opportunity allows our patients to receive medical help from the safety of their own home while our volunteer doctors and nurses provide the help from the convenience of their office, home or our clinic. Kim has been patient of our clinic for 5 years and is being treated for Diabetes. Recently she was too sick to come to our clinic for an in-person visit, but she needed medical attention and was able to consult with one of our doctors from her home via telehealth! She says, “It was nice because I was sick and I couldn’t come in but was still able to see the doctor and get the medicine I needed. It was very convenient. It’s awesome what technology can do these days. I love the Good News Health Clinic and the good Christian people that provide the help I need to get my Diabetes under control.”
Since April of 2021 we have already conducted 22 Telehealth visits and we plan on doing many more in the future. This technology will help decrease the number of missed appointments, increase our volume of patient visits and support the longevity of our volunteer base. We received a grant that allows us to purchase new equipment, train staff and provide patient education.
If you are interested in becoming one of our telehealth or in-person volunteers, please email Pat at pcamano@goodnewsministires.com.